and the art of saving Christmas

I was gently (read: rudely) awakened this morning by the sweet, modern sound of an incoming SMS. Not one message, but two. One for each of our missing suitcases. At that precise moment, hope entered the bedroom before I had even had my first coffee.

The messages proudly announced that our luggage had finally arrived at Hannover airport and would be delivered “as soon as possible” by a carrier to the address provided. Music to my ears. Angels singing. Reindeer warming up.

But then—because optimism never travels alone—I checked the KLM World Tracker web page.

According to KLM’s digital oracle, the bags are not heading to where we actually are. No. They are apparently on a determined pilgrimage back to our permanent address in France. Several hundred kilometres away. A bold choice.

Now, this would merely be mildly annoying under normal circumstances. Except for one small detail: all our Christmas presents are in those two suitcases. Every single one. Carefully chosen, lovingly wrapped (in my head), and currently enjoying an extended European tour.

So here we are, suspended between two realities:

• The reassuring SMS, promising imminent delivery.
• The tracking website, calmly rerouting Christmas to France.

I am choosing to believe that common sense will prevail, that logistics will triumph over algorithms, and that KLM will indeed save Christmas. Preferably before Santa notices the competition.

Stay tuned. The fate of Christmas is now officially in the hands of a barcode, a carrier, and whatever mood the tracking system wakes up in tomorrow. 🎄✈️📦