A Mysterious Envelope From Jan The Fan

We've had an brown, paper envelope propped up on the side for a few days now ........

...... with strict instructions to open it on 1st December and not a day before.

We are pretty sure that it has come from our beloved No.1 Fan, Jan The Fan, who, as you may all recall, we actually, finally met in proper, real life, earlier this year under the beautiful and inspiring spires of Oxford.

I think we were all at times sorely tempted to take just a tiny, weeny peek ......

 ...... but thankfully managed to resist, for fear of incurring some sort of yuletide wrath, should we as much as break the seal.

So, it goes without saying that yesterday morning, after we'd breakfasted and donned our gay apparel, we all gathered round the table to delved within said envelope's innermost sanctum ......

..... to find a very lovely card, addressed, in print, to "a special family" which, we're not ashamed to say, found us overwhelmed with not a little emotion.

Then, when we were suitably recovered, we also found a festive Advent scratchcard, another traditional, run up to the greatest day of the year, gift from Jan The Fan. There followed a collective, heartfelt sigh, hoping against hope, that perhaps and maybe, by the Big Day, we could, if the Lottery Gods are looking down upon us, be millionaires, with plans that if we were, we'd take Jan the Fan and all her family on a holiday of a lifetime, destination to be decided, but "potentially" Mexico to meet up with Mr and Mrs D, via Southport and Lytham St Annes to pick up Pharmacy Michelle and Seaside Karen for the adventure and party of the century!  What on earth are we like?

It all now hangs on us matching two identical symbols or two matching doubles, with a 1 in 3.03 chance of winning a prize. So far we've got a cracker, an ice cube, a sprig of holly and a mince pie, but we are in a confident and buoyant mood that a win could just be but a small scratch away!  Happy and hopeful days!