It turns out that what we should have been tracking is our container, not our ship, because our container and our ship have only a loose relationship, not a commitment. The technical term for a container practicing ship swapping is transshipment, and our shipping company mentioned it as a possibility from the beginning. Transshipment can happen is how they put it. Somehow, I thought that meant that if transshipment happened to us, someone would let us know. Not true.

While I was busily tracking NYK Demeter and coming up with various rationalizations to explain where she was going, my container had quietly transshipped in Antwerp on November 19th. It hung out there for a week–maybe it likes art, or architecture, or diamonds?–then took up with the Traiguen on November 26th for a quick hop to Piraeus, Greece, where it landed on December 3rd. Pireaeus is the largest port in Greece and the main port of Athens, so I’m sure there is a lot to do there. Our container will, perhaps reluctantly, perhaps hurriedly, perhaps furtively, board the CGM Titus tomorrow, Dec. 9th, and both are scheduled to arrive in Barcelona on Dec. 18th.

Last last week I observed NYKD head to Cartagena and then back to the Panama Canal, and it finally occurred to me to to ask the shipping company, ¿Qué pasa? But it was my husband who found the container ID and answered the question first and in much greater detail than Ruby International did when responding two days later.

I clearly did not pay for the most inclusive package from this shipper.

The original prediction by Ruby was that the container would arrive on Dec. 14th then spend seven days in customs. With the four day slip, that puts customs release potentially on Dec. 25, a date you may recognize. Barcelona is already in full-blown Christmas grandeur, which I’m going to post on if I can get some good pictures; it’s gorgeous. Even though there was a holiday on Dec. 6 (Constitution Day) and today (Feast of the Immaculate Conception) the city is sure to be in festival frenzy for Navidad. So we are bracing ourselves to have to wait for our stuff until January, though we will certainly engage our local agent, the merrily named Flippers Madrid, to find out whether a Christmas miracle is possible.

A couple of years ago I recorded a Christmas playlist. If I had my piano, I could update the set, possibly including:

• All I Want for Christmas is [Container Number] CSNU1155075
• CSNU1155075, Be Home for Christmas
• We’ll Have a Blue Christmas Without CSNU1155075
• Santa Baby, Forget the Yacht, Bring CSNU1155075
• I Wish I Were With You, CSNU1155075

Even we see CSNU1155075 only in our dreams, it will be great to celebrate with our sons and our daughter-in-law!