Christmas Bonus? in 2014

So....... Scott took Wednesday and Thursday off. Not for any reason in particular other than he has time he was going to lose, and he just felt like taking time off, so he did. Yesterday we took the kids to see Santa (great experience by the way) and he checked online to see how much his check was supposed to so we would know how much we could spend on pictures. Nothing was there and he immediately got super panicked. So he checked with two other people and there’s were not on the website either. One of the guys though told him that the first check of December usually does not get posted because if there was a Christmas Bonus, the company wants it to be a surprise.

Made sense, we were no longer worried. We were expecting an extra $100 because the company gives $50 for every year you have been employed with them, maxing out somewhere, and this will be the second full year for Scott, so $100. In the middle of the night I woke up and looked at my phone and saw the notification that the direct deposit went through and went back to sleep. Woke up this morning and only opened my bank app to clear the notification and was completely shocked at our balance. Scott’s check was $2,200 more than we were expecting!

Now, because this is Scott’s first month getting a commission check, we were kind of panicking again because we were sure that something was confused on our end. Maybe he actually gets paid on a per versus commission structure rather than pay plus commission and now nothing is ok? So Scott checked online to see if his pay stub was there yet, and it had been posted. It said that he received $3000 in commission (bleh taxes). So then we were thinking that maybe instead of receiving 4 weeks of commission all at once, maybe he got 2 weeks here and there and thats where the confusion was.

It left things ok, meant we could actually buy presents early, but needed to reorganize the way we were paying bills this month so it all made sense for the stretch of the month. Scott told me he would let me know how we should handle things when he found out really what it was. He got to work and was kind of afraid to ask anyone so he decided to wait and see if it was addressed at the morning meeting. And it was. The message delivered was, “We are sure you all looked at your paychecks this morning and are very confused and surprised by what is there. So are we. But management is saying they are Christmas bonuses and not your commission checks. You will still be receiving your full commissions on the 24th, so Merry Christmas!”

Total shock and awe here. We are like stunned. It is by far the biggest bonus either of us has ever gotten. It is completely unexpected. And I Don’t know what to do. I want to tell people because I am so overwhelmed (in a good way) by the goodness of it all. But Scott kind of left off with a feeling like maybe we should wait for it to be confirmed further by management in case it’s a mistake. So, here is where I will say yipee and thank God publicly for this blessing. Thats truly what it is. It isn’t just about presents. It’s about being able to get caught up faster and easier than planned. It’s about the financial struggle of the last couple of months all coming together in this moment.

I feel like maybe I should cry, but I am sure it is still all shock,. Lots and lots of shock and stunned silence. My heart though, my heart is welling up with happiness no words or sound could ever properly convey.