Around Christmas of 2016, Megan Chanda unwrapped the custom blanket she’d ordered online, expecting to see it emblazoned with photos of her recently deceased dog. Instead, the blanket featured a collage of a smiling family of strangers. The blanket company didn’t want the mistakenly sent blanket returned, so Chanda — a senior deputy district attorney — decided it would make the perfect white elephant gift at the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office holiday party. “Everyone thought it was hilarious,” she said. “It was kind of a hit, and it has made a comeback every year since.”
Little did Deputy District Attorney Chanda know that nearly a decade later, her office would not only identify the mysterious family, but help them during a difficult time.
The blanket became a running gag in the District Attorney’s office. Every December, the previous year’s white elephant recipient would wrap the blanket up and bring it back to the holiday party. At first, Chanda said, her colleagues made no effort to conceal the blanket’s identity, but after some years, they started disguising it in unexpected containers and creative wrapping. They also began a tradition of signing the back of the blanket with a fabric marker upon receiving it…