HI Jan, don't have a good solution (well, I agree with the spiked eggnog), just wanted to commiserate a bit. It seems like every now and then a project goes all wonky. It seems like it's always one that has a time deadline.
BTW, since it's gonna be late anyhow, I would wait until January to send it. I think the closer you get to the holiday, the greater the potential for your package to go astray.