The attractive soap dish

Was that a stress again this year before the festival! Food prepared for three days, the apartment cleaned and decorated, Christmas cards written and many, many gifts bought. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I’m glad that everything is ready now. Now we can look forward to the holidays in peace. What is not worried, that’s missing.
It occurred to me that I had promised my neighbor, Mrs. Neuhaus, to drop by for a cup of coffee with her. Is it possible to visit someone one day before Christmas without having a present? Not really. Christmas is the festival of giving. But what to do? The shops are closed. There I have the saving idea and it occurs to me that on a similar occasion last year I got an attractive soap dish from the mother of a friend of my son. It looked a bit like a giveaway you get on these coffee trips. I did not use it, more specifically, I unpacked it and stowed it somewhere in the drawer where things are stored for which there is no real place. Yes, I think, soap dishes always go. I dig out the somewhat dusty part from the drawer, pack it still nice and make my way to my neighbor. She had invited a few other women.
He was really nice, our little pre-Christmas chat over coffee, cake and candlelight. Except for the small matter and embarrassment, as the neighbor unpacked the presents brought. Ms. Jäger, said mother of my son’s friend, was also there and I wanted to sink into the ground, when I imagined what would happen when she recognized her soap dish again.
“Oh, how adorable, a candlestick!” Mrs. Neuhaus was enthusiastic. The candlestick was a gift from Mrs. Martin opposite. Mrs. Neuhaus beamed at Mrs. Martin and thanked her. But she did not shine back but looked up red-hot head at the sitting next to Mrs. Hunter, who hissed quite cynical: “But he seems familiar.” Presumably, Mrs. Jäger had last year donated the candle holder to Mrs. Martin, who passed it on to Mrs. Neuhaus this year. No need to worry, I thought, when Frau Neuhaus unpacked my package with the attractive soap dish. “Beautiful,” she called, and I cast a humble look at Mrs. Hunter. But it seemed, sometimes one is lucky not to remember the soap dish.
No, we probably should not have done that, because Mrs. Becker’s package contained a coffee mug decorated with Christmas motifs, which Mrs. Neuhaus fulfilled with great joy of reunion. 
Later, I interviewed all participants separately, but could not trace the course of candlesticks, soap dishes and coffee cups until the year of purchase. 
According to unconfirmed rumors, all ladies are said to have taken part in a coffee ride years ago.