Secret Santa 2020-It's Nov. but it's 2020 is there interest?
Nov 11, 2020 0:15:41 GMT -5
shaxper likes this
Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2020 0:15:41 GMT -5
First off, can a mod sticky this thread so everyone can see it and we can publicize this to see if there is enough interest. Thanks in advance to whomever can do this.
MDG shaxper pinkfloydsound17 Icctrombone @bert hondobrode Prince Hal The Captain thwhtguardian
So it's November and despite it still being in the 70s here today, winter and the holidays are coming, so it's time to talk about Secret Santa (while we all wait breathlessly for Cei-U to announce this year's 12 Days of Christmas topic around Thanksgiving). This will be our 5th year of running a Secret Santa if we do it this year.
So 2020 has been a rough year to say the least, and I perfectly understand if people want to take a pass on doing Secret Santa this year because of all the ripple effects of living in a world with a pandemic. So I am posting to gauge interest for this year.
If people are interested in looking at past year's Secret Santa exchanges, I will link the previous threads below, and I have tagged past participants who are still part of the forums in this thread to bring people's attention to it.
I will again do the behind the scenes work organizing the exchange if there is enough interest.
Assuming people are at least open to doing this during 2020, it will run similarly to what we have done in the past, with a window to sign up and if we get enough participants, I will randomly determine each participants Santa and whom they will be Santa for. I will contact each person to notify them who they are buying for, and provide an address. People can post wish lists or interests if they choose, to help Santa, but it is not necessary. Once you send the gift, notify me that it has been sent, and once you receive your gift, post a photo in the thread.
I'm looking at midnight Sunday November 29th as the deadline to sign up and I will do the randomization that evening after midnight and notify folks via PM. With potential postal delays I want to have enough time for people to get their gifts and get them in the mail for people to receive them before Christmas.
Here are the general logistics fo it all copied form last year:
We can adjust the price range if needed, as this year has wreaked havoc on people's incomes, but some people may still want to participate in the event in the spirit of the season, so we can lower the threshold if that is an issue for folks. If you have participated in the past, but cannot or do not want to this year, no problems, it is certainly understandable, and whether or not it happens this year, I will run it again next year, and all will still be welcome whether they participated this year or not.
2019 Secret Santa thread
2018 Secret Santa thread
2017 Secret Santa thread
2016 Secret Santa thread
With everything going on, I am not 100% certain this will happen this year, but it is also a year where people could use a little joy and a seasonal pick me up, so if people are interested, I will do what I can to make it work. We have done it with as little as 6 people in the past, so we can run with only a handful who are interested if need be, but it is open to as many people as are interested. Participants outside the US create logistical hoops because of the cost of shipping, but we have overcome that in the past, so those outside the US are welcome to participate, but it may take some logistical finagling to make it work smoothly. I ask all participating to be patient and considerate this year because of the challenges this year has presented. Timeliness in communication if you participate will go a long way to smoothing out any rough spots. This is something that should bring joy not stress to folks, there are enough stressors out there as we go through this most unusual year.
Find what joy you can in this world and season's greetings to all here whether you choose to participate or not.
-M
MDG shaxper pinkfloydsound17 Icctrombone @bert hondobrode Prince Hal The Captain thwhtguardian
So it's November and despite it still being in the 70s here today, winter and the holidays are coming, so it's time to talk about Secret Santa (while we all wait breathlessly for Cei-U to announce this year's 12 Days of Christmas topic around Thanksgiving). This will be our 5th year of running a Secret Santa if we do it this year.
So 2020 has been a rough year to say the least, and I perfectly understand if people want to take a pass on doing Secret Santa this year because of all the ripple effects of living in a world with a pandemic. So I am posting to gauge interest for this year.
If people are interested in looking at past year's Secret Santa exchanges, I will link the previous threads below, and I have tagged past participants who are still part of the forums in this thread to bring people's attention to it.
I will again do the behind the scenes work organizing the exchange if there is enough interest.
Assuming people are at least open to doing this during 2020, it will run similarly to what we have done in the past, with a window to sign up and if we get enough participants, I will randomly determine each participants Santa and whom they will be Santa for. I will contact each person to notify them who they are buying for, and provide an address. People can post wish lists or interests if they choose, to help Santa, but it is not necessary. Once you send the gift, notify me that it has been sent, and once you receive your gift, post a photo in the thread.
I'm looking at midnight Sunday November 29th as the deadline to sign up and I will do the randomization that evening after midnight and notify folks via PM. With potential postal delays I want to have enough time for people to get their gifts and get them in the mail for people to receive them before Christmas.
Here are the general logistics fo it all copied form last year:
I will use a randomizer to match entrants with the recipient of the gift, and e-mail folks with who they are getting a gift for and their address. If we have enough folks and have a Canadian and an American contingent, I will try to match folks from the same country to save on postage as international shipping can get quite pricey.
Gifts should be comic or geek culture related (unless you know the recipient has other interests from their posts here) and be in the range of $15-$20. Last year participants posted some of their interests, but that is optional, and let's wait to see if we have enough interested in participating before we do that.
You should send out the gift in time for the recipient to get it by Christmas.
When you receive your gift, post it here for others to see.
Be aware, you must provide a mailing address to participate (along with a name attached to the address), but I will only provide the info to whomever is sending your gift via private message. It will not be posted in the forums. This means please do not post address or any other personal info in this thread.
If anyone has questions or further suggestions, let me know.
Gifts should be comic or geek culture related (unless you know the recipient has other interests from their posts here) and be in the range of $15-$20. Last year participants posted some of their interests, but that is optional, and let's wait to see if we have enough interested in participating before we do that.
You should send out the gift in time for the recipient to get it by Christmas.
When you receive your gift, post it here for others to see.
Be aware, you must provide a mailing address to participate (along with a name attached to the address), but I will only provide the info to whomever is sending your gift via private message. It will not be posted in the forums. This means please do not post address or any other personal info in this thread.
If anyone has questions or further suggestions, let me know.
We can adjust the price range if needed, as this year has wreaked havoc on people's incomes, but some people may still want to participate in the event in the spirit of the season, so we can lower the threshold if that is an issue for folks. If you have participated in the past, but cannot or do not want to this year, no problems, it is certainly understandable, and whether or not it happens this year, I will run it again next year, and all will still be welcome whether they participated this year or not.
2019 Secret Santa thread
2018 Secret Santa thread
2017 Secret Santa thread
2016 Secret Santa thread
With everything going on, I am not 100% certain this will happen this year, but it is also a year where people could use a little joy and a seasonal pick me up, so if people are interested, I will do what I can to make it work. We have done it with as little as 6 people in the past, so we can run with only a handful who are interested if need be, but it is open to as many people as are interested. Participants outside the US create logistical hoops because of the cost of shipping, but we have overcome that in the past, so those outside the US are welcome to participate, but it may take some logistical finagling to make it work smoothly. I ask all participating to be patient and considerate this year because of the challenges this year has presented. Timeliness in communication if you participate will go a long way to smoothing out any rough spots. This is something that should bring joy not stress to folks, there are enough stressors out there as we go through this most unusual year.
Find what joy you can in this world and season's greetings to all here whether you choose to participate or not.
-M
