Secret Santa 2019 (Real Gift Exchange)

[Sharifu]

I'm a bit late starting this thread this year, I usually start it in August! I hope a good amount of people want to join this year. Let's get this started!

For those of your who haven't done this with us before, this is a real Secret Santa with members on this forum. You will be sending a real gift through the mail. (So make sure you are comfortable giving out your address if you want to join) Please be aware you could be shipping internationally, so don't send super heavy gifts.

We don't really have a certain price limit, but I think anywhere from $5 to $15 is ok. But it's up to you, you can spend a little bit more, but don't go crazy. Really it's not the price that matters.

So here is how this goes, if you want to join, go ahead and PM me your email address. I will give people a month to join. So on October 2nd, I will use a Secret Santa website we have been using for years, where I enter in all the email addresses, and then emails are sent to everyone, and in that email, you will get a link where you enter your wishlist and your address of where you want your gift to be sent to. Once everyone has done that, people will get an email with someone's wishlist and address so you can send them a gift! Make sure to send it in time so they receive their gift by Christmas. I know this seems early but we have been starting it this early for years so hopefully everyone has a few months or so to shop and ship their gift in time for their person to receive their gift by Christmas.

1. Deadline for joining: Wednesday, October 2nd.
2. How to join: PM me with your e-mail address before the above date.
3. Suggested price range for gifts: $5-$15
4. Do not reveal your identity to the person you are buying for. This goes against the aspect of it being a secret. People who reveal themselves will be banned from joining the following year.
5. It sounds cheesy, but have fun!!

Participating Members
Sharifu - Gift Received
cleargreenwater - Gift Received
Vidan - Gift Received
Leorgathar - Gift Received
Kossu - Gift Received
ThiagoPE - Gift Received

[nathalie]

Just adding to being secret: if you want more info from your person, you can send them an email anonymously through the website.

[cleargreenwater]

I'm in this year.

[Vidan]

I'll go ahead and join this year. :idea:

[Leorgathar]

I'm in as well :D

[Kossu]

I regretted missing out on this the previous years, so I'll go ahead and join!:cheese:

[ThiagoPE]

I also would like to join.

[Sharifu]

Hey everyone. I think I might extend the date to join for a few more days. I just mentioned this thread on our Facebook page. I'm just trying to see if anyone else would like to join. There are some people who join almost every year, but didn't this year, so I just want to double check with people to see if they want to join or not.

[Sharifu]

So since a few days has past, I decided to go ahead and start Secret Santa. Seems like the drawn names website has changed a little bit. Seems like it has already drawn us a name even without us entering a wish list first. I kind of like that. You should all get email from that website. There is a place to click on your drawn name, and you can already see who you have drawn.

[Kossu]

I've been meaning to post on Lea for a few days now, but there's been so much to do since I got back to Athens last weekend..Argh.:blah:

Anyway, I heard a few days ago that my gift arrived in the Netherlands!:D Since I wasn't sure whether I was going to spend Christmas in the Netherlands or Greece at the time that we started the Secret Santa, I gave my in-laws adress instead of mine. Where we live in Apeldoorn, it's a crowded block of flats and I really wouldn't trust the package delivered there, if me or my fiance weren't around...So yeah, I'll see it when I get back, since I am going to be spending Christmas in Greece...:lol:

Has anyone else received theirs?:D

[Sharifu]

I did! :cheese: Quite a while ago actually! I'm excited to open it!

Whoever receives a package from me, I just wanted to let you know that the gift inside is wrapped. So if you got your package already, or before Christmas (I hope) I just wanted to mention that in case you wanted to put the wrapped gift under your Christmas Tree. :)

[cleargreenwater]

Mine's wrapped in the package, too, although idk how abused the mailer will be when it gets there, I can guarantee nothing ripped :zazueek: I forgot how nerve wracking shipping around the holidays can be.

[Vidan]

I received mine on Monday =D

I didn't think about wrapping my gift, so, assuming my recipient hasn't gotten or opened it yet, better to leave the package sealed until you are ready to look at the contents.

[cleargreenwater]

I got mine a few weeks ago, I've been sitting on my hands to not open it for a long time until this day!

Is there a time we can start posting about who we got? :D

[Sharifu]

I personally don't mind if we say who drew us and what they gave us, especially since it's Christmas day now. I'm not sure how others feel about that, but I think they feel the same.

[Kossu]

I have nothing against you all sharing what you got.:) For me, it's going to be a while longer until I can open my gift, as I won't be back in the Netherlands until the 10th of January(some things came up and I have to stay some more time).

I don't know how Leorgathar; and ThiagoPE; feel about this. Have you guys received your gifts?

[Leorgathar]

I haven't got my gift yet, but it's ok for me if you guys want to share what you got, so go ahead :) I'm sure I'll receive mine eventually ^^

[cleargreenwater]

I had Thiago as my Secret Santa! They got me this really great coffee mug, it's the Starbucks logo but it says "Circle Of Coffee" instead which is hilarious because coffee sure is what moves me when the sun rises :lol: :cs_surprise_2:

It's got Kovu & Kiara in the Starbucks circle even though I can totally see Kovu & Kiara being Rook groupies, too. Rook is like this rival brand to Starbucks around here that's got stronger brews. :kovusmile:

(I don't have photobucket anymore so I can't figure out how to post a picture!)

[Sharifu]

(I don't have photobucket anymore so I can't figure out how to post a picture!)

You can attach an image from your computer to a post. Under where you type out the post, there is a button you can click on that says "MANAGE ATTACHMENTS". You can give that a try! I would like to see a photo of this mug!

[cleargreenwater]

You can attach an image from your computer to a post. Under where you type out the post, there is a button you can click on that says "MANAGE ATTACHMENTS". You can give that a try! I would like to see a photo of this mug!

Woooow I've been doing quick posts for so long I forgot that was there :o Thank you! That is so much easier to do than Flickr, I tried to use them but they don't offer code for messageboards on their app, I hate posting images online anymore.

Here's the cup! You can't see it too well but the logo is Starbucks green :D

[ThiagoPE]

I hope you liked your gift @cleargreenwater, personally i loved that mug.

I was traveling outside Brazil during the christimas, my gift arrived during that time. as soon i have pictures of it i will post here.

[Sharifu]

My Secret Santa was Kossu! She gave me a lot! A heat changing TLK mug, a Nala key chain, a card, a beautiful piece of artwork she made of Sharifu and Sadiki, and some chocolate and candies!

994995
Since I went to Oregon for a week during Christmas, I decided to open my Secret Santa package before Christmas, right before we left. (I opened it on December 19) Our car was so packed full to go to Oregon, I decided to open my Secret Santa package then so I could save some space in the car and leave my Secret Santa gift at home. I saw the mug, the key chain and the chocolates, and I thought they were all great gifts. After I got back home, I opened up the package in early January so I could clean and use my mug, I noticed a piece of paper at the bottom of the package wrapped in light cardboard and in a clear envelope sheet, and I thought, "Wow! This is probably artwork!" I didn't notice it the first time I opened the package, so it was an extra surprise! And I have to say it's a beautiful piece of artwork. It looks like it was done in watercolor? The shades of purple in the background are amazing. They give off a romantic evening feel. I'm really impressed with the way the water was done, seeing the reflection of the moon reflected in the water. Sharifu and Sadiki are adorable. A really beautiful piece of artwork, I think I might frame it. ^^

The chocolates are really good too. Especially the bag in the photo, on the right side. They taste like chocolate covered pieces of ginger bread. (I assume that is what they are) I did take the chocolates to Oregon with me and I shared some with my family.

996997
Here is some pictures of the heat changing mug, before and after hot coffee was poured into it. Very cool!

Thank you Kossu for all of the amazing gifts. I got way more then I expected, what a treat! The artwork seemed like a bonus to me as I didn't even notice it at the bottom of the package the first time I looked in the package.

[nathalie]

Kruidnoten, eww, haha
Typical thing from the Netherlands that is, have you tried them yet?

Great gifts everyone :D

[ThiagoPE]

My SS was @Vidan, He sent me this nice christmas tree ornament and a T shirt.

99899910001001

Thanks Vidan, loved your gifts ^_^

[Leorgathar]

Great gifts everyone! They're all fantastic :)

I finally received mine today!! :wow: And wow, it was really worth the wait! ^^
My Secret Santa was Sharifu, and to start, just look at this wrapping! I just had to open this with surgical precision xD
1002

Inside the little envelope there was a cute little card with a jaguar, and in the package there was a nice magnet from San Francisco, a totally awesome jaguar T-shirt :D (which is my instant new favorite of course!!), and the nicest surprise of them all, a drawing of both Coatl and my girlfriend's fursona, Jead!
It's so beautiful, Sharifu, thank you so, so much :cs_love: I love it to bits <3 I showed it to Jead and she really liked it as well (she sends her gratitude too ^^)

1004 1003 1005

If I'm not mistaken, it was only me remaining to receive a gift, and now that I have, the 2019 Secret Santa is finally complete. So... success! :D

[Sharifu]

Oh thank goodness. I was starting to worry that your package was just gone forever. XD I sent it almost two months ago. But I am so glad you got it now. I'm sorry you had to wait for so long! I know I should have sent your package in October really, but it took a while for me to find that shirt for you, and in that size. But that was the one I really wanted to give you, so I was searching Ebay and Amazon until I found one in that size and that was brand new. (By the way, I wanted to tell you that those Mountain brand shirts do kind of have a funny smell when they are new, but they wont smell like that once they are washed). Also October and November were kind of hectic and busy for me because of some health issues that came up for me and a car accident I had in November. (But I'm doing fine now, so no worries) So it took me a while until I had the time to work on that drawing for you. And even though the drawing is on a small card, it still took me a few days to finish it! But you said the wait was worth it, and I'm so glad to hear you say that. ^^ I'm so glad that you finally got your package and you are happy with it. :)


Kruidnoten, eww, haha
Typical thing from the Netherlands that is, have you tried them yet?

Eww? I think they are good. :p You don't like gingerbread?

[Kossu]

Um, very late post.:zazublush:

Sharifu, I'm so happy the package arrived safe and sound! I was fretting a lot, since it was my first time posting something outside of Europe. I'm really happy you liked everything! And I'm glad you found the drawing too. I put it last in the box, before I closed it. It caused me a bit of trouble, since the box was slightly less wide than the drawing, so it got a bit bent...I hope it’s ok!

The drawing is indeed watercolours! I had a lot of fun working on it, though I wish I had added some more detail on the background. I'm very happy you like it though. And like Nathalie said, those are kruidnoten, a very popular dutch sweet.:)

Now...:lalala:

My secret santa was Leorgathar! I finally opened the generous package he sent on the 10th of January, the day I got back to the Netherlands. He sent me lots!:cheese: A cute Simba POP figure, a beautiful Chihuahua dog statue(I love it so very much!), a beautiful magnet from Chihuahua, a wonderful TLK postcard(there’s so much hidden stuff there, I’m sure I still haven’t found everything xD) and a lovely sketch of Nirani.:wow:
10161020

Also, some very tasty treats!:munch:
The candy with the rose was amazing! It tasted a lot like a greek sweet with almonds (kourabiedes). The one you sent is a lot sweeter though. It’s really a pity one of the 2 rose sweets got squished on the journey. When I opened the box, there was powdered sugar everywhere.

Here’s a clearer picture of the sketch 1017and the postcard10181019.

Thank you so very much Leor, for all the wonderful gifts!:hugs: And cool gifts, everyone! This was a very nice experience and I hope I can participate again.:)

[KanuTGL]

So many awesome gifts, everyone! I've loved looking through this thread :D And I love that there was so much art gifted, hehe! :lol: Beautiful stuff!

I hope to be able to participate again myself someday, when I'm rich enough to be able to deal with the ridiculous intl. postage fees :cringe:

[Kossu]

Honestly, the ridiculous international fees was what kept me from participating for years...:\Then I decided to save up specifically for that and thankfully the fees were slightly cheaper in the Netherlands, in comparison to what I had heard when I lived in Greece...

[nathalie]

When we sent packages from Belgium to abroad, we also go to Holland to ship them now, lol

[Kossu]

When we sent packages from Belgium to abroad, we also go to Holland to ship them now, lol

Wow, really? Wasn't that a problem, if the package had to be returned for whatever reason? It'd make me paranoid.:lol:

[nathalie]

No problem at all. As we drop it off at a drop-off point, they'll put the stamps on it, so it really doesn't matter what address is on the back.

If you use the post NL website, then you must enter a valid NL address as the sender, otherwhise it won't accept it.