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.

[Leorgathar]

I'm in as well

[Kossu]

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

[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.

Anyway, I heard a few days ago that my gift arrived in the Netherlands! 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...

Has anyone else received theirs?

[Sharifu]

I did! 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 I forgot how nerve wracking shipping around the holidays can be.

[Vidan]

I received mine on Monday

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?

[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

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.

(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 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