2008 Secret Santa - Sign up here

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jthompson1995

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2006
Messages
861
Location
Parkville, Maryland, USA.
2008 Secret Santa - Sign up here - Update 11/24

Primary signup is closed. I will make the matches and get notification out to everyone by Wednesday.

PLEASE NOTE: The deadline for this has been changed to November 23rd so I can have matches made an out before thanksgiving.

OK, It's official, the 2008 Secret Santa gift exchange is a go!

Please sign up on this thread, even if you already said you would on the previous thread by TowMater.

For those who aren't familiar with the term, a Secret Santa is an anonymous gift exchange; each participant sends a gift to and receives a gift from another participant, though not necessarily the same participant. It's secret because you don't know who is sending a gift to you, only who you're sending a gift to (and no tipping off your assigned recipient, that takes all the fun out of it).

THE RULES:

1. The Secret Santa is open to everyone, it doesn't matter where you live, and I want as many folks as possible to participate! If you participate please understand there are people on this forum from around the world; you may be asked to ship your SS gift to Canada, Japan, Great Britain, Scotland, Australia, or who knows where.

Please post in this thread that you are going to participate and then PM me the following information:

IAP Screen Name
Real Name and Mailing Address
If you really can't afford to ship overseas please let me know here.

2. Deadline for entry is November 23rd, this will give folks who are going to make something time to get it made and shipped (especially for shipments crossing oceans). I'll have the matches made and participants notified of who their recipient is by Dec. 1st. To make sure it is random and impartial, I will place all of the participants' names in each of two containers and have my kids select the one name from each hat for the pairings. I will NOT be posting the pairings (I can post the pairings after everyone has received their gifts if desired), but I will send them to another impartial IAP member to ensure fairness. Due to popular demand (see this post) I WILL be participating, my kids will make sure the pairings are impartial, it just won't be a surprise for me as to who my Secret Santa is.

3. Secret Santa gifts should be pen-turning related but I don't want to limit this to just blanks (though blanks are fairly universal). Feel free to send blanks, kits, tools, finished pen(s) or whatever you like as long as it relates to pen-turning (or turning at the minimum). There is no upper or lower limit for the gift you send. If you want to send out a Limited Edition Emperor Kit or 18k gold FP nib great, but don't expect one in return; think about what you would like/expect to get and keep that in mind when selecting a gift for you recipient. Remember, this is the season for giving.

4. Secret Santa gifts should be shipped in time to make it to their recipient by Christmas Day, December 25, 2008. Keep in mind that the Postal Service can get a little overwhelmed during the holiday season so a little advance planning is helpful. If you do not get your Secret Santa Gift by Christmas Day, please PM me and I will begin communications with your SS to see if there is an issue.

5. If for some reason you find you can not participate after you have signed up please PM me. If the selections haven't been made yet, I'll just remove you from the list. If it is after pairings have been made, I'll replace you with an alternate. The only two people that need know are me and you. Let's face it, times are tough for a lot of folks; there is no shame in needing to back out if your situation changes.


6. Alternates will be accepted after November 28th, and will go on a separate list that will close December 10th. Alternates will be used to fill in for folks that for one reason or another find they can not participate after they have signed up and after pairings have been made. I will assign alternates in the order signed up to fill any cancelled spots. Once the spots are full, I'll match the remaining alternates to each other, but there will only be about 2 weeks left until Christmas day, so alternates will have less time to package and ship their gift.

7. Please have fun and enjoy this event; that means sending your gift in a timely fashion so others can enjoy it as well.

I think that should cover it, if there are any questions please ask.

Now start signing up, the more people, the more fun this can be.

Note: This gift exchange is not intended to exclude anyone based on their beliefs, religion or lack thereof. The deadline is Christmas Day only because it is the holiday associated with Santa and this is a Secret SANTA exchange. Anyone and everyone is encouraged to participate. Let's just make this another fun activity for all of us pen turners made possible by the hard working people who run this site.

Final Participant Count: 95
Names marked with a * I need mailing information from:

1080Wayne
1JaredSchmidt
1TJturner*
altaciii
areaman
arjudy
avbill
bad
Barrierbob
bitshird
Blind Squirrel
BobBurt
bobskio2003
BRobbins629
BullDurham
Cigarman
Csue
Dagwood
dalecamino
dalemcginnis
Daniel
Darley
djz9
dkarcher
dkelley
dntrost
donwae
Dorothy (Carl) Bakkum
DSallee
Eswindell
fiferb
flyingmelon
Fred
fritz64
Gagler
GoodTurns
greenmtnguy
Harley2001
hehndc
heinedan*
Hunter-27
iowacobb
its_virgil
JayDevin
jim15
JimB
jthompson1995
kent4him
LanceD
livertrans
LostintheWoods
mackc
Majorbdk
massmans
maxwell_smart007
mobrackett
Monty
mrburls
nava1uni
Nick
nightowl
Nolan
OldWrangler
oobak
Ozzy
pipecrafter
pynappel
rej19
rlofton
RMB
RogerGarrett
Ronschmitt
Russianwolf
sam
Scotty
Scoutharps
soccer2010
sparhawk
stevers
stolicky
SuperDave
td
the_benz
tim self
Timbo
Towmater
TribalRR
UKpenmaker
USAFVET98
VisExp
Wolfcoast
woodboys
woodlvr
woody350ep
wudnhed

If you see your name marked with a *, please send me a PM or email with your info. If you have signed up and don't see your name, I should add it with my mext update. If I don't please let me know.

OK, Here's some answers for some FAQ's:

Do we put a Return address on the packages?
-Yes, once your recipient gets your package they will know who their secret Santa is, but there's no good/easy way to prevent that when shipping gifts. If you can find a way to keep your identity secret and successfully get your package to your recipient, feel free but it's your responsibility to make sure your package arrives.

Will we find out who is matched with who is matched with whom?
- I can post a list of the matches after everyone has received their gifts if desired. Please let me know if you object to revealing the matches.

Can you give an idea for a price range?
- I'd rather not put a set limit on the gifts, but think about what you would spend on a friend and start there. Give what you feel comfortable giving, no one needs to go overboard. This is the season for giving and that should be the point of this exchange.

Feel free to ask more and I'll answer them as I get a chance.
 
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cdbakkum

Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2008
Messages
160
Location
Mesa, Arizona
Hi Everone, Thank you for letting me participate. Yes I want in.
Carl Bakkum
5001 E. Main St. # 515
Mesa, Arizona 85205 Husband of Dorothy Bakkum
 
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