Broken Forum Secret Santa 2012!

I want my Secret Santee to know that your gift is a series of halves:

- one half will be virtual, one half will not
- one half will be on time, one half will not
- one half is more 'normal', one half is not

The virtual half will be arriving closer to Christmas, because I'm a traditionalist or something. The rest will arrive sometime after, so apologies for being late. I am terrible at buying gifts and this year I did it without assistance from others, so it's all on me if my gifts are dorky.

I have it on good authority that my Santee should be receiving their package by the end of the day tomorrow.

Alright Santee, I have 2 of three packages showing as delivered. Anxiety thickening.

So my Santee has posted saying that they are still waiting for their gift. I posted it two weeks ago and as of last Monday (10th) it had arrived in the destination country which is the limit of the online tracking.

I would have expected it to be with the recipient by now, how long should I give it before being worried enough to chase it up?

Customs is a bitch.

Im still waiting to even see my santee post they got my item.

Ditto. Tracking number says it was delivered, but there's the possibility that it was swiped?

I'll be pinging people about gift sending/receiving this week, just to check status, with those that haven't confirmed one way or the other with me yet.

I've not seen my santee open their item yet either. ANXIETY!!

/fluffles

Okay, first wave of "Did you get/send your gift yet?" messages sent, all working off PMs/posts/emails to me with people voicing concerns or questions. If you have any, let me know, 'cause my notes are not quite current!

If you know your Santee got his stuff and has been posting, how long do you wait before you start getting really self-conscious about your gifts?

It is never too early to start thanking me for organizing this! I accept thanks in purchases off of my Steam wishlist, or anything that combines peanut butter and chocolate.

Completely joking! My thanks is seeing HAPPY PEOPLE LIKING THINGS. Right now, I would not trade maintaining Secret Santa for anything. I am very happy.

For the record, I received my gifts, I love them, and working for a startup means that the moment I get home I pass out. I will endeavor to post pictures of happy Siren with her gifts this evening.

Not even the Redskins winning the Super Bowl?

I would sell you fuckers out in a heartbeat.

I HAVE OPENED MY PRESENTS AND THEY WERE JOYOUS!

As soon as I extract the materials from my phone I will post something elemental post-haste!

Well at least we can rest well at night knowing that will never ever have to be a choice you will have to make.

From this we can surmise that your Secret Santa was Bard Wradell and that your present promises great things but will turn out to be a turd in a sock. This is what happens when you hire women elves in Santa's workshop, amirite?

This is more accurate than you may have intended it to be.

I'VE SAID TOO MUCH

If you friended (is that even a word?) me on steam maybe I would. I don't friend other people, they might think I'm being creepy and stalking them or something... Or I just don't know what crazy arse name they go by from one medium to the next!

Damn you Bowyer, people being happy receiving things they didn't pay for? You COMMIE. Mr Socialist state, I hope you're happy, this christmas we've given kids the notion that vague strangers will get you stuff you might enjoy. Some of them are probably civil servants. STATE HANDOUTS!

Erm All that aside, I want to give you man love, butch punch on the shoulder, maybe a beard admiration, discussion over gutting an Elk, buying you a pint possibly?

If I remember right, Matt Bowyer doesn't drink much beer or coffee, otherwise my job as his Santa 2 years ago would have been much easier.

Mead, drink of Norse fucking vikings then. I might have some; brewing.

I wish you made honey in the US because I'd love to put you in touch with my meadmaking buddy.

My mead is still in the development stage. I have a bottle of award winning 2006 mead sat on my drink shelf waiting for christmas.

[edit] RyanMM you can put me in touch with your mead making buddy, I'll even try and send a bottle over in reward. (I have no idea if I can send booze to the US, I know I can send honey)

Forget mead, this is about love for Matt Bowyer, unless Matt Bowyer likes mead of course

Sounds like what I got for christmas. :)

I thought we were already Steam buddies. I need to get more of you guys on my Steam friends list. Fixing that now!

SOCIALISM HOOOOOOO

"I want to give you man love" seems kind of terrifying, and also hilarious. I am not much of a drinker, Ryan is correct. But I am not so crass that I would turn down a pint!

And seriously, thanks for all the kind words -- this is a lot of work, a surprising amount, and I'm really happy it's gone as well as it has, and that everyone is so happy with the job I've done.

Now that he's opened his gift, I have to explain why I initially laughed so hard at getting RSharp in this year's Secret Santa. After all, he almost ruined Christmas last year.

So last year I'd just moved into my new loft and was worried that my Santa wouldn't have received the updated address. One day a package comes, and my mother texts me about expecting a delivery soon. I figure it's probably Mom's, so I put it to the side after posting that I received a mysterious package.

Not long after, RSharp posts something to the effect of "I see that my Santee has received his package, it needs to be opened immediately!"

Oh, I figure, it's my Secret Santa! Yay, I get to open it a day or two early, as it was still before the deadline.

I open it to find... two PS3 games and a book... totally awesome, but why did this need to be opened early? I was confused - and then noticed the shipping list inside identifying my actual Secret Santa as Astromarine.

In other words, totally RSharp's fault, guys.

That dirty rat bastid...

It sounds more like RSharp GAVE YOU CHRISTMAS TWO DAYS EARLY, you ingrate!

Stiiiiiilllll waiting....

Look, everyone should just give up now. Did anyone else get the Elemental Materials? No?

I WIN

I was self-conscious about the gifts I sent before they even left my house!

I was self-conscious even as I was picking them out. :(

I know that comparing this forum to the other place isn't very classy, but I'd like to point out that their SS is down from 33 to 20. Just saying...

Not to be a wet blanket (TOO LATE), but does anyone know what ultimately happened with dwolfe and gladguy? That was some bizarre stuff, and there was no conclusion in the SS thread.

Gladguy received a SS gift containing only a Christmas ornament. Santa was out for awhile on personal biz so couldn't follow up until way late, and then said he sent much more and they probably swiped it at customs. Gladguy then received like a dozen games on Steam from other people, but he still has a sour taste over the thing (which is understandable).

You can see the last year's SS thread over there and read about it. I think fire linked it in the first few posts of this year's thread just to give people some background.

Yeah you can find me referring to it early in that thread. I still think dwolfe was full of shit and sent a shitty gift. What's the probability of customs opening a parcel and resealing it with a Superman ornament?