The Yak Shack Forum

Hi folks,

I think a lot of us have all made a lot of friends on here in the past 4 months or so and over the next 3 months in the run up to christmas with the release of Trilogy and Potter Update we are all bound to make more!

Now if I bought a nice present for everyone on the forum who I've chatted, laughed and (not yet) cried with I'd have no money left for groceries :) so what about a Secret Santa idea??

I'll sketch out how I see it working, you email (or PM) me if you want to join in, with 2 details:

1) Where you are in the world and whether you would like to be secret santa for a person in the same country/continent (remember that I'll try to get lots of international santas going so that there are chances of local items being sent.

2) What you like - it's no good people sending a LOTR related item to an HP only fan! :)

The item doesn't have to be card related (although it might be one of the safest options), it could be film related, it could be a film related item only available from your country - or something else... once you have the person you are secret santa for you can read a couple of their posts and see if you can pick up hints of what they like :)

If you are interested could you PM or email me by the 10th of November as this gives me time to assign people and then let you all choose items for people in time for the last posting dates; that's about the 6th of December for those far reaching places like Australia from the UK ;)

Can we all wrap them in paper so that those who are patient can pt them under the tree - it would be nice to have a complete surprise under the tree :D

... and don't tell people you are their secret santa ;)

PM on the way!

What a great idea!!  ;D

What's the price range people should spend?  It might be a good idea to set this so everyone is paying roughly the same amount.

Yes perhaps we should set a price range - perhaps - but I don't want it to stifle people's imaginations

Roz,
I like it, maybe set  a spending amount.  So someone who might send a $10 item doesn't get a Harry Potter box topper (they have) from there santa.  I think it would be really cool to do the international thing.  I would love to get something from another country I haven't seen before.  Maybe a shrimp on the barbie or bangers 'n mash   :D

That was a joke, please don't send me a food item.  At least if everyone gets something of equal or similar value it will be a great success.

Good point... because someone might like to make something  :-\ if they are particularly talented in some way and think their "victim" *cough* I mean recipient might like it.

Perhaps a minimum of say $10 / £5 so Ben doesn't send someone his old shoe laces  ::)    ;D

Cool idea, count me in.  :)

Does that mean if I don't get matched with Kay I don't have to buy her a present??  ;D ;D ;D

Damn does that mean I can't send anyone my old shoelaces either? :P

Great news - guys please remember to PM me with the info - only Olly's confirmed where he'll ship to (everywhere except Mars).

I might change my mind and exclude MPC yet!!  ;D ;D

Yes you have to buy your wife a present  >:(  :)

What's a base set??  ::)

 ;D

nice idear count me in :)

Most welcome - I'll put you down for LOTR only :)

This is all going in an excel spreadsheet, and everyone who's address I didn't know before I have written in so we are all sorted.

There's plenty of room for more (it's infinitely expandable in fact), and everyone's welcome - so come on and join in

;D

Put me down too! :D

PM headed your way with my details Roz!

Ben,
I have plenty of sam costumes and witch kings etc that I would be more than willing to part with for those prices :D

Yes, Mark sent Easter Eggs to America (LOTR ones of course) last Easter... first off despite Cadbury's whacking size of packaging and us packaging them into a biiiig box, they still arrived damaged :( but the stickers were in nice condition  ;D

The moral of the story is that EVEN though it was delicious Cadbury chocolate (best in the world etc etc ;)) it probably still wasn't the best idea.

I was going to put a couple of boxes of Oz exclusive chocolate biscuits... but I guess its not a good idea? :-\

I sent a birthday cake from here (Ashford Kent) all the way to the US and it arrived in perfect condition.  ;D

Only if you are sending to America (if I am honest their government can be tad paranoid about incoming foodstuffs, but I guess you can't be too careful these days)

Other countries would gladly enjoy choccie biccies.

*Notes down FTY as her own secret santa ;D*

Conclusion?

Import regs are weird !!!

so i wouldn't be able to send chocolates to the UK from Canada? awww

sending buisuits to the US and Uk they seem to arrive in good condition at least they have when i have sent them.

Love the idea of secret santa.

pm on the way roz

maybe i'll send a real big 1kg jug of real canadian maple syrup to the UK ;D

Hehe I'm guessing the postage would be quite high on that one....

You got that right Mark, it would almost be cheaper to fly over in person and hand carry it!   :)

Sounds like a great idea and a lot of fun. count me in-message on the way.

Sorry to reply so late but somehow I missed this topic.  Count me in!   :)  Roz you already know my info.

Great news - thanks everyone - I won't be sending out secret santa partners until mid November, giving you all 2 weeks or so to decide what to send and then catch the international posting dates in early December - so there's still time to sign up folks!!!

We do have a healthy number of santas so far. :D

I'm ready!!!

How many signed up so far?

Ready? Knowing you that means the parcel is wrapped :P and you don't know who you are santa to yet ;)

But what is if someone chose the totaly wrong present?

I'm not good in such things so i don't know if i should do this  :-\

Ooh there's no such thing as the wrong present with this :)

I hope we shall be getting a little guidance .......as to what to buy

ok then count me in.

I think the worst thing that could happen is that "my victim"  did not trade with me anymore.

Well I think it is safe to say that most people here on the Forum fall into one or both camps - Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.  Roz knows pretty much who belongs to what group and maybe she can let the prospective Santa know what their person likes.  Just a thought.   :)

I shall do!

Whilst I think most (not all) people are prepared to dabble a bit in both sides lots of you definitely have a preference ;D

Oi!  >:(

Yes, but could he wrap a present with the top of his finger missing!!

 :P

Good point Kay - it's all too gruesome to think about!

Poor Olly!

Stop picking on me or I'll poke you with my wound!!  >:(

Euwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Forget poor olly - poor me!

Ewwww ... scabby fingers! Both poor Roz and Olly!!

I finally sent a PM with my info to join in with all the festivities of the other secret santas. I know it 'twas late; but with such a big extended family, I don't like to think of Christmas until after Halloween ... it may sound stupid, but it makes my life a lot easier and stress free!

Not just you..Kay as well.

Rather than help me she was too busy telling you what I had done!! >:(

And its not scabby yet Zero!  ;)

that's a relief!  :D

Too right - I like her priorities ;D

I'm sending Olly a 2nd hand plaster for xmas :-*  ;)

I've only cut one hand...so I don't need a plaster for my 2nd hand...thanks anyway!!  ;)

Good one Ben!!   :)

Get well soon Olly!!  :)

Right.

Entries for Secret Santa are now closed - sorry :(

If you are taking part please PM me your address and I can forward it to your secret Santa... even if you have sent it to me in the past it would be helpful for me to have your address to hand :)

Your fate is decided, I've already put all the entries in a hat and sorted out who is who's santa... but don't email me to find out who's your santa... IT'S A SECRET :P

PM sent as requested.

 ;D

PM SENT as requested  and thank you roz for your pm  ;D

have i already sent mine roz? :)

If you've been realy good this year...Ben...He might bring you a new pair of JEANS....Only if you've been good, mind you.....HO HO HO... :P :P :P ;) ;) ;) ;D ;D ;D

ben  has been very very very good so he deserves the jeans and
a lot of really good things

PM sent Roz :)

Hee hee - some of the addresses I know by heart :P

I'll be sending a package to you hopefully by next wednesday, I'll send you a PM :)

PM sent also.

PM sent from me too!  ;D

ROZ!!!!!

Its nearly Christmas!! Did you feed the kids yet?  ;D

Hey Roz:

When do we get to know who are special person is?   :)

Today!!!

I'll send you all PMs after my meeting this morning :) and if I don't have their address yet I'll chase them up about it :)

Great!!  This is going to be fun!!  :)  Thanks for making this happen!   :)

Patiently waitng..... ;D

Secret Santa   Secret Santa   Secret Santa  Secret Santa  - the chant begins to rise from within The Yak Shack community!!   :)

OK - you should all have had a PM now telling you who you are secret Santa to and their address (if I have it yet).

Let me know if you were expecting one but have not had one :)

Thanks

Roz

I got two!!

Does that mean ***** gets two presents??  ???

No it means internet explorer crashed on me once... so I had to retype in case you didn't get it ;)

Does each "*" count for one character within Your victims name. Who here has 5 letter in their name  :D

No Ben, the *'s purposefully don't represent the number of letters in the user name. So in fact it is someone who doesn't have  5 letters  ;D

Crafty

Right so we now know the person doesnt have 5 letters in their name  :D Sorry you 5 lettered people but you miss out  ;)

Oi! Wot do you mean victim!!!

I'll have you know I will spend a lot of time thinking about the present.
Not a lot of money but a lot of time!  ;)

Yep.

I've been taking lessons from you and Roz!  ;D

Ummmm ...i meant lucky so and so  ::)

Can I just point out (if it hasn't already been pointed out already and I'm just too lazy to read back) that when you send your gift to your designated recipiant you should try not to include your name - that's why it's called Secret Santa! The idea is really that everyone gets a gift from everyone else. If your gift doesn't quite live up to expectations (I'm sure that it will but just in case) you don't want to be holding a personal grudge against whoever sent it to you and so there's another reason not to include your name...!

I realise that for international Santas it will be difficult to not write your name because that's just what you have to do. Although I ope no one is spending too much and so you could probably just make up a goofy name to try and keep the whole thing 'secret' and 'safe' ;)

Oh - I thought you found out who they were when you received the pressie!

Thats how I did it before ???

Yea Mark:

That puts people who are sending Secret Santa gifts to another country in a bind as the documentation we have to fill out requires a signature and your home address.  I can't see any way out of that legally.

Well the address is necessary but might I suggest you take a leaf out of the "Karl Urban" school of signing when you sign the customs form??

You mean write as few actual letters as is possible without leaving the page blank?

 :)    :)    :)    :)    :)    :)    :)    :)    :)    :)    :)    :)    :)    :)

Ok now that I have that out of the way I am off to practice my deceptive handwriting skills!!  ;)