Deskthority Secret Santa 2015

[XMIT]

The bot is very mean. I've been assigned someone who already has pretty much everything. How can I pick out a gift for a God?

I think I addressed this earlier:

"What do you get for someone who thinks they have everything? Something local. Something hard to get in their locale."

So, food.

When I ordered some keyboard from webwit a while back he threw in some fun things in the box. Not super expensive - maybe just junk to him - but I thought they were really neat!

[XMIT]

Oh, and there are no Gods here, just a bunch of folks with too many keyboards.

[Muirium]

Never too much chocolate.
Never too many keyboards.
You know how it is.

[photekq]

I think I addressed this earlier:

"What do you get for someone who thinks they have everything? Something local. Something hard to get in their locale."

So, food.

When I ordered some keyboard from webwit a while back he threw in some fun things in the box. Not super expensive - maybe just junk to him - but I thought they were really neat!

Oh yes, now I remember.. That's actually what I did with kbdfr last year

[hypkx]

I hope my PMK grab bag come the next days, secret giftee expect some grab bag goodies (and other stuff).

[HzFaq]

Got my shopping all done, now we wait....super excited for this .

[shrubbry]

I didn't realize the original intention was for SS to be double-blind. That's more like a white elephant swap, no?

[kbdfr]

I would say it is, especially considering this sentence in the introduction of the wikipedia article you link:

[…] The goal of a white elephant [gift exchange] is usually to entertain rather than to gain.[…]

I'm taking part for fun, certainly not to get anything special or valuable.
Until now the bigger part of the fun was choosing a gift for a complete unknown not supposed to know his Secret Santa,
the incident part of it was receiving a gift from a complete unknown not knowing who is giftee was.

Knowing who his giftee is puts pressure on any Secret Santa, as very well shown in the discussion above: now nearly everyone tries to find out what his giftee would like to get, and as a consequence even expresses own wishes.

To me it's the complete opposite of fun.

[Halvar]

The meta discussion isn't fun either, I'll say let's defer that to next year.

I enjoy "stalking" my recipient trying to find out what he would like, it's also about getting to know people better. But I'm not someone who will put pressure on myself about that.

[matt3o]

Welcome to Deskthority Disclosed Santa 2015

[Muirium]

To be fair, many of us have shipping addresses that are spoilers. Mine is. So is my giftee's. That zaps anonymity right there.

Anyway: everyone INCLUDE YOUR RETURN SHIPPING ADDRESS please. Not just for you nosy giftee's sake, but for postal hiccups. The services over here default to returning items if they fail to ship it. They do not hold on to them. It's that or destruction. Return addresses might not seem important until they are! We saw it last year with the Surprise Box.

[HzFaq]

Yup, I've known (and been found out) pretty much every year (apart from the year I didn't get anything ) just from the country of origin of the gifts. This year would've been exactly the same, I knew who I had before the 2nd email from the bot.

[andrewjoy]

We could just include Post code and house number( for return address) , that way the person would have to actively check who it was that sent to them. Unless they have posted to them before .

[Muirium]

City / country is enough to give away many of us. I am certain my giftee will know who I am without opening the box. So I'll embrace the fact and write them a nice letter!

[kbdfr]

Of course it is sometimes easy to find out who your Secret Santa is,
but at least it's not a built-in feature like naming your giftee now is.

I simply miss the thrill - and wouldn't have participated under these premises.
I hate changing the game's rules after the game started, anyway.

[Muirium]

I offered you a coup, man. I didn't want 7bit running this either. I'm honestly surprised no one asked him to post the entire list in public yet! Because he just might…

The way to run things like this: ignore the late requests of the participants. Rules are rules!

[matt3o]

my post office doesn't even let ship internationally without the full sender name and address

[kbdfr]

It took something like half an hour to decide to change the rule - and change it.
No need to say I would have protested if I had been there.

I just don't understand how one can make decisions without first reflecting on what they entail.
Oh well, it's probably a generation thing.

[Muirium]

It's a 7bit thing. I know you don't follow his group buys, but they are built on this principle taken to its natural, absurd extreme!

Amusing. But sometimes you don't want the adjudicator to be a comedian.

7bit's a sterling chap and absolutely has his logistical strengths. But the role of Santa Coordinator has nothing to do with logistics and rapidly fiddling the rules and generally having a laugh. I feared this from the start. And have said so many times.

[guk]

I was under the impression that the Santa should remain secret if possible (not likely in many cases),
but that it would be easier to select something nice and fitting for the Santee by knowing his/her identity.
I'm sorry that I supported revealing the nicks, didn't think it through.

[shrubbry]

Different strokes and all that, but to me the fun of Secret Santa has always been to give a gift and to get a gift to/from people you normally wouldn't, and the ceremony and pleasure of opening those gifts collectively. Generally that involves knowing the recipient ahead of time and not knowing the donor until opening. But I think we're getting too hung up on minutae at this point - what's done is done, and let's enjoy it. People who feel strongly about certain rules can make them known in advance next year.

[Halvar]

@shrubbry: Exactly.

[andrewjoy]

Exactly, just enjoy buying your gift and enjoy opening your gift. Don't try and go miss marple on us and work out who gave it to you. If you happen to find out does it matter ?

[seebart]

Deskthority Secret Santa 2015

[Ray]

Well, I don't care really. It isn't Deskthority Secret Giftee...
I would have figured out who I am shipping to in about 10 minutes I guess. Name, Country, City gives most of us away.
What the second email did to me is safe me 10 mins of my time, so I am okay with it.

[7bit]

It's a 7bit thing. I know you don't follow his group buys, but they are built on this principle taken to its natural, absurd extreme!

Amusing. But sometimes you don't want the adjudicator to be a comedian.

7bit's a sterling chap and absolutely has his logistical strengths. But the role of Santa Coordinator has nothing to do with logistics and rapidly fiddling the rules and generally having a laugh. I feared this from the start. And have said so many times.

What is the trouble here?


Is it about that:

Got the mail, I think username would be nice so we have a better idea of what to send!

I agree. For example if it's chzel, I know he wants ...

I would not have needed a username myself. For some people, I would not even need a sender's address, I would know who it sent by smell.

[kbdfr]

No problem, guys. You have arguments indeed.

But that should have been discussed beforehand and not decided upon within half an hour in the middle of the (CET) night without participants having had the opportunity to express their opinions.

[kbdfr]

And now for my Secret Santa - here is my wish list:

Spoiler:

[XMIT]

Speaking of which, when are we opening our gifts? The OP was vague on this remark and catered to different schedules.

I propose Festivus, December 23rd.

To whomever is receiving a package from Texas: I am planning to place an inner box within an outer box. Please, open the outer box carefully, to not damage the inner box. Please do not open the inner box until the agreed upon datetime!

[andrewjoy]

On christmas day, when else ? You have to open it in your pajamas !