The Straight Dope Secret Santa 2004 Exchange! New, with Improvements!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
401

AsecretK rocks! She rocks and she rolls!

I spent a good ten seconds meditating on my willingness to wait to open my Secret Santa package – and almost broke a nail right around the ninth second.

She got me a book from my Amazon wish list (English as a Second Fcking Language: How to swear effectively, explained in detail with numerous examples taken from everyday life* – which I hope you looked through before sending it, because it’s pretty fcking funny) – and then filled the box with silly stuff from her office, including a flamingo straw, a flamingo pencil, and a palm tree pen; a little purple teddy bear; a cube of post-its designed to look like a gaming die; a monitor squeegee, etc. – most of them emblazoned with vendor names, adding to the mystique. (What the fck do you do for a living?)

Very fun. Very, very fun. If your Santa doesn’t do right by you, let me know, and I’ll go after 'em.

:smiley:

Thanks! You’re the coolest!

402

*I did, and I love it all! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I’m drinking my coffe in the mug, and both my daughters have already read the St. George and the dragon book, and I’m playing with the window stickies. Not sure what I’m doing with the dragon picks, but I’m thinking a nice flower arrangement *

Original posted by Free Range Maniac.

I’m not sure what to do with the dragon picks either, but I thought they were cool. Maybe they’re for skewering a pineapple in a tropical drink?

Glad you liked it. :slight_smile:

403

I got my gift! A booooooouuuutiful wooden cup, filled with chocolates! Yum! It’ll go to work with me on Monday and sit on my desk.

Thank you, Secret Santa! :slight_smile:

404

Hmmmm… Did you have me? (I had to search through this thread to find the person who had said something about it only having the label from work). Even if not…

I GOT SANTA’ed!!! I love it. I gots my favoritest Gevalia coffee (can’t wait to go brew a pot), a very cool green mug, some soap that looks an awful lot like peppermint candies (I promise not to try to eat them) some Ghiradelli CHOCOLATE - my favorite, by the way - (back, Anaamika, back!), a very, very cool votive holder with some tea candles and a coffee grinder (which was perfect timing because mine just broke). I can’t tell you how thrilled I am with what I got - thank you so much; you made my week!

405

Twickster, thanks! I spent my last three spring breaks in college in Philly. The calendar is really cool.

I apologize for not yet sending my gift. I will try to do it Monday. I have a good excuse, though. My grandmother had a stroke, so things are a bit backed up.

I will get your present to you before 2005, I promise!

406

… and it has been received, and opened, crazed weasel-style. It’s, I mean, they are fantastic. I love it all!

The pitcher is lovely. I needed something to decorate my kitchen and this will be an excellent start. And the owl is cool too. He’s going on my CD shelf… along with your CDs, after they are played ad nauseum in my car CD player. You have excellent taste in music. I know I will like those CDs. It really is a mixture of songs that I’ve heard, and some that I can tell I will enjoy. Those CDs are definitely a homerun. I’m wondering if you went to some of those music threads I participate in. Is that how you chose songs I would like?

What makes me the hardest person ever to buy for? My family says the same thing. When a complete stranger says it too, there must be something to it. Hmmm.

Oh well. Thank you very much. There ain’t no folk better than Doperfolk.

Also, I want to thank Shirley Ujest for organizing this whole thing. I can’t imagine what is entailed in juggling all those emails and addresses, etc. And her posts in this thread were her usual funny good-spirited self. Thanks Shirl. You rule, in a non-fascist sort of way.

407

Ah, good. You said you’d like something with local flavor from your Santa’s home, so I thought of that – but then right before I wrapped it, I was thinking, yanno, if she’s never been to Philly these pix may not do much for her. (The nighttime one looking down the Parkway towards City Hall is gorgeous – but only if you’ve actually seen City Hall in all its hulking glory.) I love my hometown, and am glad you have good feelings about it also.

408

I got mine today but I don’t want to open it until Christmas! Is that ok? If all of you jump on me and force me to open it now I might… but I’d rather wait!

It’s heavy!

409

I haven’t received mine yet. Unless it comes tomorrow, I won’t be getting it before my return home on Jan 5. So, to whomever is my SS, a general thank you. A more specific thank you will follow in the New Year.

410

I’m so glad you like it! Since you said you loved coffee, you were the easiest person to shop for on my Christmas list.

411

Okay, I was going to be good…but my sister is a bad influence.

Though we didn’t want to go get a tool to open the box so we cut the tape with the plug from some christmas lights.

Its the sweetest, softest scarf…I had to pry it away from my sister! Thank you so much! (I don’t know your screen name, SS, but I added you to my AIM list, hopefully I’ll see you online!)

412
  • cartwheels * handstands * backflips *

But since I can’t, I’ll just express my undying gratitude here. :smiley:

After being gone all weekend (families duties – ugh!), I came home to find that my Secret Santa gift had been delivered Friday! From Australia, no less!! Well, since I doubt I’ll be getting many presents this year, I decided I just couldn’t wait and behaved like whatever rabid animal you’d like to picture (seeing as how the crazed weasel has already been picked over), too excited to hardly even get it out of the shipping box.

And lo and behold, what did my wonderful SS so graciously give me?

The absolute coolest ever tarot set. In a nifty tin with instructions (which I couldn’t operate the little thingie-ma-bob without) and the nicest cards I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing. I soooooo love it!

But wait!! That wasn’t all. Included was this awesome 3-D magnet of a fortune teller, who, when you push a button, tells you the outcome/answer to your life’s most important questions! I bet I’ve already pushed asked it about 4 billion things and happily, my outlook is always good. :smiley:

Last of all was my card with the most (I like that word a lot while describing my gifter [and exclamation marks!] – please bear with me ;)) adorable kangaroo on it. Sadly though, no name so as all the better to torture me with. However, I did a little sleuthing and deduced the following:

[ol]
[li]My anonymous person’s return address was in Melbourne. I found through searching many a thread of all participating Dopers down under, that one of you works there.[/li][li]Said Doper, in another place, listed his birth name. Which just so happens to correspond with the first initial corresponds to.[/li][li]Going back to here, I looked up any further clues and found that my special item was shipped (according to the postal stamp) on Dec. 8th. Amazingly, one seeming really nice person sent their purchase out that SAME day.[/li][/ol]

Hmmm… so, I think I know who it is, following the trail around the board. However, in case they don’t wish to make their name known until after Christmas, I won’t spill the beans. (Of course, if anyone wants to email me and ask, I’d be happy to divulge. This way, no one will think I was just hedging my bets yet had no clue. :p)

And here’s that appreciative part…

THANK YOU * THANK YOU * THANK YOU!!!

You absolutely rock! I hope too, that I can someday come visit. Oh my goodness, that would be the greatest. Also know that if you ever want to see the states, I’m available as tour guide and hotel. Anytime, just say the word. Once more with huge heartfelt feeling…

THANK YOU * THANK YOU * THANK YOU!!!

Oh, and finally, to my recipient: I decided that I couldn’t stand that you might not get yours until after the holiday. So I picked up some cans for recycling :wink: and paid for that whopping extra pittance to make sure ya gots it in time. Ooooh, I hope you like and it really does arrive when they said it would. Sending speedy flight thoughts that way! Like a little kid, I can’t wait to hear!

413

Ooops! Forgot to also say to those two lovely folks from both ends of this spectrum (watch out! ellipses overboard alert!) …

Have the most beautiful, safest, joy-filled Christmas ever! It is more than aptly deserved. And the bestest New Year! Where’s a hug smilie when you need it??

::: dons Santa hat to bestow sugar plum wishes while blowing colorful streamers and throwing sparkling confetti :::

414

Well, Medea’s Child, it’s easier than you think to figure out your Secret Santa- it was ME!

415

OK, my gifts are wrapped, boxed, and ready to be shipped via priority mail tomorrow. Giftee, when you receive it (my name is on the box), DON"T READ THE CARD!! Like an idiot blonde, I decided to explain the reasoning behind each one in the card itself ( :dubious: ), not even considering for one moment that most people read the card before they open the gift.

D’OH!!!

:smack:

416

I am soooo happy you liked all the stuff :smiley:

I did look at the book and yes it is funny as hell. I might get one for myself.

I work in health care and we get those things from sales promotion meetings (well actually I don’t get them because I do not rank high enough to go to stuff like that, but my boss gives them to me) And I think 2 of the things I sent were from my own company :wink:

It must have been fate that I was your Santa as I actually had the flamingo pencil and pen here in my office although I can not remember where I got them.

417

Glad you like them. Do you know how hard it is to find logic books like that? My girlfriend looked in one store, got the wrong type of books. I looked in another and couldn’t find them at all. I finally went to the used book store and got all that I could find. Then I went and found the one magazine where I knew I could find one. Hope you didn’t see that a couple in one book were already done, guess they got to hard after that!

And yes Abbie I was following you around the boards trying to find out what you like!

I got my package in the mail over the weekend. I haven’t opened it up yet, I’ll wait a few more days. I will also say that I donated $120 to the Toys For Tots for Iris and I. Though I might have had too much fun picking out the toys.

418

I got gifted on Friday, though I didn’t find out until Saturday. Thank you, Annie X-mas, for the gifts from NYC! The socks were especially cool (and useful) as my cat has eaten holes in one of nearly half of all of my pairs of socks. These ones, I’m keeping in a bag high in the closet!

Thank you again!

To my giftee: your gift went out on Friday, and you never posted in this thread to say what you liked, so I had to do some research. I hope you like the things I sent!

419

They are now in my pencil jar here at work so I can look at them and smile a dozen times a day. Thanks! :smiley:

420

The present for my SS left today. It is a little late but the PO people assured me that it would arrive in 6-8 weeks :slight_smile:
Actually, they said it would be there by christmas.