2013 Year End Gift Exchange - Information and sign up

[Duchess]

It's time for the Secret Gift Exchange! Those of you who've been around know we've coordinated this event for more than five years with a reasonable amount of success and a few of us/you were looking forward to it again this year. If you're not looking forward to it, you can move along, or you can blame your compatriots who are. Or you can just blame me, I like this event.

We've had a lot of changes here in the last few months, over the last couple of years we've seen a substantial drop off in Pub usage. Many of us who are still here, have been here for years; as we go through our lives our time in the Pub waxes and wanes. I'm sure you'll all agree that we're thankful the pub is still here. The degree of my thanks is in no way reflected by the fact that I failed to ask William if it was acceptable to run this event again. But then, I never asked Stynky either. So I'm thankful to the both of them for providing this internet ship. I'd also like to thank all the participants of previous years gift exchanges who played along with good graces and good effort. I look forward to another successful gift exchange this year!

So here's how it’s going to work:

Who is eligible:

• Any current member of the Pub is eligible. If you’ve only been around a few months, I’ll pair you with someone else in equal standing. The understanding being that this would put those newer members on equal footing, as both parties would be taking a risk with unknowns.

• Regardless of membership status, by signing up you solemnly agree that you will provide some sort of pleasant contact with your designated recipient. If you don't I'll be distinctly displeased with you and highly unlikely to allow participation in the future.

What you'll do:

• Sign up. See below for information about how to accomplish this.

• After the sign-up cut-off I will PM you the name and address of your Designated Recipient.

• Sometime in the near future you will put something in the mail, timed so as to arrive before December 25, for your Designated Recipient.

What you will send:

• Often these sorts of arrangements come with a dollar amount limit. I’m not convinced that is appropriate for some place like the Pub, and things have been pretty successful for the last several years without one. Please don't let this lack of specification make you uncomfortable. Also know that you're not buying our friendship, respect or any other sort of attention, so don't bother showing off. We'll just mock you. Things that people have done in the past: Holiday Cards, CD's, dice, a deck of cards, belt pouches, glass pens, etc.... Basically anything goes as long as it is kind and reasonably well intentioned. If this section is really stressing you out PM me, and we'll come up with something or I'll give you quantitative limits to make you feel better.

• The most successful gifts are often hand crafted.

How to sign up:

• Send me a PM with your name (or something the post office will recognize as a name capable of receiving packages) and an address.

• Each interested party must contact me themselves, from their own account. I won't sign anyone up on someone else's say so. Simply expressing interest here is like wise insufficient. You must send me a PM with your name and address. This is a test.

• I MUST RECEIVE YOUR PM BY NOON CT ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16th Sunday, November 24th FOR YOU TO PARTICIPATE!

• I will then mix up all the entries and pair up everyone. I'll then send you a PM during the following week containing the name and address of your Designated Recipient.

General Information:

• Once you have your recipient, you will then find, craft, beg, or barter something for them and post it off to the supplied address. Please let me know when your package has shipped.

• After the Gift exchange is complete everyone should purge their PM's of sensitive identifying information (like names and addresses) and I will do the same.

• You're free to open your Gift whenever you get it (or to wait for some special day) and post here in great detail about it. But let’s have the exchange complete before we start identifying ourselves as "giver of ...."

• You are free to post here, in this thread, general information about what you are interested in to help your Designated Giver. You're also free to remain entirely mum. Personally, I find the nature of the complete surprise present to be most appealing...

If you've any questions please post here or send me a PM.

Thanks,

Duchess.

[Duchess]

We have exactly four people signed up....including myself...

[Coastie04]

Talk about the end of the GAOP.com! I hope it's just a minor hiatus due to the economy, etc. pulling us away from our normally sanctioned debauchery.

[Red John]

Nay I say! All is well and well on the way!

I just spent a long weekend on Ocracoke Island, NC, where Blackbeard's last fight was reenacted with three wooden boats, one brigantine, one sloop, and one periauger! So much action in the harbor that the USCG had to come and take a look - and lots of pirates, almost all historically-accurate ones, all over the village and the island all weekend. It was a great time, incredible the way the pirates basically took over the island for the weekend! And it was the first year of this festival, no less! So there are new events coming along, and new folks to them, and so I don't despair a'tall. The economy has hit all things fun, educational, historical, etc., very hard, as we all had to focus more on our day to day responsibilities, but things are coming back from what I see. Soon as the next POTC comes out, there'll be the crowds of curious types around more than maybe now. As always, the dedicated folks at events like Ocracoke and Hampton and the like in other locales make all the difference - thanks to ye all, mates!

Yours, aye-

John

[Commodore Swab]

Am I one of the 4?

[Duchess]

Due to extremely sparse participation, I will extend the sign up through the end of this coming weekend. The last day to sign up is now November 24th.. Those of you who are already signed up will start to get messages from me at the end of this week containing your designated recipient's information.

[michaelsbagley]

Sorry, I haven't been checking in as much as I would like to lately. But please count me in if I am not one of the four.

[Duchess]

All righty everyone, we ended up with 8 participants, including myself. A slim turn out compared to previous years, but I like to think of it as selection of only the best, most distinguished pirates in the world. A truly select few!

You should all find a PM in your inbox containing the information for your designated giftee. It's time to get crafting or pillaging or purchasing and get something on the packet ship for your giftee, timed so as to arrive before the last week in December. We do have a few folks who will be gifting across long distances and political borders, so please take that into account in your personal timeline.

Once you've sent off your package, please let me know via PM or a post here.

If you have any questions, please ask!

Thank you to everyone who signed up, I look forward to the mystery and the festivities.

Duchess

[PoD]

I've sent mine off but unfortunately missed the cut off day by one day for parcels getting to the USA before Christmas. It should still arrive either before the New Year or the week after if the postal service isn't to screwed up from the Christmas rush

[Gunpowder Gertie]

MIne is in the mail and should reach it's recipient before the day in question!

[Duchess]

Great job! Keep those packages heading in the right directions everyone!

[michaelsbagley]

Mine was posted late last week... Postal service pending, I would guess for an after-Xmas, but pre-New Year arrival (unless by some lucky chance it gets there quicker than expected).

[Duchess]

I've heard from nearly everyone that their gift has been posted. One will go out tomorrow and one hasn't reported in. I do hope that everyone has enjoyed themselves so far! Please let me know if you haven't received anything yet and I'll start the follow up process.

[Elena]

Well, I'll start getting worried about not receiving anything only after the month of January ends, because I know sometimes the customs are overcrowded on holidays and with having only one work day between Christmas and New Year, they couldn't cover all.

[michaelsbagley]

I'll have to verify when I get home.... but my wife just texted me regarding a mysterious package that arrived today. So I think I am good.

[Elena]

I received a book on the bucanneers and some flint stones. Thank you, Secret Santa! <3 It took me a little more until I saw the letter

Has my gift been received? It should have, but I heard nothing!

Edited January 9, 2014 by Elena

[Gunpowder Gertie]

Ahoy mate! I did get the gift- thankee- been sick with various ailments since it arrived, so sorry for the late confirmation! Aye twas lovely! Thankee again!

[Elena]

Thank you! <3

[Duchess]

I received some delicious coffee and a wonderful mug as well as an attempted shipment of homebrew. Alas the latter was a casulty of the postal service. Thank you so much!

Remember, now is the time to let me know if you haven't received anything. That way I can start the follow up process. Don't be shy!

[Coastie04]

I have a brand new telescope on my shelf. When I'm not sailing, it will be great to use spotting avalanches on nearby Thunder Mountain from my back porch, as it does provide a rather nice image at that distance.

[michaelsbagley]

My Santa was incredibly generous, I found in said box mentioned in my post 12/30...

A really awesome reproduction deck of playing cards

A small leather flask (which happens to conveniently fill my lead balls for my rifle and has become my shot bag)

A plastic sleeve full of broad sheets, warrants, and other random sundry paper products

And a pair of really great period maps
And a small packet of tobacco papers (not entirely sure what those are for, so I might have to do some light research).

A HUGE THANK YOU to my secret Santa, you're generousity was beyond measure.,

[Commodore Swab]

Haven't checked this week but as of last week nothing had arrived.

[PoD]

I think mine has arrived as I got a couple of cool books come through from Amazon that I didnt remember ordering. Thanks Santa :)

[Duchess]

Commodore, I've followed up with your gifter and sent you a PM.

Is there anyone else who hasn't received a gift?

[Commodore Swab]

I received my gift in the PO box today, a hand drawn map. Thank you twas my only gift this christmas