Secret Gift Exchange 2024

[Duchess]

It's time!

I'm looking for a crew, from far locations, willing to come together for a special mission. This crew will be elite, capable to carrying out the most difficult of tasks...putting things in the post. Sign up now!

In all seriousness, the Pub Gift Exchange has been a lovely tradition going back many years. Don't miss out on your opportunity to be a part of it this year!

However, please, before you commit to participating in this event be absolutely sure that you will follow through on the terms as provided below. I'm sure you all can understand how frustrating it is to be the person who is still waiting for their surprise well after the New Year...So don't create that situation.

So here's how it’s going to work:

Who is eligible:

• Any current member of the Pub is eligible.

• 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. I've got no real authority except my opinions.

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 in the past 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. Consider your own situation and be reasonable with how a gift exchange will fit into it. 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, but they don't have to be.

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. Make sure you send me an address that will be current on December 25th. If you plan on traveling during this time, take that into account!

• 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 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24th. FOR YOU TO PARTICIPATE!

• I will then mix up all the entries and pair up everyone, plan on this taking one week. I'll then send you a PM no later than December 1st 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.

• 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.You can also PM me details and I'll share them with your Designated Gifter.

If you've any questions please post here or send me a PM. I'm looking forward to a season of festive or at least interesting cheer!

Thanks,

Duchess.

[Halfpint]

Yay! Count me in 😊

[madPete]

I LOVE THIS!

Thanks so much for doing this again!

I'm IN.

[michaelsbagley]

I've participated in this most years I have been active on the forum... so why should this year be any different.

Count me in.

[Stynky Tudor]

I was just chatting with @madPete about this - looking forward to it!

[Duchess]

Thanks to everyone who has signed up so far! Looking forward to the shenanigans!

[Mary Diamond]

A most wholehearted ~ Yes, Please! ~

Thank you for organizing 🙂

[Duchess]

Last Call!

The official deadline has passed, but I haven't done the final distributing yet. I'll do that tomorrow. So one last chance to participate in this years gift exchange. PM your info by the end of today 11/30 to be included!

[madPete]

I received this unknown pkg today, so I opened it and Voila! 2 wrapped gifts.

Waiting to open closer to Christmas...

[Stynky Tudor]

Hohoho, I got a package in the mail today!

 

[Halfpint]

I got a package too! (About a week ago... 🙂)

[Duchess]

I have a package too! (Also about a week ago!)

[michaelsbagley]

Mine arrived yesterday, which is weird.... as I normally do not receive mail on Sundays. But so excited to open it on Wednesday morning.

To my recipient.... it went out today. I paid a little extra for expedited shipping, but still no guarantees it will get there "in time". But by Thurs or Friday at the latest.

[Stynky Tudor]

As I just told @Halfpint, I'm still debating - open today/this evening or wait until tomorrow...

[Halfpint]

I opened mine already, and what a wonderful beautiful surprise! Thank you Phillip Sellars! 🤗❤️😃

[Mary Diamond]

Oooh! I have a package!! So excited, but it needs must wait until Christmas morn… 😊

[madPete]

I opened my packages this morning and WOW! 

Very nice copy of the "The General History of Pyrates" by C Johnson along with several soapstone pencils wrapped in period broadsheets. Looking forward to using the soapstone pencils when tailoring.

THANK YOU very much!

[Duchess]

On 12/24/2024 at 8:28 PM, Halfpint said:

I opened mine already, and what a wonderful beautiful surprise! Thank you Phillip Sellars! 🤗❤️😃

Such a classic shape and glaze! Gorgeous!

[Duchess]

Every year, I'm blown away by the creativity and generosity that you all serve up. You make it all worthwhile!

My gift this year was particularly thoughtful. Those little leaves? Those are part of a decade long photography project that I've been working on. Stynky turned this selection into delightful little pins. I'm torn between gifting them to others or hoarding them for myself. And of course there's a few pins featuring that cats of the house. Those I'm keeping, though my spouse may get the ones of the grey cat, to whom I am the spare the human. The cats were also delighted with their ships rats (handmade?) and have become particularly possessive of them. There were three, all were pirated to secret stashes, one of which I could not find for this photograph.

Thank you Stynky!  For all of this and for creating the digital space that lead us to this moment. Thank you to everyone for continuing to be a part of this adventure or for trying it out for the first time.

 

 

[Stynky Tudor]

I got a fantastic book - someone obviously knows my interests! Thanks @Halfpint

[Duchess]

23 minutes ago, Stynky Tudor said:

I got a fantastic book - someone obviously knows my interests! Thanks @Halfpint

This is almost enough to make me take up brewing again! I had no idea such a book existed.

Also this picture sent me a bit of confusion as a very similar cutting mat is often my background.

 

[Mary Diamond]

Such thoughtful and beautifully crafted gifts brought smiles and happy laughter to the day! Finely detailed miniatures, carefully hand painted by Michael Bagley, to resemble Mission, Iron Jon, myself and others, will fill out my collection for Blood and Plunder and Port Royal (both by https://www.firelockgames.com)! I also received gifts from Jessica Bagley - a sweet hand-embroidered ornament and a set of her awesome hand-cast dice for adventuring! I am so grateful for the friendships Pub has made possible - Michael and Jessica, thank you so very much! 😊❤️

[michaelsbagley]

And I too would like to share what my secret Santa (Duchess) sent me for the pub gift exchange.

I received a splendid collection of period repro card decks. A perfect assortment for the chrono-disjointed differing eras I reenact within. A very nice collection of wooden dice in a linen bag (that might see use in modern gaming as well as at reenactments), and a freaking awesome rustic hand-bound journal, made up from hand-laid pages. 

And a hand-block-printed card... which is always the crowning glory of a great holiday gift.

Edited December 27, 2024 by michaelsbagley

[Stynky Tudor]

22 hours ago, Duchess said:

I'm torn between gifting them to others or hoarding them for myself.

Feel free to do with them as you like...though I might be crushed if you didn't keep a few favorite leaf pins for yourself. I'm glad you enjoy them!

[Stynky Tudor]

10 hours ago, Mary Diamond said:

Finely detailed miniatures, carefully hand painted by Michael Bagley, to resemble Mission, Iron Jon, myself and others...Blood and Plunder and Port Royal (both by https://www.firelockgames.com)!

Wow, those are cool! Great job @michaelsbagley!