First off, since we're sharing trees, here's ours. We have an eclectic assortment of ornaments because...
1. My mother-in law used to be part owner of a gift shop which had an attached Christmas shop, and would buy my wife several ornaments per year when she was a child so we have a LOT of inherited ornaments.
2. We both teach. This leads to lots of ornaments from kids.
3. We now buy ornaments for our child, and...
4. We buy ornaments for each other to mark milestones and for each others interests. Some ornaments that are personal favorites that you might spot include; Indiana Jones, some droids, beer, and my favorite, Marvin the Martian dressed as Santa, delivering a bag of dynamite in a sack labeled, "for Earth." Not shown is Qui-Gon Jinn. he's protecting baby Jesus in our creche. Because, as I tell my daughter when my wife is not around, Jesus was a Jedi, and Qui-Gon had to protect him.
The tree...
Now, for the giftage.
Holy crap! Santa's an Aussie! I know things about Australia! It's like, on a whole different day there - it's tomorrow there, today! Australia exists entirely in the future! And it's a whole different season. Having Christmas in summer just seems odd. And, as I learned in the following educational video, my Santa must be named Bruce, so thanks, Bruce!
Actually, a few years ago, before my wife and I decided to breed, we took a bus tour of Ireland. Most of the people on the bus were Aussies. From my 10 days with my new friends from down under I learned...
1. I am rather good at cricket. This does fuck-all for me here in the states.
2. Aussies are bloody good fun to drink with, but not quite as able to put it away as Canadians. At least not the two Canadians on our trip.
3. There is no better crowd to watch sport with. Any sport.
4. I really, really want to go to Australia! (But it will have to wait until retirement).
Anyway, on to the gifts from Down-Under.
Gift 1
First is the t-shirt I mentioned previously. It is of a most-excellent slayer of zombies, named Leroy. He's the gent in the gas-mask. I like this shirt, as does my monthly board-gaming group. I wore it there. It was described as "fuckawesome." Indeed. This one arrived a couple of weeks ago.
Then came the package. Would you like to see my package?
Intrepid canine parcel inspector Boutros Boutros Dogi arrives on the scene.
Not smelling raw meat, he walks away in disgust. Boo Boo's a bit of a douche in his old age.
The Note
Santa explains the method to his madness. Rest assured Santa, as difficult as I can be to stalk, you did quite well!
Gift 2
Ho-lee shee-it! TIM TAMS! Two packs! I have watched in years past as people have been gifted these and then rave about them. I immediately ate one, and shared one with Mrs. Z. So buttery, chocolatey good! And after dinner I had another, and followed your advice by using it to drink milk through. Fantastic! These will not last the week. I hope to Bob that my local grocery chain's excellent imported section carries these!
Gift 3
The next three are books. Let me just say that if books are indeed gay, I must be the world's biggest sucker of cock. I love to read. My wife, also a reader (hell, she's a literacy specialist) pokes fun at me for always, always finding something to read whenever I have more than 10 seconds with nothing else to do.
The first, The Gathering looks like a supernatural thriller of the YA variety. Sounds entertaining, and I may just have a couple of students that would like to get it on loan when I'm done. It looks a bit dark, and I like dark.
Gift 4
Paramedico. Now, Santa, you have tapped into something here, and I'm not sure how you did that. I love reading about other cultures. But I especially like reading about other cultures - through the lens of other cultures! For example, one of my favorite books on Japan was written by the wife of the Israeli ambassador. (For those intrigued, it is called Shalom, Japan.) So a story of an Australian paramedic's experiences around the world hits an interest no human being could have possibly guessed at.
Coincidentally, I'm sending a similar book to my santee!
Gift 5
Wow. Somehow I've never seen this one, despite having read Zinn's People's History of the United States.. While I teach US history, my main interest has always been global history, but I've been lax in my world history reading. This will be fantastic. Yes, it looks deep. I may save it for my first summer read, or I may keep it at work to start during those rare moments I have cleared the seemingly never-ending pile of grading. I do lean toward the Scandinavian style of democracy, so Harman's politics will likely resonate with my own.
Gift 6
Australian military rations! One day's worth! Holy shit this is incredibly awesome! Yes, Santa, you're right on the money in your letter - "in the heart of every zombie fan is a crazed survivalist." I enjoy all forms of post-apocalyptic fiction, and while I'm far from a crazed survivalist in practice, I do have an emergency plan, go bag, and two weeks worth of canned food and water in the house (don't look at me like that. My area once went without power for a week).
The Australian PR1M looks way better than the MREs I've had. I used to eat MREs all the time. My dad was a Reservist, and would buy surplus MREs that we could take hunting and camping. I'd even mooch packs to take with me to track and field tournaments. This is going to bring back some good memories. Not so much of the food, but of the times associated with them!
The sheer variety of what is in the plastic is astounding. Two entrees, a buttload of snacks, rice, what looks like ramen, matches, better quality toilet paper than what the MREs give (already put in my car in case of a roadside emergency), dried fruit (I've eaten one pack already - it was labeled "fruit grains," so I was expecting fruit flavored granola, but instead it was ridiculously good bits of raspberry fruit leather.)
I will eat my way through the bag, most likely as part of lunches at work. My students have been fascinated by this whole Secret Santa thing (wait, you STALK each other? This isn't creepy, how?) so they'll get a kick out of seeing me enjoy part of my gift.
In fact, I'm packing a sleeve of saltines and the tube of Marmite. We're going to see who the real men and women in my classes are, tomorrow. I've never tried the stuff, but I'm game!
By the way, Santa, if you are Australian military or former military, allow me to express sincere thanks on behalf of my country. Most Americans don't realize what a steadfast military ally Australia has been throughout the last century or so. For the edification of other readers, Aussie soldiers have fought alongside American troops in every single major conflict since World War I, including Vietnam -hell, it was Australian troops who taught Americans a significant chunk of the jungle warfare tactics that were used.
So, Santa, please step forward and take a bow! This is a fantastic collection of gifts, and your generosity is amazing! I wish you and yours all the best this season!
Gah! All that and I forgot to thank Santa Bruce by his forum handle, so.... THANK YOU SANTA HEARTHJAW!
Took the defense force Marmite/Vegemite spread to school today, and shared with my 1st period class and homeroom. The reactions were priceless. Wish I had a camera. The British expat wanted seconds, of course, and the vegetarian thought it was just swell. The general consensus was that at first taste, it wasn't so bad - the aftertaste, however, just would not go away.
I.. I really want to give that bottle tree a little nudge. Just to see what it would look like crashing down.
And I missed ArcSyn's gift post somehow. Looks like one of the food boxes contain a variation of those chocolate-filled koala cookies a couple of us were talking about a while back.
I love the gift exchange. I've been horrible sick lately but I just managed to put together the finishing touches on my gift. A little late, but I sent some steam games to hold him over.
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ArcticLancerBest served chilled.Registered Userregular
So, I've owned Bastion on the 360 since it launched. I've wanted the soundtrack since I saw it was available on Steam. The problem was that you needed the full game to buy the soundtrack. =_= (why is that, seriously? it just goes into a folder itself anyway)
So, today's Steam deal being what it was, I said, "Screw it, $8.50 for a soundtrack is totally fine."
Hope my Santa wasn't banking on buying that for me. =P
In other news, finally had enough downtime to stalk a bit. I'm not done yet, but I am happy to report progress.
Oh yes ... the gifts will soon come together ... >:D
Digital Deluxe Edition, no less! I nearly 100%'d AC2, but I hadn't picked up AssBro (best shorthand ever by the way) because my backlog is super huge. Now its super huge-er! And I actually have a PC that can run the new stuff now, so that's a plus.
SPACE MARINE. Look at that shit. Glorious. For the Emperor!
Now with more Trine! I loved the first one's take on the underutilized Lost Viking formula, but lamented that it didn't have online co-op. Now it does! Now I get to force my buddies to buy it too! Everybody wins! This version also comes with a digital artbook and the soundtrack, and I fucking love looking through concept art.
What I don't have though is my Santa's name! The gift of Steam games was expertly proxy'd by Wraith but I need to be able to say "Thank you for the wonderful gifts, Santa _______!"
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On a related note, your gifts should be going out tomorrow Santee. Hopefully shipping will see it to you safely and speedily.
I got all excited because I saw there were some packages waiting for me at the office. Turns out they're stuff my gf ordered. Which is funny, cause I'm sure some of them are going to end up as part of my Christmas gift, but it just isn't the same as receiving my Christmas gifts.
Also, curse the site that didn't give me tracking info on the gifts I sent out. The estimated delivery date was yesterday, but I know my Santee hasn't posted. Maybe I'll proxy him.
All of this holiday cheer has brightened up my essay writing. Currently living out of one of my university's residences' study halls, (I don't even live in this residence but a fair many of my friends do) studying for finals and writing papers that I've left til the last minute/are overdue. You guys are the best and seeing everyone's super excited "Gift Get!"s are making for a great study break.
If my Santa has sent me a gift recently, I haven't been home except for sleeping for the past few days so I won't know if I've gotten anything quite yet! And my Santee should be expecting some Christmas-joy soon-ish!
I am totally blown away by the generosity and effort you put into this.
I know who that is, just by the handwriting on the package.
Surley not?
Somebody takes their stalking a little too seriously I guess Amazing gifts.
Anyways, I'm off to the post office, so if you live more than 15km away from me, get ready!
Santee I purchased something with you about a week ago and it should be on your way... Of course you live so far away from the warehouse it's leaving from so it'll be a while.
Hopefully I'll have everything together and wrapped today for Santee. I'm waiting on one last damn thing to get stocked at the store I work at (a local-made snack.) They have some there already, but I want to get a fresh package of it before I send it off! They usually come once a week to re-stock us but they haven't for the past 2 weeks and it's driving me fucking nuts.
All of this holiday cheer has brightened up my essay writing. Currently living out of one of my university's residences' study halls, (I don't even live in this residence but a fair many of my friends do) studying for finals and writing papers that I've left til the last minute/are overdue. You guys are the best and seeing everyone's super excited "Gift Get!"s are making for a great study break.
If my Santa has sent me a gift recently, I haven't been home except for sleeping for the past few days so I won't know if I've gotten anything quite yet! And my Santee should be expecting some Christmas-joy soon-ish!
See, this is what Secret Santa is all about. Random acts of senseless kindness brightening up someone else's day. The best is when some innocent sap gets caught in the crossfire.
That dog, in his prime, could pull out any toy by name from a box of probably 25-30 toys
He opened the cupboard to get his own treats, but never broke the bag open, just brought them to you and set them on your lap.
He used to sit next to you while you were eating with a flat bowl in his mouth when he wanted scraps. Holding it out for you to put something in. If you did he'd go cross-eyed looking at it as he walked across the room carefully to set it on the rug where it wouldn't slide around. Never spilled once.
Seriously, the best fucking dog. I was like 10 when we got him.
edit: Thanks for the kind words, guys.
edit2: Last picture, I swear. I found a good one from a few years ago.
I'm really sorry to hear that, Crash, and I hope my excitement will serve as a little uplifting moment in what's a rough day for sure.
Because...
I skipped the gym today, KNOWING something from FedEx was coming. I hurried home, and sure enough, a package was at my door!
With no pets anymore, I had to enlist the help of Sonic, The Maw and a Chuzzle that looks an awful lot like the Yums from The Maw.
We tore into the package, and oh my goodness. I couldn't even contain it. Maw and Chuzzle dove in head first - what a haul!!
I began to take things out, one at a time...
First off, these AWESOME Reach figures. I collected SO MANY Halo figures back when Halo 2 was out, and made myself stop. I still always looked at them though - and am so glad I have more to add. I even took them down out of my bedroom, because I felt they were too old and I needed to make way for new stuff. Well guess who's going to clean off some shelf space after this post is done and set up that "new stuff"!? THIS GUY.
Next up, it's like Santa stalked my BRAIN. Do you know how many times this game has been in shopping carts, both online and in real life!? A billion. I always wanted to try it, and never could pull the trigger. I've played the demo a bunch, and it always gets brought up with tons of polarizing opinions when I name the other games I love. I can not wait to put this in and finally see for myself what everyone's talking about. SO EXCITED.
Where has Sonic been?! Oh - well he's off reading the Alan Wake novel! I can't wait to dig into this too, with the new Alan Wake announcement on the horizon I've been freaking out, getting back into the story. This is PERFECT for all the down time I have at work, to refresh what I know about the story and get back into it. It's like every base is covered! Toys, games, books!
But look what Maw has found! MORE AWESOMENESS! It's Assassins Creed: The Fall #1, and the Silent Hill Shattered Dimensions Soundtrack! I have looked EVERYWHERE for The Fall around me, and havent ever found it - so I cant wait to open it up and finally give it a read. And then proudly display it of course. And while I've never played Shattered Dimensions, it's actually the ONLY Silent Hill Soundtrack I don't have somewhere! So this is great. And is of course the nudge I've always needed to go pick up the game once I fall in love with the tunes.
And what a score this is! The note on it says "REALLY hope you dont have these books!" and...I do. But fear not, Santa! I am INSANE about these books. It was a pain to find them back when I did, so I have been keeping them in immaculate condition. Even using the strategy guide became a chore because of how badly I wanted it to stay pristine. And the Allan Wake Illuminated book would have made SUCH a great coffee table book...if I could only have been alright with it being out and people's grubby hands going through it. So NOW I can take my old copies and put them out for everyone to enjoy, and take these NEW ones and put them up on the shelf to display. It works out PERFECTLY!
I DID actually laugh out loud at these. I was so shocked, confused and excited by the PS3 game...I don't have a PS3. And then I read the note - Just kidding! Haha. Well, it goes in the pile with my Blu-Rays for when I finally get one. I actually wanted to try DC Universe, too! So its the best joke I've gotten! The second thing, is APB for the PC. I dont have a PC, and I believe APB is dead anyways...so I shall cherish this relic of the past. Like your note said - "Maybe it will be worth something someday!"
Finally - what I was MOST excited about:
I am insane about Twin Peaks. I love it. And I was JUST telling my brother how I'm sad there's not more cool stuff with it. There's no comics, no little outside universe stuff. And there won't be because I got into the show well after it ended. I had no idea this book even EXISTED. I can not tell you how excited I am for this. I'm actually putting the Kindle away to read this. And then re-watching all of Twin Peaks. This is just amazing and I can't believe you thought of this!!
So holy shit Santa you way, way, way outdid yourself - and I don't even know who you are! Reveal yourself so I can give you the proper thank you, and everyone else can tell you how awesome you are! You've totally made my Christmas, and I hope to be half the Santa you've been!! THANKS SO MUCH!
mxmarks on
PSN: mxmarks - WiiU: mxmarks - twitter: @ MikesPS4 - twitch.tv/mxmarks - "Yes, mxmarks is the King of Queens" - Unbreakable Vow
That is a sweet gift mxmarks! You should just get a PS3 anyway - they're used in my house for Netflix and Blu-ray more than anything.
And Crash, I am so sorry to hear that. Two years ago we had to put our dog down the day after Christmas, and this same group really helped me through it.
You guys are all fantastic, and I love each and every one of you.
Icemopper on
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minor incidentexpert in a dying fieldnjRegistered Userregular
Hah. I was debating se ding my Santee my copy of DCUO on PS3 and my sealed copy of APB.
Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
Got an email today, containing a certain something...
Caution: This post may contain dwarf cock.
So much witchering! I do have the first game on Steam, ridiculously awesome RPG that I for some reason have yet to finish and the second game has been on my wishlist since before it came out, can't wait to get the first done and crack it open. It comes with an awesome amount of extra stuff too.
Thank you so much JHunz you magnificent man!
Also got the final parts of my santee's gift box today, something edible and something buildable.
Posts
I mean I'm sure the food is delicious but it's so multi-coloured and crazy that I wish we had that sort of thing over here.
Hawkeye delivered!
Also: So jelly of those socks.
Oh noes! TotP! Uh... Uh...
Some people are inventive with their Christmas trees:
Gah! All that and I forgot to thank Santa Bruce by his forum handle, so.... THANK YOU SANTA HEARTHJAW!
Took the defense force Marmite/Vegemite spread to school today, and shared with my 1st period class and homeroom. The reactions were priceless. Wish I had a camera. The British expat wanted seconds, of course, and the vegetarian thought it was just swell. The general consensus was that at first taste, it wasn't so bad - the aftertaste, however, just would not go away.
Interesting stuff. Thanks again, Santa!
And I missed ArcSyn's gift post somehow. Looks like one of the food boxes contain a variation of those chocolate-filled koala cookies a couple of us were talking about a while back.
I just want to be part of the crafting process!
I'd want to craft it from start to finish... and by that I mean from when the bottle caps started flying off to get the delicious that is inside out.
I really, really, really want that.
While I'm not taking part in this, it is heartwarming to see everyone getting their gifts. It restores my faith in humanity.
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That's exactly what I was inferring. Let us unite!
Yes, I'm a sucker when it comes to obscure ridiculously difficult rhythm games.
It's a simple pleasure.
So, today's Steam deal being what it was, I said, "Screw it, $8.50 for a soundtrack is totally fine."
Hope my Santa wasn't banking on buying that for me. =P
In other news, finally had enough downtime to stalk a bit. I'm not done yet, but I am happy to report progress.
Oh yes ... the gifts will soon come together ... >:D
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
But I'm going to hold out for a while longer to see if there's anymore.
AHHHHHHHHHHH I HOPE IT WAS SANTA.
Left my signature taped to my door today as I left for work, and I am 99% sure Im skipping the gym to run home and see what's at my door.
I'm an idiot who doesn't check his email.
My Santa has sent me the gift of Steam!
Digital Deluxe Edition, no less! I nearly 100%'d AC2, but I hadn't picked up AssBro (best shorthand ever by the way) because my backlog is super huge. Now its super huge-er! And I actually have a PC that can run the new stuff now, so that's a plus.
SPACE MARINE. Look at that shit. Glorious. For the Emperor!
Now with more Trine! I loved the first one's take on the underutilized Lost Viking formula, but lamented that it didn't have online co-op. Now it does! Now I get to force my buddies to buy it too! Everybody wins! This version also comes with a digital artbook and the soundtrack, and I fucking love looking through concept art.
What I don't have though is my Santa's name! The gift of Steam games was expertly proxy'd by Wraith but I need to be able to say "Thank you for the wonderful gifts, Santa _______!"
+
On a related note, your gifts should be going out tomorrow Santee. Hopefully shipping will see it to you safely and speedily.
Also, curse the site that didn't give me tracking info on the gifts I sent out. The estimated delivery date was yesterday, but I know my Santee hasn't posted. Maybe I'll proxy him.
If my Santa has sent me a gift recently, I haven't been home except for sleeping for the past few days so I won't know if I've gotten anything quite yet! And my Santee should be expecting some Christmas-joy soon-ish!
Steam: abunchofdaftpunk | PSN: noautomobilesgo | Lastfm: sjchszeppelin | Backloggery: colincummings | 3DS FC: 1392-6019-0219 |
Somebody takes their stalking a little too seriously I guess
Anyways, I'm off to the post office, so if you live more than 15km away from me, get ready!
I must find a way to escape the salt mine and rendezvous with the courier before 16:00.
PSN: Beltaine-77 | Steam: beltane77 | Battle.net BadHaggis#1433
See, this is what Secret Santa is all about. Random acts of senseless kindness brightening up someone else's day. The best is when some innocent sap gets caught in the crossfire.
Xbox Live Gamertag: Suplex86
Almost 14 years old. Best damn dog anyone could ask for, smart as hell.
Never seen a dog that enjoyed Christmas more than him. He got so excited every year when we put up the tree. He opened his own presents every year.
Sorry for the sadness in the happy times thread.
He opened the cupboard to get his own treats, but never broke the bag open, just brought them to you and set them on your lap.
He used to sit next to you while you were eating with a flat bowl in his mouth when he wanted scraps. Holding it out for you to put something in. If you did he'd go cross-eyed looking at it as he walked across the room carefully to set it on the rug where it wouldn't slide around. Never spilled once.
Seriously, the best fucking dog. I was like 10 when we got him.
edit: Thanks for the kind words, guys.
edit2: Last picture, I swear. I found a good one from a few years ago.
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
Because...
With no pets anymore, I had to enlist the help of Sonic, The Maw and a Chuzzle that looks an awful lot like the Yums from The Maw.
We tore into the package, and oh my goodness. I couldn't even contain it. Maw and Chuzzle dove in head first - what a haul!!
I began to take things out, one at a time...
First off, these AWESOME Reach figures. I collected SO MANY Halo figures back when Halo 2 was out, and made myself stop. I still always looked at them though - and am so glad I have more to add. I even took them down out of my bedroom, because I felt they were too old and I needed to make way for new stuff. Well guess who's going to clean off some shelf space after this post is done and set up that "new stuff"!? THIS GUY.
Next up, it's like Santa stalked my BRAIN. Do you know how many times this game has been in shopping carts, both online and in real life!? A billion. I always wanted to try it, and never could pull the trigger. I've played the demo a bunch, and it always gets brought up with tons of polarizing opinions when I name the other games I love. I can not wait to put this in and finally see for myself what everyone's talking about. SO EXCITED.
Where has Sonic been?! Oh - well he's off reading the Alan Wake novel! I can't wait to dig into this too, with the new Alan Wake announcement on the horizon I've been freaking out, getting back into the story. This is PERFECT for all the down time I have at work, to refresh what I know about the story and get back into it. It's like every base is covered! Toys, games, books!
But look what Maw has found! MORE AWESOMENESS! It's Assassins Creed: The Fall #1, and the Silent Hill Shattered Dimensions Soundtrack! I have looked EVERYWHERE for The Fall around me, and havent ever found it - so I cant wait to open it up and finally give it a read. And then proudly display it of course. And while I've never played Shattered Dimensions, it's actually the ONLY Silent Hill Soundtrack I don't have somewhere! So this is great. And is of course the nudge I've always needed to go pick up the game once I fall in love with the tunes.
And what a score this is! The note on it says "REALLY hope you dont have these books!" and...I do. But fear not, Santa! I am INSANE about these books. It was a pain to find them back when I did, so I have been keeping them in immaculate condition. Even using the strategy guide became a chore because of how badly I wanted it to stay pristine. And the Allan Wake Illuminated book would have made SUCH a great coffee table book...if I could only have been alright with it being out and people's grubby hands going through it. So NOW I can take my old copies and put them out for everyone to enjoy, and take these NEW ones and put them up on the shelf to display. It works out PERFECTLY!
I DID actually laugh out loud at these. I was so shocked, confused and excited by the PS3 game...I don't have a PS3. And then I read the note - Just kidding! Haha. Well, it goes in the pile with my Blu-Rays for when I finally get one. I actually wanted to try DC Universe, too! So its the best joke I've gotten! The second thing, is APB for the PC. I dont have a PC, and I believe APB is dead anyways...so I shall cherish this relic of the past. Like your note said - "Maybe it will be worth something someday!"
Finally - what I was MOST excited about:
I am insane about Twin Peaks. I love it. And I was JUST telling my brother how I'm sad there's not more cool stuff with it. There's no comics, no little outside universe stuff. And there won't be because I got into the show well after it ended. I had no idea this book even EXISTED. I can not tell you how excited I am for this. I'm actually putting the Kindle away to read this. And then re-watching all of Twin Peaks. This is just amazing and I can't believe you thought of this!!
So holy shit Santa you way, way, way outdid yourself - and I don't even know who you are! Reveal yourself so I can give you the proper thank you, and everyone else can tell you how awesome you are! You've totally made my Christmas, and I hope to be half the Santa you've been!! THANKS SO MUCH!
And Crash, I am so sorry to hear that. Two years ago we had to put our dog down the day after Christmas, and this same group really helped me through it.
You guys are all fantastic, and I love each and every one of you.
Got an email today, containing a certain something...
Caution: This post may contain dwarf cock.
So much witchering! I do have the first game on Steam, ridiculously awesome RPG that I for some reason have yet to finish and the second game has been on my wishlist since before it came out, can't wait to get the first done and crack it open. It comes with an awesome amount of extra stuff too.
Thank you so much JHunz you magnificent man!
Also got the final parts of my santee's gift box today, something edible and something buildable.