Edit: as said above, packaging goes a long way, first year I participated, I packaged everything in headshots of wilford brimley.
That's hilarious. What's the story behind that?
The first year I participated, I made in-universe notes made from Mass Effect quest screen graphics and put home-printed "N7" stickers on the outside of the box. Last year I made a letter made from the Metal Gear Solid codec screen and stuck it in an envelope with "CALL" emblem on it. Coming up with silly packaging ideas/narratives that match my Santee's interests is probably my favorite part of the Secret Santa.
I was kinda broke last year which prompted me to create that TF2 level and I painted a custom mug with my Santee's avatar on it as my sister works at a pottery painting shop.
Hey! How did I miss this up here at the top of the thread list?!
Signed up!
My favourite Christmas tradition. Look forward to it every year.
Surely nothing can top last year's gift though. Never been anything but overjoyed in the many years I've been doing this, but @ArcSyn really knocked it out of the park.
Good lord, I remember the stink about KetchemAsh. I was trying to go back and find my old secret santees as I was wondering if they're both still on the forums. Turns out I participated in 2007 as Herby and I think again in 2008 with this screen name so I've taken about a 3 year break. I figured out what I gifted and what I received - but I can't find the thank posts to figure out who I actually gave to/received from except for the year that Gabe gifted me. So much fun - I can't wait to begin stalking.
Edit: as said above, packaging goes a long way, first year I participated, I packaged everything in headshots of wilford brimley.
That's hilarious. What's the story behind that?
I work for liberty, and they fly him in almost every christmas that I've worked here. Awesome guy to talk about the movies he's been in. He has crazy stories about the thing, and hard target. We had a bunch of headshots left over from when he came so I took a few dozen and wrapped everything (including candy) in them. I was going to send a signed full one, but i couldnt stand to give up mine.
Hey! How did I miss this up here at the top of the thread list?!
Signed up!
My favourite Christmas tradition. Look forward to it every year.
Surely nothing can top last year's gift though. Never been anything but overjoyed in the many years I've been doing this, but @ArcSyn really knocked it out of the park.
He brought all this up because we printed this picture off to have him sign.
He told us how in regular movie stuntwork, camera tricks are done to allow the actor to be more then a safe distance away from the explosion (if you seen that episode of mythbusters, you look 10 feet away from it, but you are really easily 200). He did the above shot live, and was really that close to the explosion(closer then what he was told and what was intended), and shrapnel hit his horse, and he wasn't acting in that scene because it was running out of control.
What he spoke about with the thing was he felt it took away from the horror of the movie by showing the monster as often as it did, and he preferred horror movies where you didnt see the monster, because your mind could come up with something so much more terrifying. I think the thing is probably the exception that proves the rule and the wrong movie to make that arguement with, but I agree otherwise. He also gives great almost motivational speeches.
My usual worry with this sort of thing is that I'm a little bit of a lurker and as such can be very hard to gift for. This usually means I overcompensate and give out way to many hints about what sort of things I'd like. Although some people may say that it makes it that more fun to stalk.
Regarding "minimum" price, I'm a big fan of personal items, like something I could frame and put up or an ornament of figure I can put on my desk. Personal gifts are cool, except for food, I get the appeal but as a fussy eater, they may get thrown out rather than eaten and I'd feel bad for the santa.
That said, I've had three great years with three completely different types of gift. Looking forward to seeing what I get this year and who I have to stalk and its fantastic to see some of my previous Santa's/Santee's coming back.
"Oh, well, this would be one of those circumstances that people unfamiliar with the law of large numbers would call a coincidence."
So I said I was going to sign up, but even though the minimum is $25, what I've read so far makes it seem like people tend to go well beyond that. I don't wanna, you know, commit some cultural faux pas if I can avoid it. Do people get excited about things that don't cost a ton of money? People have talked about getting consoles, brand-spankin' new games and huge boxes of DVDs and books. This is intimidating. I don't want to fail anyone. :?
Thoughtfulness is way more important that anything else. I know that no-one should do (or is allowed to) as long as the minimum value is met but the only disappointing presents anyone gets are those that show an obvious lack of care or attention.
My usual worry with this sort of thing is that I'm a little bit of a lurker and as such can be very hard to gift for. This usually means I overcompensate and give out way to many hints about what sort of things I'd like. Although some people may say that it makes it that more fun to stalk.
Regarding "minimum" price, I'm a big fan of personal items, like something I could frame and put up or an ornament of figure I can put on my desk. Personal gifts are cool, except for food, I get the appeal but as a fussy eater, they may get thrown out rather than eaten and I'd feel bad for the santa.
That said, I've had three great years with three completely different types of gift. Looking forward to seeing what I get this year and who I have to stalk and its fantastic to see some of my previous Santa's/Santee's coming back.
Somebody sent me these whole dried fish one year and they were fantastic.
Ah yes, I knew I should have started looking for this a couple days ago. But no matter!
I'll be super happy to participate in this for the 5th straight year. We'll see how much I can actually spend this year relative to other years, but my Santee should still be happy. Hopefully.
This is seriously my favorite thread of the year... I'm such a non poster, sorry, but I love getting random cool stuff and sending out various cool Canadian things to non Canucks! Never did find out who sent me the books from 2 years ago... the Death Machine one was very cool tho, and I haven't actually read the other one.
WiiU ID - Draysoth1
Xbox Live - Draysoth1
PSN - Draysoth
Steam - Draysoth
3DS - 2320-6133-3744
Please let me know if you add me!
Aww yeah it's great to see this thread again! Which can only mean one thing: Justifiably spending time doing crafty shit instead of cleaning the house. No more epic "Luigi kicking Mario in the balls" cross-stitch related antics this year (as I'm a bit over that kind of crafting) but I'm sure I'll come up with something fun. I have a printer now which I know will help
Yes Yes Yeeessssss. Finally can start putting my nefarious plans into place. Need to review my post history though... think it needs more hints.
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
So! since @AaronKI pm'd me about it, first person to decipher my sig gets a bonus mini present. Aaron got a hint since he took the initiative. Christmas in October, bitches!
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
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anoffdayTo be changed whenever Anoffday gets around to it.Registered Userregular
So! since @AaronKI pm'd me about it, first person to decipher my sig gets a bonus mini present. Aaron got a hint since he took the initiative. Christmas in October, bitches!
All I know so far is that he doesn't secretly love banjos.
Edit: I was thinking too hard! It's the numbers from Lost.
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Wait, how are we getting 4 8 15 16 23 42 from that blob?
It's written in holly jolly binary (which is what Santa programs video games in). Treat Red as 0 and each 6-digit line as a single number.
At first I was dividing it up into 4-digit numbers, which just turned out gobbledegook. I treated Green as 0, ran the random numbers through a simple 1=A cipher, and rearranged the resulting letters to spell Banjo Ogle. This was not correct.
Yay! It's funny, no one noticed it when it was black and white.
FTL's addicting, watch out!
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Yay! It's funny, no one noticed it when it was black and white.
FTL's addicting, watch out!
I noticed it in black & white when you first posted in this page and made a mental note to fiddle with it later. By time I got back, the colors had changed and I couldn't remember which was which. :P
I know there were a few people that got encoded messages last year. One in multiple pieces on post cards and maybe two others. I wonder if those were ever solved.
I would politely request that we keep the chatter to a minimum so our delightful host can more easily skim the thread for relevant information. This is not a chat thread, and definitely not the place to bring up the histories of past members.
The thread is up early because a lot of you were apparently taken off guard by the timing of the sign-up window for last year's event. So this year you have a whole freaking month or so! Let's not abuse that, as it tends to throw me out of my festive mood, I then remember that it's the first week of October, and from there I lock the thread for a week or two.
Chat pertaining to spreading Christmas cheer to future Santees is highly encouraged to the point of almost being mandatory.
Posts
That's hilarious. What's the story behind that?
The first year I participated, I made in-universe notes made from Mass Effect quest screen graphics and put home-printed "N7" stickers on the outside of the box. Last year I made a letter made from the Metal Gear Solid codec screen and stuck it in an envelope with "CALL" emblem on it. Coming up with silly packaging ideas/narratives that match my Santee's interests is probably my favorite part of the Secret Santa.
Handmade gifts are always fun!
Signed up!
My favourite Christmas tradition. Look forward to it every year.
Surely nothing can top last year's gift though. Never been anything but overjoyed in the many years I've been doing this, but @ArcSyn really knocked it out of the park.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33221102@N03/sets/72157628139166073/
I work for liberty, and they fly him in almost every christmas that I've worked here. Awesome guy to talk about the movies he's been in. He has crazy stories about the thing, and hard target. We had a bunch of headshots left over from when he came so I took a few dozen and wrapped everything (including candy) in them. I was going to send a signed full one, but i couldnt stand to give up mine.
Thanks for catching that, added!
That's a conversation I'd love to sit in on.
Yay! Nothing is sweeter than the joy of a good gift having been sent. I was still amazed how quickly you figured it out and put it together.
I only remember the story about hard target:
He brought all this up because we printed this picture off to have him sign.
He told us how in regular movie stuntwork, camera tricks are done to allow the actor to be more then a safe distance away from the explosion (if you seen that episode of mythbusters, you look 10 feet away from it, but you are really easily 200). He did the above shot live, and was really that close to the explosion(closer then what he was told and what was intended), and shrapnel hit his horse, and he wasn't acting in that scene because it was running out of control.
What he spoke about with the thing was he felt it took away from the horror of the movie by showing the monster as often as it did, and he preferred horror movies where you didnt see the monster, because your mind could come up with something so much more terrifying. I think the thing is probably the exception that proves the rule and the wrong movie to make that arguement with, but I agree otherwise. He also gives great almost motivational speeches.
Regarding "minimum" price, I'm a big fan of personal items, like something I could frame and put up or an ornament of figure I can put on my desk. Personal gifts are cool, except for food, I get the appeal but as a fussy eater, they may get thrown out rather than eaten and I'd feel bad for the santa.
That said, I've had three great years with three completely different types of gift. Looking forward to seeing what I get this year and who I have to stalk and its fantastic to see some of my previous Santa's/Santee's coming back.
Thoughtfulness is way more important that anything else. I know that no-one should do (or is allowed to) as long as the minimum value is met but the only disappointing presents anyone gets are those that show an obvious lack of care or attention.
I want to know more PA people on Twitter.
Somebody sent me these whole dried fish one year and they were fantastic.
I'll be super happy to participate in this for the 5th straight year. We'll see how much I can actually spend this year relative to other years, but my Santee should still be happy. Hopefully.
Hey!!
PSN: SirGrinchX
Oculus Rift: Sir_Grinch
Xbox Live - Draysoth1
PSN - Draysoth
Steam - Draysoth
3DS - 2320-6133-3744
Please let me know if you add me!
Bacon is for
Well, just refer to my title
So fucking glorious
Moments like these are why I miss the Disagree button.
Steam
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
3DS Friend Code: 2165-6448-8348 www.Twitch.TV/cooljammer00
Battle.Net: JohnDarc#1203 Origin/UPlay: CoolJammer00
Why did it have to be bacon, and not zombies?!
You and I share a view on bacon. I usually am the odd one out.
Steam: abunchofdaftpunk | PSN: noautomobilesgo | Lastfm: sjchszeppelin | Backloggery: colincummings | 3DS FC: 1392-6019-0219 |
PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
I already saw these little usb trees at Target that I was planning on buying for my desk. Maybe now's the time!
All I know so far is that he doesn't secretly love banjos.
Edit: I was thinking too hard! It's the numbers from Lost.
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
3DS Friend Code: 2165-6448-8348 www.Twitch.TV/cooljammer00
Battle.Net: JohnDarc#1203 Origin/UPlay: CoolJammer00
It's written in holly jolly binary (which is what Santa programs video games in). Treat Red as 0 and each 6-digit line as a single number.
At first I was dividing it up into 4-digit numbers, which just turned out gobbledegook. I treated Green as 0, ran the random numbers through a simple 1=A cipher, and rearranged the resulting letters to spell Banjo Ogle. This was not correct.
Edit: And Aioua gifted me FTL on Steam. Thanks! I've been reading about this on Rock Paper Shotgun: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tag/ftldiary/
FTL's addicting, watch out!
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
I noticed it in black & white when you first posted in this page and made a mental note to fiddle with it later. By time I got back, the colors had changed and I couldn't remember which was which. :P
I know there were a few people that got encoded messages last year. One in multiple pieces on post cards and maybe two others. I wonder if those were ever solved.
Or, the solution was never posted in the thread.
I'm not quite sure if I'd be laughing or slightly creeped out receiving a package like that. Still though, creative points!
I just beat it for the first time tonight. And yes, very addicting.
The thread is up early because a lot of you were apparently taken off guard by the timing of the sign-up window for last year's event. So this year you have a whole freaking month or so! Let's not abuse that, as it tends to throw me out of my festive mood, I then remember that it's the first week of October, and from there I lock the thread for a week or two.
Chat pertaining to spreading Christmas cheer to future Santees is highly encouraged to the point of almost being mandatory.
3DS Friend Code: 2165-6448-8348 www.Twitch.TV/cooljammer00
Battle.Net: JohnDarc#1203 Origin/UPlay: CoolJammer00