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Secret Santa 2017 Official Thread

Old Nov 17, 2017, 1:32 am
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Last edit by: steveman518
The wiki is an UNOFFICIAL record of gifts received. Remember to PM wharvey when you send and receive gifts!
The wiki will be maintained by steveman518, however feel free to add gifts to the wiki as you receive them.

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Gifts Received
aquamarinesteph #1
AStarr #1 #2
AtomicLush #1
bergamini #1 #2
b00mer89 #1 #2
Bravada04 #1
BXIAN #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7
canforce #1
Catman #1
CDTraveler #1 #2
Cjacq #1
ckidder331 #1 #2 #3
compubit #1 #2 #3 #4
CPH-Flyer #1 #2 #3
Dark Blue #1 #2
Deds1 #1 #2 #3
dee1843 #1
DeepUnderground #1 #2
DevilDawg1960 #1 #2 #3
diburning #1 #2 (part 2) #3
Dogmatick #1 #2
erikatcuse #1
flo-e #1
FlyingCow #1 #2 #3
ginoa724 #1
Gregor #1
gsch #1 #2
HeavenlyJane #1 #2
holloway1000 #1
HWGeeks #1
iMedic #1
jamesteroh #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6
jetset09 #1
jcnkc #1
Jinxy #1 #2
JoelThomas #1
jondabomb #1
jsds #1
Karl Gustav Annus #1 #2
kauppias #1 #2
kipper #1 (part 2) #2 #3 #4
kirkwoodj #1
linzbh #1
Lisabeth #1 #2 #3
malexander131 #1
MappingChick #1 #2 #3 #4
Marcia3641 #1
mario02423 #1
mdbe #1
mdovenmuehler #1 #2
Meneer Guggenheimer #1 #2
Micp3208 #1
miko2a #1 #2
MissChele #1 #2 #3 #4
missydarlin #1
MrDplus #1 #2
nomadic.relief #1 #2
nwncl #1
obunewbie17 #1
ohlradio #1 #2
omriba #1
onetess #1
onlyairfare #1 #2
onthewaytoadventure #1 #2
PandaSoPink #1
Recondite #1
Redhead #1 #2 #3 #4 #5
samosa #1 #2
sammyindc #1
sandratravels #1 #2
santina91 #1 #2
ScGhost0 #1 #2
shutterbugguy #1 #2 #3
smc333 #1
spartacus #1
sperkins921 #1 #2 #3 #4 #5
steveman518 #1 #2 #3 (part 2)
stingtx #1
sweetcreamytea #1 #2
tcl #1 #2 (part 2)
Thatguyatthebar #1
token385 #1 #2 #3
TokyoFoodie #1 #2 #3 #4 #5
Tpa-flyer #1
tzvilev #1 #2 #3
WIRunner #1 #2 #3
WriterGirlLinds #1 #2 #3 #4 #5
yunicorner #1 #2
YVRorange #1
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Secret Santa 2017 Official Thread

Old Jan 2, 2018, 6:44 pm
  #631  
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NJ
Programs: Mileage Plus
Posts: 98
santa gifts

No worries. I was on the wait list for the instapot and one happily became available on Thursday! Thanks again!


Originally Posted by sperkins921
If I had known you had an IP, I would have gotten you a different Indian cookbook. There's a really nice one esp for IP. I've tried the recipes in it and they were delish....
Hopefully the ones in this book are great too. Also, I had NO idea about birding, so I'm hoping the stuff inside is useful!

Enjoy!
TokyoFoodie is offline  
Old Jan 3, 2018, 7:59 am
  #632  
Flyertalk Evangelist and Moderator: Coupon Connection and Travel Products
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Milton, GA USA
Programs: Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum Elite, Hyatt Discoverist, Radisson Elite
Posts: 19,031
Chief Santa Update:

I still have a number of you who are not responding to my private messages.

Please take the time to respond to me ASAP or I will assume you received all your gifts.

It does look like I will need a few people to step up and help out again. I will, of course, take a few delinquents even though I do not send/receive any gifts during this season... but could use some help. Message me if you are willing to help and let me know if you would be open to shipping outside the US.

William
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wharvey is offline  
Old Jan 3, 2018, 9:31 am
  #633  
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Online
Programs: AA, Amex, HH, MP
Posts: 37
Little overdue this season for posting but here are the pics of my secret santa gifts! Lets first talk about a little back story about the holidays for me, may be sobby but for me it works and its a real blessing. Crazy year for sure, come to find out things in life don't go as planned but knowing the fact there are good people out there along with my wonderful family it makes all the difference in the world. I've struggled with personal terms of my own health, as well trying to figure out what to do. My father passed away Dec 30th years before making holidays hard, another family member passed right before Christmas this year so holidays are tough but also my favorite time of the year. Coming here and doing this for as long as I have has also shown me what a badass group of people you all are and what we do for each other is awesome. Ive never felt so blessed to be apart of something just coming here reading peoples storys, seeing what people get and what we do to get there is amazing lol. Knowing strangers can come together for a common cause and enjoyable living. With that note I want to thank my Secret Santas for giving me some really cool stuff but just thankful for the fact someone was willing to go out of their way to send me a gift who I never met! Cheers to everyone and I hope everyone's holidays were truly amazing like mine are

Thanks from Tony Hum from Canada for this legit Gaming headset, it has heard many frags already


Thanks to CS from Canada, which I knew your name :P for this fun game and great book about Vancouver (this game has destroyed my ego playing with my children, me and the wifey know its game on when we have to go against them lol)


Look forward to another great year and again thanks guys!
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mdovenmuehler is offline  
Old Jan 3, 2018, 4:49 pm
  #634  
In Memoriam
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 17
I received gift 3 of 3 yesterday: Thank you to my Secret Santa (unidentified), with nice gifts related to my wife's and my interest in traveling.



The Amsterdam Crumpled Map is printed on a very flexible material, with a nice map of Amsterdam. The Lonely Planet "Secret Marvels of the World" will help us find new places to visit!

Warm thanks to the Secret Santa giver!
Shutterbugguy
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 6:38 am
  #635  
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Louisville KY
Programs: Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Gold
Posts: 38


Milz02315 is my hometown hero! The hot chocolate will hit the spot during this winter chill. Bourbon infused seasonings and quality oil and balsamic will make for some interesting culinary experiments. Citizen Kane is a great addition to daughter's collection. We listen to some of the old "Shadow" and Mercury Theater recordings on long trips, so she definitely knows the voice. The poster will find a home next to Audrey Hepburn on her wall. Thanks so much!!

Last edited by MissChele; Jan 4, 2018 at 9:03 am
MissChele is offline  
Old Jan 4, 2018, 7:33 pm
  #636  
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Mt. Laurel, NJ USA
Programs: Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond
Posts: 156
Glad you like the coffee gifts!

Originally Posted by sperkins921
Whew!! It has been a whirlwind week! How so many of you host family for extended periods during the holidays I'll never know. LOL. I love them, miss them already, but thank the heavens they're gone and I can go back to my typical routines.

First, I want to thank all my Santas. At least two of you I will hopefully be requesting next year because I need to repay the favor and thoughtfulness. This year was hard for me, I lost my mother (about 8 days from now it'll be a year), we had turnover at work, home issues, etc. I typically join in on this because I don't usually get to be with my family for the holidays- this year was the first in nearly 8 years- and the sending of joy helps a little. So thank you to all of you who were my Santas. Even though I'm late- know that you put a smile on a very stressed out face on Christmas afternoon. To my Santees, I hope you all enjoyed what you received. Some of you were a bit more challenging to shop for than others because I had to educate myself about your interests first, but I truly hope everyone enjoyed what they got. I tried hard to send things I thought would be useful and that you'd enjoy.

Now, without further ado, the presents I received.

I received two Amazon Fire TV's and was humbled to open them. I put them on my list as a whim, not thinking anyone would get me one- and lo and behold I got two. I'm only showing one below b/c well, what's the point of reposting the same picture?


Next, I received a lovely box from a Santa who must've guessed based on the things on my gift list (new cycling/spin shoes, cycling gloves, a Schoshe HR monitor, etc) that I was someone who likes to break a sweat now and again. This was very perceptive. I didn't do the list that way on purpose, those were things I truly needed or wanted. I tried to make the list easy and affordable for those who were buying for me because the holidays are stressful for everyone. I don't ever want to be a burden for someone doing something nice for me. So imagine my surprise when I look inside to find a nice ornament, FR chocolates, a Ghirardelli bar (love this flavor- good job Santa), a makeup blender (I don't wear it, wonder what else I can use it for?), a wet bag for the gym (will come in handy when I travel- that last morning with wet bathing suits was always a challenge ), and microfiber sweat towels. I was in awe. I actually used one of the towels this morning on my Peloton (that was my gift to myself this year- hence the aforementioned requests on my wish list) and it was SO SOFT. I use them on my car, but have never had one for me. Oh! I nearly forgot! This box had a lovely Hallmark card inside!!


Next, I got two boxes from someone who revealed themselves in the card they sent but I'll keep them anonymous. Thank you so much for the gifts Santa! One box was a cold brew coffee pitcher (I think from my wish list?) that arrived first. I think the next day I got the coffee beans. I believe these were the first gifts to arrive. I was again humbled because I'm guessing that my Santa actually looked to see what was local-ish to me as far as coffee roasters. There are some closer, but I'm glad they didn't do those because I've had them. This was a treat because the company (Beanstock) was unknown to me. I even went back to the website several times before Christmas trying to guess what beans my Santa might've sent. I can't wait to get brewing. I have an open bag I'm working through and as soon as I'm done these are going into rotation. Santa, you picked my coffee tastes perfectly! Thank you! (FT cut the top of the pic off- the top two are Black fish creek a robust blend on the left and a bold blend called Cape Beach Blend on the right)



My 5th gift was from another very very thoughtful Santa, who literally gave me chills reading the gift notes they sent. Thank you so much Santa. Inside was a book I'd requested from a series someone else told me about. I don't know how Santa knew, but they picked my fave villain of the four (it's a tie with the evil queen but miss Maleficent edges her out a skooch). That alone just touched me. Then, there was a Japanese phrasebook. Japan and Hawaii are my favorite places on earth. And while I haven't been as many places as most of you- I've seen my fare share of places. I would be in Japan right now if I could. But, I don't have any immediate travel planned anywhere for next year. I just mentioned in my 'about me' that I was hoping to get back to Tokyo in 2019. So thanks again Santa- I appreciate it. I also got a box of Godiva (yummy yummy for the tummy!) signature truffles from this Santa. And lastly, a pair of cycling gloves. I think they were on my WL, but I can't remember. What gave me chills is the note on one of the gifts. I'll post a close up below. I have NO idea what's coming, but I'll be sure to post when it arrives.



SPerkins921-I am just catching up on Flyertalk now after the holiday business. I am so sorry about your Mom and about the rough year. Hope that in light of the snows blanketing New England today that the coffee brought some wamrth into your home!
BXIAN is offline  
Old Jan 5, 2018, 7:26 pm
  #637  
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: PHX
Programs: Whatever you have, I have too.
Posts: 377
I'm not sure if this idea would gain any traction, but I think it would be great fun for Flyertalkers to participate in a Secret Santa Christmas in July version. What would it take to make that happen?
Tpa-flyer is offline  
Old Jan 6, 2018, 7:02 pm
  #638  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: North Pole
Programs: Santa's Workshop
Posts: 104
Originally Posted by Tpa-flyer
I'm not sure if this idea would gain any traction, but I think it would be great fun for Flyertalkers to participate in a Secret Santa Christmas in July version. What would it take to make that happen?
In my men's club, we have a saying, the person that comes up with the idea....
HeadElf53 is offline  
Old Jan 7, 2018, 10:43 pm
  #639  
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: MidSouth
Programs: AA; Delta GM
Posts: 728
Originally Posted by wharvey
Chief Santa Update:

I still have a number of you who are not responding to my private messages.

Please take the time to respond to me ASAP or I will assume you received all your gifts.

It does look like I will need a few people to step up and help out again. I will, of course, take a few delinquents even though I do not send/receive any gifts during this season... but could use some help. Message me if you are willing to help and let me know if you would be open to shipping outside the US.

William

Just double checking to see if you still need volunteers.
aquamarinesteph is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2018, 10:12 am
  #640  
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: PHX
Programs: Whatever you have, I have too.
Posts: 377
Originally Posted by HeadElf53
In my men's club, we have a saying, the person that comes up with the idea....
Lol! I see your point, and while amused, my friendly reply is, uh, no.
Tpa-flyer is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2018, 11:16 am
  #641  
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: OH
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, Marriot Lifetime Gold
Posts: 9,523
Originally Posted by aquamarinesteph
Just double checking to see if you still need volunteers.

He doesn't keep up on this thread. You should PM him if you are volunteering. He got me the volunteer assignment within hours of my PM
aquamarinesteph likes this.
Redhead is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2018, 11:24 am
  #642  
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: MidSouth
Programs: AA; Delta GM
Posts: 728
Originally Posted by Redhead
He doesn't keep up on this thread. You should PM him if you are volunteering. He got me the volunteer assignment within hours of my PM
Thanks for letting me know!
aquamarinesteph is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2018, 2:19 pm
  #643  
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 4,725
I have no idea if one of my Santees received her gifts. Amazon said they delivered, the Post Office said they delivered, but she's never posted!

I'll keep checking back here in case she gets the hint...
CDTraveler is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2018, 3:08 pm
  #644  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: The Indo Jungle
Programs: AA EXP, IHG Spire
Posts: 1,319
Received a motorcycle lamp and a national parks monopoly game. Kids will love it. Thanks!
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Old Jan 9, 2018, 1:29 am
  #645  
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: ROM
Programs: BA Silver, UA, DL Gold, HH Gold
Posts: 321
Thanks to my Secret Santas.

I received a beautiful oil painting from my SS in Limerick, and a couple pictures, which I assume come from my second SS.

All three pieces adorn my apartment now.
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