(Topic ID: 281702)

Official 2020 Pinside Secret Santa Participants Thread

By LesManley

3 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 1,554 posts
  • 168 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 2 years ago by Fezmid
  • Topic is favorited by 69 Pinsiders

You

Linked Games

No games have been linked to this topic.

    Topic Gallery

    View topic image gallery

    90261AA8-3CD9-4681-9304-8E74526B6050 (resized).jpeg
    keep-calm-santa-is-coming-soon-1 (resized).png
    B4D2E4AA-1FC3-4852-B0FF-492437BC2984 (resized).jpeg
    20210715_191433.jpg
    20210715_191352.jpg
    PXL_20210311_192154444 (resized).jpg
    PXL_20210311_192200475 (resized).jpg
    PXL_20210311_192209443 (resized).jpg
    PXL_20210228_025123212 (resized).jpg
    PXL_20210206_214817372 (resized).jpg
    PXL_20210206_214927516 (resized).jpg
    PXL_20210206_214846593 (resized).jpg
    PXL_20210206_214955228 (resized).jpg
    PXL_20210206_215101303 (resized).jpg
    PXL_20210206_215122872 (resized).jpg
    PXL_20210206_215017416 (resized).jpg

    You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider fezmid.
    Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.

    #17 3 years ago
    Quoted from grantopia:

    It's a one year subscription to the jelly of the month club!

    I wouldn't object to that. Or to https://www.universalyums.com/join

    #43 3 years ago
    Quoted from LesManley:

    Most e-mails will be coming later on tonight. I've got my son's basketball practice and then some work stuff to do, but after 9:00pm central it will be prime e-mail time.

    C'mon, where are your priorities?! Obviously volunteer pinball forum stuff should be your main job in life, definitely over family and career!!!

    #123 3 years ago

    The pickle isn't anywhere near as weird as the Caganer -- it's a Catalan (Spain) tradition where a boy is literally pooping somewhere in a traditional Nativity scene. Apparently the kid who finds the pooping figure gets extra gifts if I recall. You can buy these figures anywhere in Barcelona -- we bought a Stormtrooper pooping for my nephew. It's really..odd... but kind of cool.

    https://www.caganer.com/en/info/the-caganer-s-history-12

    #125 3 years ago
    Quoted from Fezmid:

    The pickle isn't anywhere near as weird as the Caganer -- it's a Catalan (Spain) tradition where a boy is literally pooping somewhere in a traditional Nativity scene. Apparently the kid who finds the pooping figure gets extra gifts if I recall. You can buy these figures anywhere in Barcelona -- we bought a Stormtrooper pooping for my nephew. It's really..odd... but kind of cool.
    https://www.caganer.com/en/info/the-caganer-s-history-12

    pasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).png
    #136 3 years ago

    Ordered one gift... And had another already planned from earlier. But I want to keep stalking and make it a nice Christmas, so will see what else I can come up with.

    #139 3 years ago

    Done shopping! Hope my Santee likes it!

    I received the package for my BoardGameGeek secret santee too! So have to wrap that and ship it off too! 'Tis the season!

    10
    #150 3 years ago
    Quoted from Hayfarmer:

    If its me, I likes cash$$$$$$$

    Not for me. I'd rather my Santa do some research and find something he/she thinks I'll like for $30 rather than give me a check for $100. It's about the thought for me - even if I end up not needing/wanting something (which hasn't happened in the first three years!!!), I really appreciate the effort that Santa puts into it. And I hope my Santee appreciates the thought I put into the gifts I'm buying.

    #176 3 years ago
    Quoted from Mtg381:

    I'm absolutely FLOORED by the generosity! Needless to say, I'll be passing along more than planned to my recipient. THANK YOU, Secret Santa!! Here is a pic of my NEW NEO Pin Stadium Lights installed on AIQ!!
    [quoted image]

    That's setting the bar pretty high for the rest of the season...! LOL

    #180 3 years ago
    Quoted from Mtg381:

    Someone worked some MAGIC! We were notified on Tuesday and the gift arrived Wednesday. How is that even possible?!?

    Amazon can get you things in 2 hours, so 24 hours is a lifetime.

    #187 3 years ago
    Quoted from Saltimbanco:

    Receiving something from down-under (or, from somewhere else in our Commonwealth ) is cool in itself!

    Agreed! I'd be happy with just some local snacks and non-perishable food from the area! I literally just signed up for UniersalYums.com for a year to experience snacks from around the world!

    And just noticed you're from Canada, home of Coffee Crisp, one of my faves!

    #198 3 years ago
    Quoted from LesManley:

    My gift could come tomorrow and but I am going to wait until Christmas morning. It's not my strong suit, but I'm forcing myself to have a little...

    It's not really a Secret Santa since you know who got picked for you.

    #243 3 years ago
    Quoted from grantopia:

    Glad to know I'm not the only one. This thread gives me anxiety seeing eveyone shipping!

    I have a couple things (including the big gift) but waiting on a few other smaer ones to arrive, so you arent alone!

    #258 3 years ago

    I was excited because the mailman dropped off two packages!!!!

    Then I realized they were both things I ordered for MY target. Lol

    #287 3 years ago

    I vote the 13th, but it's really up to you!

    #316 3 years ago
    Quoted from LTG:

    Love it.
    I could have made quite a list of wants. Not including a pinball machine though.
    I didn't realize people were really going all out this year.
    LTG : )

    What would be on LTG's list?

    And what's on Prada's list?

    #327 3 years ago
    Quoted from Mr_Tantrum:

    From someone who has eaten his fair share of RMO, Corn Nuts are nowhere close to that. The plain corn nuts just give you a nice crunch and a bland salty flavor. However, the BBQ, Ranch, and Chile Picante are downright awesome. I'm not a real fan of the Jalepeno. Even though I like spicy, there's something about that fake Jalepeno flavor on these and chips varieties that just doesn't do it for me.
    BTW, corn nuts are basically large roasted/fried corn kernels.

    You should try Love Corn (no joke on the name lol). Had them in London last year and have seen them in the States since. They're like gourmet corn nuts. Really good. https://lovecorn.com/

    #360 3 years ago
    Quoted from grantopia:

    Whoa! I posted yesterday not realizing there was a whole second wave of gifts coming! Several things arrived today: an amazing Dirty Donny book, the Art of Atari book, and some feline and human cat nip! This was extra awesome because it was totally unexpected and came after a long work day! Here is one of our three cats (Zelda) showing her appreciation. Thanks (again) Santa - very generous and much appreciated by both humans and felines alike this year!
    [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

    I have that Dirty Donnie book - it's awesome!

    #448 3 years ago
    Quoted from Apinjunkie:

    well we knew this was inevitable, I caved. Honestly, I've spent the last half-hour gazing into this. I received an exquisitely handcrafted, 2 in blown glass marble from my SS. As impressive as this seems in the photos, they just don't do it justice. The combination of materials and techniques in this piece are truly out-of-this-world. That pun was intended. I've been a glass blower for 25 years and can truly appreciate the craftsmanship that went into this piece. This one will end up in my studio as I can see it being a source of inspiration for my work for many years to come. Thank you SS, you really knocked it out of the park!
    [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

    WOW! As someone who has taken a few classes, but wasn't even able to make the marble round, let alone that detailed, I'm in awe! Here was my sad attempt - although it is fun and I keep it on my desk. Bonus points because it can't roll away!

    20201203_155329 (resized).jpg20201203_155329 (resized).jpg
    #451 3 years ago

    Looks like my person has to wait a little longer... Looks like the post office screwed up.

    "Package routed to wrong post office. Package will be transferred to correct post office for delivery."

    I'm still hoping to get it, wrap and, and ship it off by this weekend, fingers crossed.

    #557 3 years ago

    I'm jealous of all of these mini machines! My parents ordered a mini T2 because that was my first machine, but after 6 months and no responses, they had to reverse the charge and I never got it.

    10
    #561 3 years ago
    Quoted from dnapac:

    I feel the pain of the delays. My person only lives 1.5 hours away and the package has been delayed for days. Gonna have to watch closely. This SS doesn’t want someone going without. Giving is the best part, and Santa may need a backup plan. To all those that got their gifts...loving the pictures. Best part of 2020!

    If my Santa is watching -- don't stress out if it takes awhile to get the stuff. If I end up getting it a little late, as long as you tell John what's going on, I won't mind - and I don't think many people will. The anticipation makes it more fun.

    #604 3 years ago

    Sent my person the package via UPS to avoid the USPS fiasco. Hopefully it gets there soon!

    #639 3 years ago
    Quoted from Jimmyhonda:

    That’s always a good measuring stick. If u would like it, chances are your recipient will. Good call!

    During the first Secret Santa, for one of the items I bought, I picked up two - so I could keep one. It's still sitting in my theater as a decoration. (I gave a clue if my recipient is still following along from nearly half a decade ago ).

    #744 3 years ago
    Quoted from Phat_Jay:

    Just checked the package i sent out on monday.... hasnt left the state yet
    $23 for priority and they cant get it out the state in 5 full days....

    We sent a bunch of packages from MN to your area (family), via UPS ground, and they were all delivered 24 hours later. Post office is floundering.

    #786 3 years ago
    Quoted from 2Kaulitz:

    unfortunately all items i ordered 2 weeks ago for my secret santa plus other things for me still have not come. All the mail tracking says (In Transit, Arriving Late) So i only have a few more days till 18th to get them shipped. I may have to just grab a giftcard send it :/ Any suggestions ?

    Send the tracking info to John and ask him to tell your SS that things are late through no fault of yourself.

    I would personally be disappointed at a gift card and would rather wait until after Christmas for a real gift, as long as I knew it was coming. My 2 cents anyway.

    #802 3 years ago
    Quoted from Asylum:

    . Very thought out letter with info for each of the 4 gift's. to the gifts!

    In the rush to send out my SS package I forgot to write a letter like I usually do.

    #870 3 years ago
    Quoted from LTG:

    While I haven't participated in the Secret Santa since the first year. It seems my dog Prada did this year.
    She is sound asleep right now, so she asked me to give a big thank you to her Secret Santa and that she'll post pictures on Christmas when she opens it.
    LTG : )
    [quoted image]

    You sure she didn't place an order and just pretend it was part of the Secret Santa program? Better check your credit card statement!

    #948 3 years ago
    Quoted from LTG:

    When Jessica Rabbit is singing in the night club. If your player lets you do it. Step through her act one scene at a time. There are some nude shots of Jessica Rabbit intertwined with the clothed shots.
    Or so I'm told.
    LTG : )

    Interesting! https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-17-ca-35396-story.html

    17
    #996 3 years ago

    Just got my Secret Santa gifts today, along with a nice letter (reminding me that I forgot to put one on the box I sent ). So excited because I never get surprises, and now I have FIVE of them!

    I'm saving four of them for Christmas but decided to open the small one that rattled. I thought it might be a keychain or something similar and was shocked to see it's two, five-hour play cards for St. Paul Tap or Hudson Tap, along with a couple of Tilt (in Minneapolis) commemorative tokens! I've never been to St. Paul Tap, but I've been to Hudson Tap - my daughter reminded me that's where she got the ball stuck in JP lol. I also work downtown St. Paul (when the office opens again), so this is awesome and really surprised me! Thanks, Secret Santa! It's hard to wait for Christmas but I like being surprised so I'm going to hold out.

    The wrapping paper is awesome and I wonder if that's a clue because I just bought AIQLE a couple weeks ago, or if it's just a coincidence...

    20201221_142014 (resized).jpg20201221_142014 (resized).jpg20201221_142402 (resized).jpg20201221_142402 (resized).jpg

    Edit: Just noticed my SS is from Denver... Hope their house wasn't too sad after Buffalo won this past weekend! #BillsMafia

    #1028 3 years ago
    Quoted from Jawa:

    My secret santa box arrived today! [quoted image]
    I have no patience so they stayed wrapped only long enough to take the picture.
    [quoted image]
    I got a cool pop up pinball machine card, a neat new board game to try (which I've never played but have wanted to) and an awesome autographed picture of Yori for our Tron collection.
    Thank you Pin Santa, and thanks Les for organizing this.

    Oh my wife and I love that game! And if you end up liking that one, you might want to look at Mansions of Madness! It's overtaken Betrayal as our favorite I think.

    #1052 3 years ago
    Quoted from Pahuffman:

    What's weird is that some things are delayed and others aren't. I'm guessing it has a lot to do with where the package originates. I have things stuck in Cali but packages from Marco in SC came without issue.

    I don't know. I had a package from California shipped on November 30. Took a little over a week to get to Minnesota. Then it went to the wrong suburb. Then nah to the right suburb. Then to Massachusetts for some reason.... where it had been sitting since Dec 11. So lots of chances for issues between points A and B...

    All this while UPS, FedEx, and Amazon seem to have little trouble moving packages around...

    #1094 3 years ago
    Quoted from Atari_Daze:

    The SS bar has been raised pretty high this year, am I the only one thinking how I can top myself next year?
    Anyone already start shopping for 2021 yet? I'm looking for ideas.

    Not just you. In fact I thought I did well this year, but now I'm feeling like I should've done more! Not that it's a competition or anything, but it is fun picking out gifts for others.

    #1097 3 years ago
    Quoted from Elix72:

    They’re even better dipped in Hidden Valley Ranch dip.

    I knew immediately after reading this that you were from the midwest - and sure enough, Muskego, WI! Why do people here put ranch on almost everything? Blech! (I'm not originally from here ).

    27
    #1179 3 years ago

    So we opened gifts as a family this morning and my SS did an awesome job! In addition to the two 5-hour play cards to St. Paul/Hudson Tap I mentioned before, I also got a couple of new board games to play during quarantine - Game of Thrones and Doctor Who - as well as three movies to watch in my theater! (Distrixt 9, Chappie, and Elysium). On top of that, I got some Stern swag - mostly game posters, but also a GoT promo sticker! I feel like my SS is telling me to buy a Game of Thrones pin now....!

    Thank for so much! It's awesome getting cool gifts that I dodnt ask for - brings back the magic of Christmas for me. (I also had more gifts than my daughter because of the Pinside SS and the BoardGameGeek SS, so that was fun! Lol)

    20201224_100243 (resized).jpg20201224_100243 (resized).jpg
    27
    #1180 3 years ago

    Also want to give a huge shout-out to @saltimbanco. I made a comment in this thread that I loved Coffee Crisp and was sad you can't get it in the States. He sent me a PM offering to send me some. I opened the package this morning and it's an entire CASE of them! Yum! There are a lot of awesome people in the world. Thank you.

    My cats thank you too - we haven't been able to throw the box away because the three of them literally take turns sleeping in it and get mad when we take it offb the table! Lol
    20201222_132201 (resized).jpg20201222_132201 (resized).jpg

    20201224_101514 (resized).jpg20201224_101514 (resized).jpg
    #1187 3 years ago
    Quoted from dirkdiggler:

    Not often I eat chocolate bars but Coffee Crisp is my favorite. Throw a couple in the freezer. So good. Them and Kit Kats frozen are my go to's

    Oooh, I've never tried that before -- will do that, thanks for the suggestion!

    #1216 3 years ago
    Quoted from fosaisu:

    And now for the final four, packages 13-16. We start off with a sweet Star Wars LED night-light set (with interchangeable ships, the Falcon is picture). Then another unbelievable custom T of Walter as Santa -- I'll be rocking that tomorrow around the tree! Day 15 brought decals for the pingulps on each of my five games (the attention to detail on these is again something else, there are alternate designs for a few of them, and this was some solid Pinside stalking to find my past pingulp posts and figure I've got them installed). And then Day 16, with an incredibly generous $100 giftcard to Pinball Life.
    My Secret Santa went so far above and beyond that I'm really at a loss for words. All I can say is thank you for all of the fun I've had opening these, and all the fun I'll have using them! I like to think I've been a pretty good Secret Santa myself the last few years, but you've encouraged me to up my game.
    And Merry Christmas!
    [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

    Huh, are those decals and the santa shirt made with a Cricut machine? I just bought one for my wife last month and she keeps saying how she can now make a billion things - maybe it is true and she can if she learns how to use it!

    #1256 3 years ago
    Quoted from LTG:

    Prada opened her presents with a little help.
    She asked me to post a picture before she has at them. And give a big thank you to all of here Secret Santas !
    She is so excited. A purple dinosaur, lots and lots of dog treats and bully sticks. And her very own Chinchilla

    Is this the first Pinside SS Chinchilla??? Is he now the official mascot of the thread?

    #1309 3 years ago
    Quoted from mtn-:

    I love Arkanoid. First game I ever finished, 30 years ago. Tried it again a few years ago, couldnt get past level 7. This was on a MSX homecomputer though.

    Wait, you can WIN Arkanoid??? I just assumed it went on indefinitely.

    1 week later
    #1378 3 years ago
    Quoted from Gexchange:

    Ha USPS is really having trouble.. Mine shipped to me Nov 26th and its still not here.. O USPS

    I had a package ship on Nov 26th and just get here a couple of days ago... At least it arrived!

    #1397 3 years ago
    Quoted from Saltimbanco:

    A generous peasant is still generous! Maybe next year I'll get you, then we can exchange cans of maple syrup!

    If you get me next year, you'll have an easy time picking a gift! That's probably when I will finish my current stash! Lol

    2 weeks later
    #1463 3 years ago
    Quoted from LesManley:

    That said, we'd love to have you back in Lloyd. Open your gifts whenever you want and I am sure that whomever had you as their recipient would be thrilled.

    Agreed! As evidenced by the fact that you and Prada received a few gifts, even though you WEREN'T in it!

    #1473 3 years ago
    Quoted from Saltimbanco:

    There's a thread right there: Pinsiders' partners. So husbands/wives get to exchange on how best they can support us, lol
    I'm lucky enough that my girlfriend loves arcades and pins! Thou, she has no idea about how much the hobby costs!! Don't tell!

    My wife knows how much it costs and doesn't mind. I don't hide the prices from her. She almost never plays either, but realizes I enjoy it.

    However I think her new Cricut hobby might end up costing more than my pins... Holy buckets, are the supplies expensive!

    #1476 3 years ago
    Quoted from undrdog:

    But she can make you new plastics with it!

    Really? All she's done is make a few cards so far... I joked that so far each card cost us about $400.

    #1482 3 years ago
    Quoted from Atari_Daze:

    This thread may give you some crazy ideas what to have her do with it, similar product:
    https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/silhouette-cameo-pinball-restorers-club

    Thanks!

    #1484 3 years ago
    Quoted from Haymaker:

    Ooooo I want to try that extra hot

    There's a local place (MN) that makes the BEST BBQ sauce... His name's Chef Earl, and he makes this one sauce that has Trinidad Scorpion Peppers in it. So good.... It's pretty expensive though. https://www.facebook.com/Chef-Earls-BBQ-957386874289857/

    #1487 3 years ago
    Quoted from Saltimbanco:

    Actually, I'd order some modded pinball themed best wishes cards if there were such things! Could be game specific, themed (Xmas, thank-you cards, Halloween), joke cards, etc. I'm thinking of a few joke Valentine's explaining how a guy can also love his pins! (But won't pay $400 per card!!)
    Anyhow, seems your wife could do even more with that Cricut! A hobby to bring her into your's! Lol

    Hmm, that's a very interesting idea! I'll have to come up with an idea of how to pitch this to her...

    #1494 3 years ago
    Quoted from Haymaker:

    my butthole is made from old football helmet leather, so it would have no effect on me. Gimmie all the hot stuff!

    I'm from Buffalo, and still remember eating wings when I was 5 or 6, so... Yeah, I'm good.

    5 months later
    #1529 2 years ago
    Quoted from LesManley:

    I start shopping right after Christmas. Usually have a nice stash of fun stuff picked up at great prices that I squirrel away for the next Secret Santa.

    Yeah, well. I started shopping two years ago...!

    1 month later
    2 months later
    #1554 2 years ago

    Bump for those monitoring this thread for the 2021 version.

    You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider fezmid.
    Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.

    Reply

    Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

    Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

    Donate to Pinside

    Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


    This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/official-2020-pinside-secret-santa-participants-thread?tu=fezmid and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

    Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.