Secret Santa 2015

Brothers of Briar

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Carlos

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Ladies & Gentlemen, Its time!!!!

For the 'New Guys' (anyone that wasn't a Knoxer) this is BOB's eighth Secret Santa but it has a long lineage stemming from Knox Cigars old BB. It's always been a blast and sometimes been quite surprising, as some of the worst 'Grinchs' have turned out to be some of the best Santa's.

The same rules will apply this year but I will give a run down for all of you that doesn't know how it works.  And, please READ EVERYTHING.  You answer is here, as is information I need.

1. As a gift, you may send any pipe-related item and/or cigar related item. With respect to pipe tobacco, the minimum is 150 grams of tinned tobacco or eight ounces of bulk tobacco or a pre-packed sampler that many B&M smoke shops and online vendors are offering for the holidays. (Personally, one year I received several of those 2oz size Mason jars of well aged tobaccos. Packed very well. But I cannot recommend glass containers for shipping.) If you give an estate pipe, be kind enough to clean it up and sanitize the bit. Any other items, such as, lighters, pouches, racks, tampers, new pipes, or even T-shirts & hats, are good ideas. With respect to cigars, the minimum will be 3/5 quality handmade cigars or any 5 or more cigar sampler that many B&M smoke shops and online vendors are offering. Cigar related accessories such as cigar carriers, humidors, lighters, ashtrays and so on are also acceptable. Some include treats such as coffee, tea, chocolate.  Yes, you can mix and match tins and stogies if that is what you wish to give. Bear in mind this isn't a maximum, most give more than this, but from past experience I can honestly say its not what you get but what you give.  To clarify, you would only have to send three tins of say, Dunhill Nightcap, and you would have met the requirements.  Or a single 250gram package of 1792 Flake more than meets the requirements.  You do not have to send three different items.  But lets keep the free handout tabacs from the shows for ourselves.

2. With respect to tobaccos, please try to stay within the preferred category that will be provided in the e-mail you will be receiving from me. There's no sense sending a sweet aromatic to someone that usually smokes heavy latakia mixtures and vice versa. With respect to cigars, the qualifiers might be size and strength. Check the Tobacco section for reviews, or the "What are you smoking?" threads for ideas.  Some of you guys make this difficult.  If I don't get any preferences indication to pass on to your Secret Santa, and you have not commented in some of the threads that can be searched, you may truly be surprised.  That's ok.  Some of you like that.  

3. Please mail your package in time, so your recipient will receive it by Christmas. I suggest December 7th as a good target date. Factor in the heightened security that may be in place for parcels. It's best to put the real return address on the box, but you could use "Santa" as the sender's name.  My postal people are difficult about this.  Always making me follow the rules.

4. Please do not ask me to assign someone in particular to be your recipient.

5. Please use Priority mail with delivery confirmation and tracking, or UPS, fedex,dhl so the package can be traced if needed. It is okay to have your gift drop-shipped, to your recipient, from an online vendor, such as www.smokingpipes.com or your local smoke shop.

5.5 I should mention here, that the difficulties in shipping overseas make this type of activity difficult. But that does not mean that members cannot play in their own country. Take South Africa for instance. Seems to be a number of Brothers there that might be interested and know their way around the shipping problems in country. Or may wish to meet and do an exchange. I don't mind making a list and drawing names and sending that info back to you. Same for Brothers in Canada or elsewhere. But you would be entirely on your own to make it all work.

6. PLEASE, if you don't truly want to send a gift or you feel that it will be a burden on you, DO NOT SIGN UP AS A PARTICIPANT! Your name and handle may get posted on the bulletin boards as being a Grinch!  There have been a few last minutes saves in the past.  Getting a package together usually is not a problem, it is the lack of time to mail when we figure out someone is not fulfilling their promise.

7. If you do not receive anything from your appointed Santa by January 4, 2015, contact me and I will email you their name and email address, so that you can work it out with them. I Make No Guarantees and I Will Not Get Into The Middle Of Any Dispute. Sorry, but I'm just putting this event together. If you want to post their identity and that you didn't get anything from him/her, I can't stop you. This is another reason for not signing up as a participant, if you don't want to play fairly.  Because we have not done it in the past does not mean we won't in the future.  

8.) I will close registrations on November 10th. The cut-off date will allow for more time to secure your gift and to get it in the mail by December 7th. Secret Santa Events have always worked because of the trust we have in our fellow Stokers (pipe smokers). You should know that, If you become a participant, there is a chance, a very slim chance but it’s possible, that you might not receive a gift. I reserve the right to refuse to allow certain people to participate. If someone had to cover your butt in the past or you are a well known arsehat its a good chance I'm telling you NO. Merry Christmas!

9. The assignments will be totally random. To set the assignments, I will put the names and addresses on pieces of paper, put them in a hat, shake them up and have someone with no interest draw them one by one. I know it's low-tech, but it works.

10.  New members, and events beyond our control.  I have a history of allowing new players.  Sometimes that bites me in the ass and I have to scramble to get a package in the mail to cover someone.  There is not a 30 day and 30 post limit at this time to be able to take part.  But please be sure that you have the wherewithal to do so.  The excitement of a new board and Christmas giving can catch people up, but then as the family expenses mount, things get tight.  Think before you ask to sign up.  Also, things happen.  People can find themselves in a hospital and the mail date comes.  Get word to me and I can deal with it.  Discreetly.  Sometimes a package goes into never-never land.  Have a tracking number that you can give me if I ask for it so I can keep tabs on it.  We want to make it work, and when dealing with the Postal Service, we also need a bit of luck.  


If you'd like to join up now feel free to shoot me a pm containing your Real Name, address, phone number, and preferences list.  (Try to make sure you give me all this info as my PM box will be filling up, and having to ask for more info makes it fill that much quicker.)  I had to purge my inbox, sent box, save box frequently last year.  Yes, you can only have so many PM's so check all your boxes from time to time and delete some to make room.

Merry Christmas y'all.  :santa:



(Thanks to PB for the use of his rules. Modified slightly by me.)

Here are links to some past year's threads. Read and enjoy.

Secret Santa 2014

Secret Santa 2013

Secret Santa 2012

Secret Santa 2011

Secret Santa 2010
 
Keep checking here to make sure you are on the list. I check PM's and email often. Well usually. Will add as quickly as I can. :santa:


The List:

Fatman
Ocelot55
DrT999
fsu92john
jogilli
clueless
DoverPipes
nismo270r
scotties22
idbowman
beardedbassguy
AlphaWarrior
Jevverrett
MichaelM
swhipple
GrampaGrossbart
d4klutz
tslots
WarlockBob
Haebar
JPatrick
Carlos
 
Also, ontariopiper says he could coordinate a Secret Santa for you folks in the Great White North country if y'all want to do one. Let me know if that is something that can work. PM me or ontariopiper and we fill figure it out. Not hard to do, just nerve-racking trying to keep track of packages once mailed.
 
We still have time if someone wants on board. I have been busy so much promotional posts have been lacking. I may even wait a day more just because of things going on around here.

In the past I have made some attempt to make sure people did not get paired up two years in a row. But that rarely happened even with random chance. This year, Cathy has had a surgery. She's on the mend. But driving us both crazy. She's "BORED". Thank goodness for a DVR. And the Hallmark channel has started Christmas movies. I may have her do a random names draw just to give her something to do. So anything could happen! Ho Ho Ho! :santa:
 
We seem to have a good-sized group as is. I look forward to plotting! :santa:
 
I have a PM sitting in my Outbox to one of the Brothers. As soon as I hear something I will get started on this. Or sometime tomorrow. During the storms. When there is a real good chance of losing all the work we have done with a power flicker.

:lol:

Ho ho Ho! :santa:
 
I should have known it was Chris holding this big sleigh of fun up...... :roll:
 
scotties22":t02asjw4 said:
I should have known it was Chris holding this big sleigh of fun up...... :roll:

:lol:

Not him actually. I did email who I am waiting on. Hope to get a quick response.

Later
Carlos :santa:
 
:lol:

Some of youse guys tried to sign up more than once.

I will make sure my message boxes are empty and get the draw done. So look for PM's shortly. I better double check the list against my PM's. Don't want to leave anyone out. Remember, we got plenty of time, so try to wait closer to the mail date to ship. With one exception. One BoB needs an early mail date or he will have to wait until sometime in January to receive his mail. Please plan accordingly.

And be sure to PM me when you ship and a tracking number so I can see when it's been delivered. Also, if you do not post in this thread right away that you have received something, I may PM you and tell you to check the bushes next to the porch.

What out for those garbage men. (old joke :) )

Ho Ho Ho! :santa:
 
The draw is done. Expect a PM with whom you are Secret Santa for and their address. If I have any preferences, likes, dislikes, I will add that to the PM. If I received no info, you are going to have to dig though some posts for ideas. Good thing to do anyway.

I made no effort to check the past couple years Secret Santas. If you are sure you had this person last year, quickly PM me and I will arrange something if you want. Or don't worry about and it will work out over a few years. Just a lot easier than me checking lists over and over.

Have fun! Ho Ho Ho! :santa:
 
2012-x-1.jpg


The Christmas 'gater is ready to start the next season!

edit: the elf has sent my share of the 'good' list
 
I have been collecting briar scaps for an entire year......somebody is getting a big box of (s)crap! I hear it's really really good to smoke with :santa:
 
Word has it that the etailers are bringing in extra staff for the Christmas rush starting today. I guess they were waiting for Secret Santa to get started.

Ho Ho Ho! :santa:
 
scotties22":gw55fbt7 said:
I should have known it was Chris holding this big sleigh of fun up...... :roll:
9d4f893f2af7eea94141c299a81712ab.jpg" style="width: 300px;height: 374px


Got mine as well, thanks Carlos! :santa: :rendeer:
 
Natch":5vdu8d6y said:
Throw me into the fray.  I've still got some nasty-assed, overly aromatic, cheap, hot burning, mouth destroying tobacco to dump off onto some unsuspecting sot.

Natch

I just happened to have a few messages in my Outbox.  Apparently some of these guys do not check the BoB Forum 16 times a day.  So I did a little insert here and a delete there.  Create a new message.  So someone will probably have 4 or 5 Secret Santa's.  But you are in.  I think.  :lol:  


Ho Ho Ho :santa:
 
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