Secret Santa 2018 - BOB's Eleventh

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Carlos

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Ladies & Gentlemen, Its time!!!!

For the 'New Guys' (anyone that wasn't a Knoxer (Knoxville Cigar Company forum)) this is BOB's eleventh 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.  Your answer is here, as is the information, I will 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 6th as a good target date for mailing. 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.  (There are always one or two that need it early, or it will not be delivered until a week or two into January.)

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. 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 8, 2019, 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 12th during the day. The cut-off date will allow for more time to secure your gift and to get it in the mail by December 6th. 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.  (Two hats, actually.)

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.  (In September/October 2016 a First Class letter I sent went missing in the mail.  First Class never gets lost!  That lost letter took me a year and a half to replace everything.  Not counting the expense.)


If you'd like to join up now, feel free to shoot me a pm containing your Real Name & board username, 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 by me as needed.  And I seem to find a needed edit every year.)

Here are links to some past year's threads. Read and enjoy.  There can be some hints in here!

Secret Santa 2017

Secret Santa 2016

Secret Santa 2015

Secret Santa 2014

Secret Santa 2013

Secret Santa 2012

Secret Santa 2011

Secret Santa 2010

Secret Santa 2009
 
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:

scotties22
swhipple
natch
D.L.Ruth
Navyflake
glassjapan
DrT999
Ozark Wizard
GeoffC
BriarBeagle
Blackhorse
Jevverrett
SourMilk
Corncobcon
Fumus
GrampaGrossbart
jhuggett
History Prof 1861
fishnbanjo
Simple Man
Carlos


PM's caught up.  Questions hopefully answered.  If you are not listed, I did not get a PM with all the info I requested.  ;)  (Actually, I know I am gonna have to ask for more info from some of you.  But I will look around here and see if I have it from the past.)
 
I"M IN!!!!! I look forward to this all year long. :santa: :santa: :santa:
 
Woot I'm in....

And for your Halloween time, Christmas preview viewing pleasure a video from the mind of puppet master Barnaby Dixon. It's a cover the Oogie Boogie song from Nightmare before Christmas. Well worth the watch.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X9Vt3NJ-pX0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen ></iframe>
 
Sure, count me in. I just found a pound of powder dry chocolate, caramel, mint, strawberry, candy-cane cavendish that I must have accidentally dropped behind the commode in the outhouse several years ago. Dumping it on some unlucky sot works for my Grinch side. :twisted:

Natch
 
I'm in! I was the "Golden Child" last year having received the Holy Grail from Scottie!

PM forthcoming ..... can't wait.

 
:santa:  :cherry:  :santa:  :cherry:  :santa:  :cherry:  :santa:  :cherry:  :santa:  :cherry:  :santa:  :cherry:  :santa:  :cherry:  :santa:  :cherry:  :santa:  

Looking forward to crushing blessing someone with a stomping giving
Yuletide bombing present!

:santa: :cherry: :santa: :cherry: :santa: :cherry: :santa: :cherry: :santa: :cherry: :santa: :cherry: :santa: :cherry: :santa: :cherry: :santa: :cherry: :santa:
 
Natch":1me30j10 said:
Sure, count me in.  I just found a pound of powder dry chocolate, caramel, mint, strawberry, candy-cane cavendish that I must have accidentally dropped behind the commode in the outhouse several years ago. Dumping it on some unlucky sot works for my Grinch side. :twisted:

Natch
Oh, that's where that went! :santa:


(pm already sent)
 
Got a bunch of PM's. Deal with them later. Still playing catch up from my trip to FL & GA. Just doing what I got to do today.
 
Is it too late to join in on the fun? This used to be my favorite thing about BoB and I haven't participated in years. I think I need this in my life again! :D
 
Plenty of time yet. Several days, anyway. I haven't been beating the drums as I have been busy. Never seems to slow down. Managed to fit in a trip to Destin, FL and near Atlanta, GA. Been mulching leaves and getting ready for winter.

I have a dinner on the 12th. So I may wait until the morning of the 13th to start sending out who is who for Secret Santa.

:santa:
 
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