A couple of years ago (I think) members of RYL were asked if they were willing/able to donate some money to a christmas tombola. There were big prizes, medium prizes and small prizes.
The aim was meant to be that everyone who entered themselves or were entered by other members got something to open on christmas day as christmas is a lonely time for many people and to have something to open, big or small, meant a lot.
Does anyone else back bringing this idea back to life?
I realise that the mods would have to do the work and they are busy as it is so hearing from mods too would be vital.
At the moment it's just an idea.
GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE
THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN
AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
I quite like this idea - knowing that I will be alone on christmas and unable to spend it with family.
However perhaps a secret santa would be easier to organise?
Secret Santa with a 'no more than £5 value'?, someone could set up a chain/list of members by [insert date where postage should all work via country to country] and then people could PM the member after them [last member on list PM's first] with addresses so only one member knows said persons address [in theory, this is the internet, yadda yadda].
Members could state preference [due to cost of postage] for a member within their own country and some people could post further afield..
More ideas?
Level of interest?
Edit... Is that how secret santa works Dave?! I realise I dont actually know!
*hugs KatyDave* I'm sad that you will be alone at Christmas :'(
I would be happy to organise a secret Santa; I could start a thread in GC with information and for people to ask questions, and then people could sign up via PM, then I could do a super-duper algorithm and sort it out.
So yeah, I'm happy to organise it, if people want me to? Guess a mod will need to approve the idea, oui? But unless they wanted to, all the organisation could be done by someone else.
*casually promotes the secret santa thing*
^because lots of us doing a little thing is easier than one main person doing all of the posting and shizzle. Given the current, errr, circumstances, it might be difficult to set up the postage fund thing this time?
I don't want to sound like the Grinch, but last year's CT secret santa had loads of problems with people not receiving gifts, to the point that it still wasn't sorted in about May/June.
I think it's a fab idea in principle, but that we need to be super careful that people do post stuff on/gain proof of postage, so that it doesn't end up being fab for some people and a bit rubbish for others.
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Make us all feel wonderful. We'll never forget."
I would be open to help a tombola or secret santa as was the second suggestion.
I think the best way is for names to be put forward, piled by country and pairs of people being randomly picked or else you run the risk of friends buying for their friends which they probably would have anyway.
This would stop favourtism, ensure everyone got a gift and wasn't lonely this christmas time and it would keep the situation more monitored.
i re-iterate that I am happy to help with this process, organise it and make it work! All santa's helpers welcome though :)
GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE
THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN
AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
One way would be for all nominaters and nominees (is that a word?) to PM say, for example, me with their name or nominated name but also too add all those they get on very well with/are friends with. I could (with santa's helpers) pair people up, PM them with the name and sex of the other person then it would be their responsibility to swap addresses and post each other a up to £5 xmas gift.
GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE
THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN
AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
The mods did a secret santa last year, and the way it worked was everyone who was interested in being involved said so in the thread, and then also said which country there would like the person they had to be in (for postage costs).
Once all the names were in one person who had volunteered randomly assigned a name to each person (by pulling names out of a hat or some such idea) and notified each person which name they had, and thus the person they were buying for. So it wasn't a direct present swap between 2 people if you see what I mean.
For the addresses, we all sent our addresses to the person assigning the names, and she sent them out to the right people. So for example, I only ever saw the one address, and it was the one for the person I had been assigned, and only 2 people would have seen my address, the person doing the sorting, and the person who got my name.
We also posted in the thread a bit about our favourite things, for example I said I love elephants and my favourite colour is blue, and i'm a chocoholic. Thus I ended up with a little blue elephant incense holder and a bar of 'Emergency' Chocolate. And still don't know who my secret santa was!!!
Anyways :) thats jsut how we mods did it last year, and I know it worked pretty well then.
I don't want to sound like the Grinch, but last year's CT secret santa had loads of problems with people not receiving gifts, to the point that it still wasn't sorted in about May/June.
I think it's a fab idea in principle, but that we need to be super careful that people do post stuff on/gain proof of postage, so that it doesn't end up being fab for some people and a bit rubbish for others.
The mods did a secret santa last year, and the way it worked was everyone who was interested in being involved said so in the thread, and then also said which country there would like the person they had to be in (for postage costs).
Once all the names were in one person who had volunteered randomly assigned a name to each person (by pulling names out of a hat or some such idea) and notified each person which name they had, and thus the person they were buying for. So it wasn't a direct present swap between 2 people if you see what I mean.
For the addresses, we all sent our addresses to the person assigning the names, and she sent them out to the right people. So for example, I only ever saw the one address, and it was the one for the person I had been assigned, and only 2 people would have seen my address, the person doing the sorting, and the person who got my name.
We also posted in the thread a bit about our favourite things, for example I said I love elephants and my favourite colour is blue, and i'm a chocoholic. Thus I ended up with a little blue elephant incense holder and a bar of 'Emergency' Chocolate. And still don't know who my secret santa was!!!
Anyways :) thats jsut how we mods did it last year, and I know it worked pretty well then.
sounds sensible
GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE
THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN
AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
By the way, I thought of something else too. I never knew you had something similar thing happen last christmas because I almost never go to the sites further up the list. I'm mainly on the SH forum or ED forum so if something was to go ahead it might be nice to stick up a thread in each site (and others obviously) to let people know whats happening.
It will save on getting left out like I was. I only know about this one coz I started the thread!!!!!!
GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE
THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN
AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
I don't want to sound like the Grinch, but last year's CT secret santa had loads of problems with people not receiving gifts, to the point that it still wasn't sorted in about May/June.
I think it's a fab idea in principle, but that we need to be super careful that people do post stuff on/gain proof of postage, so that it doesn't end up being fab for some people and a bit rubbish for others.
this.
DILLIGAF
"it’s when you’re acting selflessly, that you are at your bravest"
- Four.
♥
Positivity and a sprinkling of christmas blessings!
Yes, but that doesn't make the world go around.
You'd think that with people on the CT they'd be slightly more likely to actually send things or get proof of postage. We did allow for the postal nightmare that was the snow, and everyone seemed happy to accept that. However, for someone to not get something until March, if at all, is hardly making it a happy Christmas.
