AF SECRET SANTA 2001

[Please contact Jennifer if you have any questions or wish to participate.]

Welcome to the FIFTH annual alt.fashion Secret Santa!!!!


I don't care if you INVENTED the idea of Secret Santa and have been doing this
since the first one - you MUST read this post thoroughly!  There are revisions
from the past.  If you send me a question that is already answered in this
post, I will ignore you!!  There will probably be questions I did not think of;
post them here... but PLEASE READ THESE
GUIDELINES first!!


EVEN IF YOU HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE, READ THESE GUIDELINES!

READ THESE GUIDELINES
  READ THESE GUIDELINES
    READ THESE GUIDELINES
      READ THESE GUIDELINES
        READ THESE GUIDELINES

EVEN IF YOU HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE, READ THESE GUIDELINES!


HOW DOES THE ALT.FASHION SECRET SANTA WORK?
You are paired with another alt.fashion poster.  You buy her/him a gift, and in
return, you receive a gift from a different a.f.er.  To be more specific:  You
send the organizer (me) your name, address, screen name you post with, and
email address, and I'll reply to you acknowledging that I got your info.  In a
few weeks, I'll send you the name and address of the person you'll be buying
for (your "Santee").  Mail your gift in late November/early December, and
reveal your identity in the card or on the package. When you receive YOUR gift
from your Santa, post it to the group!


CAN ANYONE PARTICIPATE?
Almost.  Unfortunately because our group has had some miserable and persistent
trolls this past year, I am forced to limit the participation in this great
event.  If you feel you are a part of the alt.fashion community, and you have
posted and contributed to the group in a positive manner in the recent past,
then you are welcome.  You don't have to be a frequent poster, or even a
"regular," but I should be able to find you via Google and/or recognize your
name (I have a *great* memory in this regard, so don't be shy if you aren't
that prolific.)  However, there are some that I will have to exclude,
including:
 -- anyone on the "bad swapper" list, or anyone who I have heard through the
grapevine as being a bad swapper (but you do NOT have to be a swapper to
participate)
 -- anyone who has never appeared on a.f. before
 -- anyone I personally hate.  Yeah, it's unfair, I know.  But, don't worry -
there are really only 2 of you.  ;-)
 -- anyone who participated in this event in the past, but intentionally burned
your Santee by not sending a gift, and never explaining why.  If that describes
you, don't even THINK about signing up this year you big jerk.


CAN YOU PAIR ME UP WITH A SPECIFIC PERSON?
Sorry, it's all done randomly.  I do double check to be sure nobody had the
same Santee as last year, and that nobody gets a Santee right across town.

I would caution those of you who have ongoing flame wars with other a.f.ers -
there is no guarantee that you won't be paired with someone you hate.  I do not
keep track of who hates whom, so if you hate your Santee, don't blame me.  And
anyone who sends a crappy gift just to be spiteful will not only never be
allowed to participate in Secret Santa again, but they'll guarantee themselves
decades of bad karma!

For those of you who worry about certain posters/trolls - don't worry.  I will
not allow any of those characters to be involved.  I will do my very best to
keep this among only good-hearted, sane, decent people.


BUT I DON'T WANT A SANTEE OUTSIDE OF MY OWN COUNTRY/MY OWN GENDER!
I will take that into consideration.  When you sign up, please indicate if you
*only* want a Santee in your own country.  If I randomly pair you with someone
in another country, I'll toss his/her name back in, and draw again until I've
found a match.  Same goes for Santees of another gender, but let's be
reasonable... don't tell me you only want a female because it's more fun to
shop for a female.  You can have fun shopping for *anyone*.  I'll do my best to
match you with Santees in the country/gender that you request, however, I
cannot promise that everyone's request will be met.  I will check with you
before I pair you with an "undesirable" Santee.


I GOT A SANTEE I DON'T KNOW AT ALL.  WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HER/HIM?
Probably not a lot.  If you get a Santee that you do not know, please don't
email me asking for info on that person.  Use Google or ask someone who seems
to know that person.


CAN I SEND YOU A LIST OF MY LIKES/DISLIKES/COLORING/WISH LIST/ETC.?
No, I can't possibly manage all that information, plus it takes away from the
fun.  A great part of this event is to do some detective work on your Santee
and find out what s/he likes.  However, if you have allergies to certain
products, I will take that information and pass it on to your Santa.  If you
still must let your Santa know what you want as a gift, you are welcome to
start a thread on alt.fashion but be warned that some a.f.ers find that tacky
(others find it helpful, it's your call).


WHAT IS AN ACCEPTABLE SECRET SANTA GIFT?
Your gift should be at least vaguely related to the subject of this newsgroup.
It should be a NEW gift, purchased explicitly for this event.
Gift-with-purchase items, swap items, or used things are NOT considered
appropriate for this event.

Many Santas in the past have thrown in samples and freebies as *extras* with
the NEW gift they purchased for this event, and that is fine.  But, keep in
mind that while some people enjoy getting gently used cosmetics, some find it
distasteful, so consider that before you toss in an extra "almost new" blush or
something.  If you KNOW your Santee is a swapper, then you are probably fine to
send samples, used but clean extras, etc.  However, it should be made VERY
clear to your Santee that the extra items ARE indeed EXTRAS (i.e., were used,
were obtained for free, something), because it will appear that you went way
over the $20 limit and as you will read below, that is taboo!

Also please note that "extras" are NOT required.  You should not feel you must
send them, and you absolutely should not feel ripped off if you don't receive
any.  The first year we did this, I was a Santa as well as organizer, and I
spent exactly $20 on a high end lip gloss and sent it in a plain box.  I didn't
realize the lengths people were going to and I felt like I had "gypped" my
Santee.  But I did not, and you will not either, if you prefer to stick to the
basics.


CAN I SEND A GIFT CERTIFICATE?
That is an acceptable gift but you should probably at least *try* to find
something fun for your Santee to unwrap.


HOW MUCH AM I SUPPOSED TO SPEND?
Please read this section carefully.  The limit is $20.  Do NOT go over this by
any significant amount.  For a lot (most) of you, the shopping part is the
meaningful part.  Also, some of you don't mind spending over the limit.  And
everyone does realize it's the thought that counts, not the dollar amount.  But
going over the $20 limit is just NOT FAIR to those Santas who *would* go over
it but *can't.*  It is especially not fair to the Santees who aren't getting a
gift of higher value.  Some people are great at finding super bargains and
deals, and can make that $20 really go far - by all means, go for it.  It's
entirely acceptable to send a brand new authentic Coach bag if you happened to
find it marked down at some insane Saks.  It's not the value of the gift, it's
the ACTUAL purchase price that matters here.  But even those of you who are
millionaires, PLEASE, keep these issues in mind.  Don't go over the limit.

Read this quote if you need more reminder why the limit is important:

 >I'd love to participate but I would have to
 > stick to the limit ( being a broke little college student, lol), and I'd
 > feel really bad if my Santee were disappointed

NO Santa should EVER feel bad for sticking to the limit (or for not including
extra goodies).  A buck or two over the limit is not the end of the world -
it's another story when you start doubling it.


DOES THE $20 LIMIT INCLUDE SHIPPING?
NO, shipping is an additional cost above the $20 gift amount.  Please take this
into consideration when deciding whether or not to sign up for Secret Santa.
It is possible - even probable - that shipping costs will be significant,
especially if you are sending a gift to another country.  It is also requested
that you send your packages INSURED, registered, certified, FedEx, whatever -
*something* in order to make them easier to track and harder to get lost
(*ESPECIALLY* if sending overseas).  It is just a few cents extra (.35?) to add
tracking to a US Mail package.  PLEASE do this, or at least strongly consider
it.


WHAT ARE THE DEADLINES?
You must sign up by November 12.  I will send you your Santee's name around
November 14.  You must send your gift by December 5 unless your Santee is in a
different country.  Then you must send your gift by November 21, but I strongly
urge you to try to send earlier if possible.  Mail delays, especially in some
non-US countries, can be horrible.


I SIGNED UP BUT CHANGED MY MIND.  CAN I QUIT?
If you have second thoughts, you are welcome to withdraw your name up until
November 12.  But after that date, I'll be pairing Santas and Santees, and you
ABSOLUTELY CANNOT withdraw then!  I realize some unforeseen emergenices crop
up, but please be mindful that when you sign up and then withdraw, it does
throw a wrench in the works.  If you really do have a tremendous emergency,
please at least try to drop me a quick email to let me know.


OKAY, I WANT TO PLAY!  HOW DO I SIGN UP?
Send me your name, snail mail address, and email address by November 12.  If
you are an infrequent or new poster, please forward me a *recent post* of yours
so I know you are an active part of this newsgroup.  DO NOT POST your
information on alt.fashion.  Send it to:
Dellapina@aol.com


WHO THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, WITH ALL THESE RULES?
I am trying to make this a successful event.  There are a LOT of guidelines and
that may turn people off, but I'm hoping that NO Santees are left gift-less
this year, and thus I must be a little stricter on the rules.  This is the
fifth year we've done this event, and for the most part it's been great, but
the Santas who don't send their gifts ruin it.  Please don't let the rules put
you off.  98% of the time, this works out really nicely for both parties.


I BET YOU'RE GOING TO PAIR YOURSELF WITH A SANTA THAT YOU *KNOW* WILL SEND YOU
SOMETHING GREAT!
No, I don't want anyone to feel funny about having me as a Santee, so I act as
organizer only.  No Santa or Santee for me.


I HAVE A QUESTION YOU DIDN'T ANSWER.
Post it here or email it.


Have fun!!


Jennifer