BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight

Subject: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 01 Jan 02 - 10:00 PM

We really need to start another thread. Don't forget, I'm taking names of people who have promised pictures. (and I'm not above embarrassing you a bit if those pictures don't arrive!)

Read some of those names at the end of Part Seven here.

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: 53
Date: 01 Jan 02 - 10:06 PM

santa is already gone home to the north pole, so why don't you let hime rest on the threads. BOB

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 02 Jan 02 - 11:38 AM

Naw, he's still delivering stuff -- it was a very busy year. And I've had assurances he'll get to me any day now. ;-)

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: SINSULL
Date: 02 Jan 02 - 12:41 PM

Obviously, Linn, he saved the best for last.

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 02 Jan 02 - 03:00 PM

And some few of us are still very interested in following this thing until it's done done done!

;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 02 Jan 02 - 04:46 PM

The show isn't over until the fat lady has posted her parcel again!!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Blackcatter
Date: 02 Jan 02 - 05:42 PM

Amen - this was a lot of fun and if people still have stuff to say - then, by all means...

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Helen
Date: 02 Jan 02 - 06:18 PM

My snail is still slowly swimming over from the U.S. You wouldn't want to abandon the poor dogged little critter would you, after all its hard work. It's probably swimming into Sydney Harbour as I type. Then it has to edge it's way over to Central Station and catch a train to Newcastle. Then it will have to catch a bus. Luckily it's only a short slimy stroll across the road from the bus stop to my place.

I haven't figured out how it's going to manage to hop up onto the train and the bus, but I'm sure it's had plenty of time to think of something.

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: MMario
Date: 02 Jan 02 - 06:44 PM

Don't worry Helen - snails can climb vertical surfaces - so it should be able to get on both the train and the bus.

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: GUEST,Helen's
Date: 02 Jan 02 - 07:53 PM

I'm beginning to think the snail sank! I mailed it, I really did!

Is Helen the only one waiting?

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: 53
Date: 02 Jan 02 - 09:17 PM

naw i still say he's gone to the north pole for the year. BOB

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Helen
Date: 02 Jan 02 - 10:38 PM

MMario - how long do you think the bus/train will stand still?

My SS - don't worry. You said that you were told 6-8 weeks. That was November 20. This is day 44 out of a possible 56 days. Still well within deadline.

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 03 Jan 02 - 10:30 AM

So, is it Helen and me, then, still waiting? Anyone else?

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: CapriUni
Date: 03 Jan 02 - 10:57 AM

and me...

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Peg
Date: 03 Jan 02 - 11:13 AM

I have not really been following these threads (I got my package way back in early December from Helen in Australia; great selection of stuff!) and so wanted to reply to the last one to SINSULL; you are most welcome and I am glad you liked the prezzies! I was terribly busy before the holiday and believe it or not I simply could not get to the post office until Christmas Eve while en route to visit my family. It did not occur to me that putting nice-smelling stuff in the box (the soap, incense and rosebuds) might make the package more likely to receive scrutiny--duh.

There was a long line at the post office in Albany (halfway between my home and my destination) and people were being patient and the staff were being ultra-accomodating. At one point I tried to lead the waiting customers in a round of applause for the postal staff, working their butts off on Christmas eve; several of them even joined in half-heartedly!

Anyway thanks to Clinton and Mary and all who kept this going, it shall surely be a yearly tradition now!

Happy January,

peg

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Mrrzy
Date: 08 Jan 02 - 10:50 AM

I'm finally back and thank you THANK YOU THANK YOU for the beautiful gloves and the history to go along with them! I didn't even know you were a Native... and I needed winter gloves, too! They are gorgeous and with luck will last longer than my other gloves, I rather do tend to lose them... but I'll hang onto these, and thanks again!

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 01:08 AM

when is twelth night and can Santa come twelve times?

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: CapriUni
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 01:19 AM

Twelfth night was on January 6th, Guest... But some of us may continue celebrating until Candlemas (February 2nd)

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: SharonA
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 10:02 AM

Why stop then? ;^)

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: MMario
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 10:34 AM

I always have figgured you really aren't overcelebrating Christmas until Good Friday.

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Kim C
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 10:44 AM

I leave all my stuff up until Twelfth Night, except for my ceramic Santas that my friend painted for me. They are just too pretty to go back in the box - I like to have them out where I can look at them. And some other friends of mine have a great Santa collection they keep out all year.

But MMario, since Christmas and Easter are related, why stop at Good Friday? ;-)

Mary, I should have a picture this afternoon.

Let me say again, this was a WHOLE lot of fun. I had a great time putting together the gift that I sent, and I have really enjoyed the gift I received. Golly gee, I can't wait till next year!

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: SharonA
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 12:14 PM

Hmmm... I don't suppose there's such a thing as a Secret Summer Solstice-man exchange... *G* ...so I guess we'll have to wait!

I'm of the same mind-set as your friend, Kim; I left up some of my figurines up all year in 2001! My usual routine is that the Christmas-and-winter decor stays up till spring (supplemented by a few Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day door decorations), then the Easter-and-spring stuff stays up till after midsummer, when it's time to start thinking about the autumn-and-Halloween-and-Thanksgiving decorations. Summer doesn't get its own collection of "stuff" (except for a few red-white-and-blue items for Memorial Day and Independence Day – again, door decorations). Fortunately, my current apartment has two doors to decorate, plus a door between them in the hallway!

Sharon

P.S> – I received a very nice PM from Sarah the Flute this week, saying that she's glad I like the prezzies from her, and that "Life is worthless without a pair of Marigolds!!!" I couldn't agree more!

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Mrrzy
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 12:37 PM

GUEST, I'd say that would depend on whether there were 12 different participants... vive l'effet Coolidge!

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: SharonA
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 05:10 PM

Mrrzy and GUEST: Well, why did you think he's a right jolly old elf?!?

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 05:17 PM

Heh... speaking of how long... we had to do a right rat-bastard, scrooge thing this year... we had to take our tree down X-mas DAY!! LOL!!!

It's was unseasonably warm in Windsor this year, so when we bought our tree (went real this year, cause I'm sick to death of plastic CRAP!) we bought it too soon, and it wasn't frozen... so by Xmas day, the poor thing was loosing needles faster than I'm losing hair!!

In addition to that, we knew my moms X-mas gift was gonna get spent the next day on a new entertainment centre, that quite frankly, was not gonna leave ANY room for the tree anyway...

I do have pics of it though... with it's festive skull on top, and it's Santa Alien hanging on it...

;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Steve in Idaho
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 05:33 PM

Mrrzy - I'm only Indian by adoption. I'm a white guy that spent a lot of time on the res and was adopted into the Shoshone/Paiute Warriors Group. I'm glad you liked the gloves - the smell from the smoke tanning takes a while to go away - but they are tough! They were made by Grandmother Bit, now deceased, who was one of the original people to come onto the res.

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Helen
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 06:15 PM

Well, yesterday morning I went to check my Post Office box, and there it was, the note to tell me I had a parcel waiting for me.

My Secret Santa present!!!

I waited a whole two hours - while I was rushing around doing work-related stuff - and brought it home so that I could open it with hubby. But he upstaged me by buying a powerboat (fer Chrissakes! I've waited 51 days for my SS present and he goes and upstages me and gets all excited about a damn boat. Grrr!)

Anyway, gee Barbara thanks for the marrowbones. Just what I didn't know I needed. (Just kidding!) Some Turkey Joints, which are choc-filled candy things which look like marrowbones but taste really yummy.

Barbara enclosed a map of New York State, with an "X marks the spot" of where she lives. I looked up where the parents of a friend of mine lives, too. Wow. All the places in New York and NY,NY that I have heard of, read about, seen in movies or on TV, and now I can find out where they all are. I love it!

And then there is a lovely bottle of Maple Syrup, made where Barbara lives, and a jar of something else I have never ever heard of: maple cream. I'll need some guidance on the best way to use that, but I'm already totally clued up on maple syrup. I love it. Pancakes, bacon with corn fritters, ice cream, etc etc.

I'll take a photo today and get the film developed this week (luckily I am near the end of the roll, otherwise it could take months to get to the developing stage). I'll scan it and send it off to Mary ASAP.

Thank you very much, Barbara, for making my Christmas complete. I'll think of you whenever I taste the goodies or look at the map.

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Helen
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 11:01 PM

Lucky I didn't take that photo. Because, wait, there's more!

I went to town again but nearly forgot to check my PO box. I thought it wouldn't matter if I waited until Monday, but something made me walk all the way back there again.

And, to my complete surprise there was another Secret Santa parcel. I opened it when I got to the car. Couldn't wait this time, no way!

Inside was a beautiful card from Barbara, now identified as "Burke". And a package of maple sugar. AND a Sacred Harp CD with Barbara singing on at least one of the tracks. Wonderful! I've wondered about Sacred Harp ever since hearing about it years ago when I first got on the Internet and joined the harp e-mail list.

But wait, there is even still more. A Sacred Harp book of words and music. I've just had a quick taste of listening to the CD and reading the words and music to each song.

This is heaven on a stick.

I was crying when I got the package, and then when I read the card which said part of the present was a Sacred Harp CD, I ws crying more, and *then* when I opened the wrappings on the book - well, what can I say.

Multiply my previous thanks to an infinite number, and then add some.

[And now I feel terrible for blaspheming in my previous post - after listening to that sacred music.]

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Blackcatter
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 11:18 PM

Maple cream ... isn't that for elks with a rash?

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 10 Jan 02 - 11:28 PM

You folks are all sooo cool!

;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Burke
Date: 14 Jan 02 - 06:02 PM

Helen, glad you like it.

I was starting to worry you would not want the Sacred Harp stuff so I'm glad you're interested.

I'm not sure what to do with Maple cream either. Probably just spread it on anything you're inclined to want something sweet on. Maybe instead of jam on toast. It's very sweet, so spread it thin.

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: SharonA
Date: 14 Jan 02 - 06:12 PM

A bit of info is here: maplecream.com

Subject: RE: BS: Secret Santa -- Part Eight
From: Steve in Idaho
Date: 19 Jan 02 - 02:18 PM

Amergin was my SS!! I received three lovely books! All in my favorite subject areas. "Tall tales from the Rogue River" by Hathaway Jones, "Wildmen, Wobblies, & Whistle Punks" by Stewart Holbrook, who is a legend in the Northwest, and one on the Aborigines of Australia. And the Card was superb - What a cool deal - Thanks so much Amergin - Brightened up my day *BG*

Steve