This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/geocaching by /u/veryniiiice on 2024-11-08 14:50:44+00:00.
Welcome
Welcome to the 2024 edition of the r/geocaching Secret Santa gift exchange. I took over running this exchange in 2017, and now we are on to year number 8. If you’ve joined us in the past, everything remains largely the same. If you haven’t participated in years past, please consider joining us. Be sure to read the information summarized below before proceeding to the sign up form.
Who can join?
Anyone! Well, almost anyone. The two requirements to join are you’re a Redditor and a Geocacher! We are inclusive of cachers around the world and from caches that have been at it a month to cachers that started in 2000. The only way you can be excluded from the Secret Santa is if you’ve been blacklisted from a prior r/geocaching Secret Santa exchange OR if your Geocaching.com account was created after 10/1/2024.
Any changes?
The last few years have been going quite smooth and I don’t feel that there are any strong reasons to implement any changes.
How does it work?
Signups open on 11/8 this year and remain open for 4 weeks. I collect all the necessary data for all interested parties, then match each person up with a Secret Santa. Your Secret Santa will send you a geocaching-related present valued at around $25 USD, and you will do the same thing for a (most likely) different person. Signups are open and will close on Saturday, December 7th. On Sunday, December 8th, you will receive a very important email with all the information about your Secret Santa match. That email will come directly from my personal email account, so please be on the lookout for it!
**What happens after I sign up?**Randomized** matchmaking will happen via random number generator on the weekend of December 7th. Matchmaking will take your country of residence into account first. US senders will receive US matches, Canadian senders will receive a Canadian match, etc. If you are not from the US or Canada, I would strongly encourage you to mark "yes" to the question about international mailings. In the past, we have typically welcomed a half dozen or so international players, mostly from the EU. Those players generally have to send their gift outside their home country. If you mark "no", and a match is not made in your country, you will not be matched with a Secret Santa sender to send you a gift, nor will you have a recipient to send a gift to. (If this happens, you’ll be notified).
And then? Utilize your match’s provided information to curate a geocaching gift for them. I encourage everyone to glean whatever info available from their Reddit and/or Geocaching profile to help make the gift tailored to them specifically. Please make a note of the tracking number of your shipment and have it available if necessary. Then, wait for your Secret Santa gift to arrive! You have the option of curating the package yourself, or you can curate a gift using a third party vendor (official HQ shop, Space Coast, Cache Advance, etc.)
Be creative people! We have had some amazing stories come out of this! Recipients have received cryptic packages of numbered parcels with instructions, we've seen custom containers, even first-to-finds have been placed for recipients to find!
Be aware that we've had complaints over the years about gift valuation. If you can't afford to send a $25 gift, please don't sign up. You will certainly spend a few more dollars shipping your items. We’re not necessarily asking you to spend $25 on your gift, the items can be home-crafted, from an existing collection, etc. but please do everything possible to ensure that you’re within the ballpark of the valuation estimate. We’ve had a few folks who feel like they’ve put in more effort, time, and money than they’ve received.
What about my personal information?
Only two people will be privy to your personal information. Me, and the person I match you to. All the information requested is either related to the shipping of your item or information to help your match give you a great geocaching-related gift. I’ve been doing this long enough that if you don’t trust me by now, you must really be a DOOZY at the office Christmas party.
Other info:
By signing up for the 2024 r/geocaching Secret Santa, you agree that you will complete the requirements of the exchange. If you do not complete your requirements, you will be banned from any future r/geocaching Secret Santa exchanges. Please do not sign up if you cannot meet the requirements (spending $25) or the timeline. If you know you will be traveling during the holidays, decide now if you have the time to complete your end of the bargain now, or if you’re alright with using a caching-related vendor to handle your gift responsibility.
The google form is available here, and should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. If you have questions about the requirements, please reach out to me before you sign up. Once you sign up, unless you contact me before the matchmaking process or I contact you about an issue, you’re in.
TL;DR: Sign up by 12/6. Receive your match on 12/7. Create, build, buy, etc. a $25 USD gift for your match as expeditiously as possible (hopefully by 12/13). Mail to your match, then, receive a similarly-valued gift from another member of our community! Merry Christmas!!
