Halforums Secret Santa 2022

Yesterday I got a package! (sorry it took a bit to post this)
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Some delicious treats appeared!
  • Caramel corn, an always appreciated classic
  • Genuine South Carolina BBQ sauce (I’m excited to try it - I’ve always heard good things)
  • Cheese straws, weird yet tasty cheese crack/biscuit/cookie things.
  • And my personal fave, peanut brittle (I love all things peanuts)
See the stylish blue hat? That came with it too, but my daughter snatched it off the table and claimed it for herself.

Thank you @General Specific! This was awesome!
I'm so happy it all arrived intact! We sent some stuff to our favorite streaming group, LoadingReadyRun, once and it did not go well. Their hat was also much worse, so glad you liked it all! :D:D:D:heart::heart::heart:
 
Sorry Santa! I'm a little late posting this. I didn't open it until now because I thought it was a book that I bought for someone else's gift lol - tis the season :rolleyes:

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really happy to have this one again. I had lost my copy either in a move or to a borrower at some point and I never got to actually finish it!

Santa is still secret but the note indicates something else on the way? Regardless thank you so much I love it!!
 
really happy to have this one again. I had lost my copy either in a move or to a borrower at some point and I never got to actually finish it!
Oh my lord that book. If you ever want another take on a similar idea, trending a bit more towards a fairy tale than an English major's dream project, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke is excellent, too.
 
Oh my lord that book. If you ever want another take on a similar idea, trending a bit more towards a fairy tale than an English major's dream project, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke is excellent, too.
I'll check it out, thanks!
 
A suspicious box has arrived upon my doorstep!

It contains a suspicious bag! With a less suspicious tag!
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Inside the bag is another box. Oooh, embroidery starter kit!
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And in the box the juicy (actually quite dry) goodies. A fabulous kit, and one I look forward to trying! There are new stitches that I haven't done before, so that will be interesting.
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Thank you Santa! This will absolutely be used and enjoyed!
 
My second gift arrived! Peep the fancy bag by Amazon gift wrapping28304D33-18B4-4D95-A693-55E1C7DB7A1F.jpeg
Oh hell yes. The 3rd party Nemesis I had on my list - I'll post again once I get him set up but this is awesome. 99% of my transformer collection is still in a storage locker back up in Michigan so it will be nice having some representation down here lol
 
I had to sign for a box from Taiwan, so I immediately know not only is it my Secret Santa gift, but who it's from :D

No picture of the box, because it mostly has PII and homey don't dox ;)

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Inside was some very soft yarn from Highland cows, and it appears, at first glance, to be worsted weight (though overseas yarns tend to go by different measurement units) and thus ideal for the kinds of stuff I've been crocheting lately. It seems like very nice yarn, so your guy at the yarn store did not steer you wrong (yes, there's a pun in there).

Also included are a handful of snacks. I love trying snacks from other countries! I've tried a lot of Japanese and Korean stuff, because H-Mart carries them, but I've never had snacks from Taiwan! Very little English is on the packaging, so I'm just gonna have to be brave and put it in my mouth, even though I'm not 100% sure what it's gonna be like. Just like in my college years ;)

Thanks @bhamv3 !
 
I had to sign for a box from Taiwan, so I immediately know not only is it my Secret Santa gift, but who it's from :D

No picture of the box, because it mostly has PII and homey don't dox ;)

View attachment 43278

Inside was some very soft yarn from Highland cows, and it appears, at first glance, to be worsted weight (though overseas yarns tend to go by different measurement units) and thus ideal for the kinds of stuff I've been crocheting lately. It seems like very nice yarn, so your guy at the yarn store did not steer you wrong (yes, there's a pun in there).

Also included are a handful of snacks. I love trying snacks from other countries! I've tried a lot of Japanese and Korean stuff, because H-Mart carries them, but I've never had snacks from Taiwan! Very little English is on the packaging, so I'm just gonna have to be brave and put it in my mouth, even though I'm not 100% sure what it's gonna be like. Just like in my college years ;)

Thanks @bhamv3 !
Might want to give a translator program a shot to at least get an idea of what each item is. Not a replacement for bhamv3, but possibly faster than sending a message and waiting for him to get up in the morning.
 
I had to sign for a box from Taiwan, so I immediately know not only is it my Secret Santa gift, but who it's from :D

No picture of the box, because it mostly has PII and homey don't dox ;)

View attachment 43278

Inside was some very soft yarn from Highland cows, and it appears, at first glance, to be worsted weight (though overseas yarns tend to go by different measurement units) and thus ideal for the kinds of stuff I've been crocheting lately. It seems like very nice yarn, so your guy at the yarn store did not steer you wrong (yes, there's a pun in there).

Also included are a handful of snacks. I love trying snacks from other countries! I've tried a lot of Japanese and Korean stuff, because H-Mart carries them, but I've never had snacks from Taiwan! Very little English is on the packaging, so I'm just gonna have to be brave and put it in my mouth, even though I'm not 100% sure what it's gonna be like. Just like in my college years ;)

Thanks @bhamv3 !
Glad it finally showed up, I was actually expecting it to arrive last week, but I suspect the brown stuff might've triggered some alerts at customs.

And I actually wanted to send some *really* classic Taiwanese snacks... but they would definitely get stopped at customs.

Anyway, if you want to know what the snacks are without having to put them in your mouth, spoilers ahoy:

The small yellow box is actually a snack that originated in Japan, Morinaga Milk Candy, but it's been available in Taiwan for literally decades. It's a common childhood memory for basically everyone under the age of 70. It comprises small rectangular caramel-like candies that are made with milk.

The purple box is a more modern childhood candy called I-Mei Gummy Choco Balls, the grape flavored ones (which I've sent) are the oldest version they produced. It's a grape flavored gummy ball that's covered in chocolate.

The brown stuff is savory shacha flavored bean curd. It's a snack I like to get from local convenience stores when I'm stressed and in the mood to balefully munch something.

And finally, the green bag is a bag of coconut flavored crispy snacks, the texture's like Cheetos. As I mentioned in the note, the name of the snack is a pun on "well behaved", so if you have anything you want to behave, such as electronics, feel free to place the packaging on that piece of electronics as a sort of good luck charm. Or you could write the thing you want to behave on the white space on the front.
 
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Glad it finally showed up, I was actually expecting it to arrive last week, but I suspect the brown stuff might've triggered some alerts at customs.

And I actually wanted to send some *really* classic Taiwanese snacks... but they would definitely get stopped at customs.

Anyway, if you want to know what the snacks are without having to put them in your mouth, spoilers ahoy:

The small yellow box is actually a snack that originated in Japan, Morinaga Milk Candy, but it's been available in Taiwan for literally decades. It's a common childhood memory for basically everyone under the age of 70. It comprises small rectangular caramel-like candies that are made with milk.

The purple box is a more modern childhood candy called I-Mei Gummy Choco Balls, the grape flavored ones (which I've sent) are the oldest version they produced. It's a grape flavored gummy ball that's covered in chocolate.

The brown stuff is savory shacha flavored bean curd. It's a snack I like to get from local convenience stores when I'm stressed and in the mood to balefully munch something.

And finally, the green bag is a bag of coconut flavored crispy snacks, the texture's like Cheetos. As I mentioned in the note, the name of the snack is a pun on "well behaved", so if you have anything you want to behave, such as electronics, feel free to place the packaging on that piece of electronics as a sort of good luck charm. Or you could write the thing you want to behave on the white space on the front.
They all sound amazing. The 'brown stuff' sounds much like the spicy/savory/sweet mexican candies you can get around these parts, though I'm sure the flavor profile is very different. I really like those snacks with complex flavors that mix savory or spicy notes along with the sweet.
 
Suspicious box? Suspicious box?!?!
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And inside, a fabulous and totally not blasphemous mug, which I very much look forward to using.
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Seriously, I love it, and it may be featured on a local clergy facebook group as favourite work-related present of the season.

Thank you Secret Santa, whoever you are!
 
Glad it finally showed up, I was actually expecting it to arrive last week, but I suspect the brown stuff might've triggered some alerts at customs.

And I actually wanted to send some *really* classic Taiwanese snacks... but they would definitely get stopped at customs.

Anyway, if you want to know what the snacks are without having to put them in your mouth, spoilers ahoy:

The small yellow box is actually a snack that originated in Japan, Morinaga Milk Candy, but it's been available in Taiwan for literally decades. It's a common childhood memory for basically everyone under the age of 70. It comprises small rectangular caramel-like candies that are made with milk.

The purple box is a more modern childhood candy called I-Mei Gummy Choco Balls, the grape flavored ones (which I've sent) are the oldest version they produced. It's a grape flavored gummy ball that's covered in chocolate.

The brown stuff is savory shacha flavored bean curd. It's a snack I like to get from local convenience stores when I'm stressed and in the mood to balefully munch something.

And finally, the green bag is a bag of coconut flavored crispy snacks, the texture's like Cheetos. As I mentioned in the note, the name of the snack is a pun on "well behaved", so if you have anything you want to behave, such as electronics, feel free to place the packaging on that piece of electronics as a sort of good luck charm. Or you could write the thing you want to behave on the white space on the front.
So far, I've had everything but the bean curd, and it's been delicious! I can't really munch out too hard on anything sweet, so I've been spacing out my enjoyment. I'm looking forward to cracking open the last one this weekend. Thanks again!
 
Yup! I sent your current game list(s) to some board game experts I know and told them to come up with some ideas. That’s the one they recommended.

Merry Christmas!
Thanks! I may have to take some time to convince my regular gaming group to try it, we have a huge backlog of new games we have yet to play since we took a couple years off from in-person gaming due to the obvious reasons.
 
A suspicious box has arrived upon my doorstep!

It contains a suspicious bag! With a less suspicious tag!

Inside the bag is another box. Oooh, embroidery starter kit!

And in the box the juicy (actually quite dry) goodies. A fabulous kit, and one I look forward to trying! There are new stitches that I haven't done before, so that will be interesting.

Thank you Santa! This will absolutely be used and enjoyed!
I've been picking away at this for a few months, and just finished this morning! Now I just need to tidy up the frame and hang it up.


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This was a lot of fun! Thank you!
 
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