SECRET SANTA 2019

megsiplier's secondary account. exists to create & spam posts that allow me to link resources that mobile users can see. please send all inquiries to my main blog!

[megsiplier]

IT'S REVEAL DAY!

for all my secret santa participants, it's time to reveal your identity to your person! i hope you all had a wonderful time this year & made a new friend. thank you again for your participation, i couldn't do this without you!

[megsiplier]

SECRET SANTA PSA

it has come to my attention that several pairs have been having difficulties with sending asks; people have messaged me about how they don’t think their asks have gone through to their person or have been receiving error messages when they try to send them.

if you have not heard from your Santa in a while, you need to message me. that way i can check in and see whether they have been attempting to contact you, and if so go over options on how to fix this issue as much as possible.

sorry for any inconvenience!

[megsiplier]

Welcome to the 4th-annual Community Secret Santa.  Much like a traditional secret santa, this event builds upon the “anonymous gift exchange” concept, and turns it into a secret, pen-pal-like correspondence from dec.1-25 of the given year. It’s an excellent way to spread positivity, make new friends, and get into the spirit of the season as we approach the holidays. I’ve hosted this event for the past 4 years, and it is now my pleasure to invite you to join in on the festivities.  Read more about the event ▸

In order to join, you must register. Registration will be open from now until 11/25 at 10pm EST. This process consists of two steps. 

TO REGISTER: 

1) First, fill out the google form here

2) Using a desktop, enable ask/anon/submit, and take a screenshot of these settings. Submit that picture to me here. (instructions linked below)

Once I have received the results of your form, as well as your screenshot, you will receive a confirmation message from me that your registration is complete, and that you have been added to the participant pool. 

Between 11/25-11/30, you will receive another message from me with the person that you will be “Santa’ing” for, as well as further instructions. The event will formally begin on 12/1, and end on 12/25 with your identity reveal. 

I hope you all have a wonderful time. Let’s make year 4 the best one yet. 

RESOURCES: how to enable ask/anon/submit: here (or here if viewing from the app) how to submit your screenshot:  here (or here) event schedule: here (or here) frequently asked questions: here (or here)

[communitysecretsanta]

COMMUNITY SECRET SANTA

Welcome to our 4th-annual Community Secret Santa. You’ve reached the landing page/navigation for all of the resources you need to participate in the event. These resources can be viewed on my main blog, but these links should allow mobile users to be redirected accordingly. 

In order to participate, you must register. This process (and form) opens 11/15, and will stay open under 11/25. For the full event schedule, please click here to be redirected. 

REGISTRATION IS A TWO-STEP PROCESS.

1. FILL OUT THE FORM HERE  https://forms.gle/onbPDNvjTV63R6Gx5 ▸

2.  SUBMIT A SCREENSHOT TO CONFIRM YOUR ENABLED SETTINGS ▸ For instructions on how to complete Part II, click here. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via messenger/IM on my main blog.

However, please familiarize yourself with these resources before doing so:

TROUBLESHOOTING : ▻  about the event ▻  frequently asked questions ▻  how to turn on ask/anon/submit ▻  how to submit stuff anonymously ▻  what to send your person ▻  secret santa 2019 tag

[communitysecretsanta]

EVENT SCHEDULE

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

(1) BETWEEN NOVEMBER 15-25TH, REGISTER TO PARTICIPATE. Registering for the Secret Santa is a 2-part process. First, go to https://forms.gle/onbPDNvjTV63R6Gx5 to fill out the Google form. this will let me know that you will be joining, and your URL will be added to the spreadsheet. NEXT, send me a screenshot of your anonymous ask setting enabled (via desktop). You will not fully be registered until I have the results of your form and the screenshot. Learn how to do that here. 

(2) BETWEEN NOVEMBER 26TH-30TH, YOU WILL RECEIVE YOUR PERSON. By the 30th, you will receive the username of the person you will Santa for via an ask or IM from me with their name, pronouns, interests, etc. Please be patient during this bracket, I promise I’ll get to you.

(3) ON DECEMBER 1ST, YOU’LL ANONYMOUSLY INTRODUCE YOURSELF. Get your santa hat kiddos, it’s show time. On December 1st you’ll send your person an introductory anon ask. Let them know how often you’ll be chatting (daily or sporadically?), make up your cool message signature, whatever you want. This introductory message is crucial and MANDATORY so that your person is in the loop – say you can’t send them messages daily, let them know that so that they don’t think you forgot about them. You can find example messages here.

(4) BETWEEN DECEMBER 1ST-24TH, ANONYMOUSLY INTERACT WITH YOUR PERSON! Make friends, my dudes! Send ‘em that sweet PMA, ask ‘em what they like, if they got pets… etc etc. If you want to submit something anonymously (say a picture), you can learn how to do that here.

(5) DECEMBER 25TH… THE BIG REVEAL! On the December 25th, you can finally reveal your secret identity to your person. If you’re a creator and wanted to make them art, a fic, an edit, etc., today’s the day to show it to them.

[communitysecretsanta]

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR SCREENSHOT

(This is part two of the registration process. Make sure you complete the form first)

As mentioned previously, to participate in the event, you’re gonna need to turn on ask, anon, and submit on tumblr, and confirm that they’re turned on by sending me a screenshot. If you don’t know how to turn these settings on, here’s a tutorial.

Sadly, tumblr’s a dick, and doesn’t truly show you if anon is on from mobile. This confirmation has to be done via a computer/desktop version of tumblr. if you only have access to mobile/a tablet, there are browsers you can get in your given app store that should let you view the site as you would on a computer. DM me and we can go over your options.

Otherwise I will not be able to let you participate. Literally. Without them turned on, you can’t receive anonymous messages…. so… no Secret Santa can contact you.

I can’t be tracking 50 people down again this year. I really do apologize for the hassle, but it’s better than a week’s worth of IMs from me like ʰᵉʸ ˢᵒʳʳʸ ᶦ'ᵐ ᵍᵒⁿⁿᵃ ⁿᵉᵉᵈ ʸᵒᵘ ᵗᵒ ᵗᵘʳⁿ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵒⁿ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵖᵉʳˢᵒⁿ ʳᵉᵃˡˡʸ ʷᵃⁿᵗˢ ᵗᵒ ˢᵃʸ ʰᶦ

HERE’S HOW THAT’S DONE:

Your settings should look something like this:

Take a screenshot like the one above, then go to megsiplier.tumblr.com/submit, and send it my way! By default, it’ll bring up Text submissions, so make sure you click the drop down and select Photo.

When you’re ready, CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR SCREENSHOT AND COMPLETE YOUR REGISTRATION ▸

[communitysecretsanta]

HOW TO REGISTER

signing up for the secret event is easy. simply,

(1) Go to https://forms.gle/onbPDNvjTV63R6Gx5 and fill out the form (2) USING A DESKTOP, NOT THE TUMBLR APP, take a screenshot of the “anonymous ask” setting enabled. send it to me HERE. If you’re concerned about part II, don’t worry, there are more instructions within the form itself, and the tutorials linked below:

▻  how to turn on ask/anon/submit ▻  how to send me your settings screenshot

I cannot let you participate until I have received your completed form via Google and your screenshots via submissions. Without them I will a) not know you’re interested and b) your Santa won’t be able to contact you without those settings turned on.

Because of difficulties in years past, I’m requiring that you confirm/show me that these settings are enabled so I don’t have to track down 50 people again. I apologize because I know it’s an added hassle, but believe me, it’s better to do it ahead of time so there are no delays in your ability to send/receive messages.

[communitysecretsanta]

EXAMPLE MESSAGES

When corresponding with the person you’re Santa'ing for, you have full-reign over what you can send them and the frequency of your messages! Whether daily PMA/quotes/motivation, links to cool youtube videos or playthroughs, get-to-know you messages, pics… even art, edits, icons, or fics. Just make sure they’re anonymous.

Here are some example introductory messages (mandatory):

“hey dude! it’s your secret santa… i’m really excited to get to know you! just a heads up… I have finals towards the end of the month, so my messages might not be as frequent then, sorry :/… either way, I hope you have a great day! -🎄”

“sup!! i’m your secret santa. i’m gonna try and chat daily… but just so you know, i’m in the EST time zone, so sorry if it seems delayed. how’s your day been so far? -secret santa”

And some examples of regular messages:

“I see you like Jacksepticeye too! Who’s your fav ego? -🍪🎅”

“WOAH. that art you posted earlier is really cool. Is that an OC? Tell me about them! -m”

“DUDE so since we talked about dogs the other day, LOOK HOW CUTE THIS VIDEO IS -☃️”

“i made you something! hope you like the icon :) -santa”

[communitysecretsanta]

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR SETTINGS

if you do not have anon, ask, or submit enabled, here’s how you can turn them on. sadly, because tumblr is a dick, this HAS to be done via a computer/desktop version and not on the app.

(1) Along the top of your dash, click the person icon and drop down to settings.

(2) You’ll come to a page entitled “Account.” Along the sidebar of this page, you’ll see your blog towards the bottom. Click on it.

(3) You’ll come to a page that looks like this. Scroll down.

(4) You’ve found the settings! Make sure those first three features are “switched on” (aka blue).

And there you have it! You’re now ready to receive messages from your Secret Santa.

[communitysecretsanta]

HOW TO SUBMIT ANONYMOUSLY:

Keep in mind, throughout the event, correspondence with your person has to be anonymous. You’re a SECRET Santa, after all. But if you want to send them a picture, video, etc. etc. from the 1st-24th, you have to use submit… which doesn’t have an anonymous function.

SO HERE’S HOW TO SUBMIT ANONYMOUSLY (DESKTOP):

(1) To begin, log out of tumblr (or open an incognito window like I do). (2) Go to [PARTNER].tumblr.com/submit (3) It will ask for a Name and Email instead. Put “Secret Santa,” or whatever signature you’ve been using on your asks. (4) Type in “[email protected]” where it asks for the email, as highlighted in blue.

…AND TO SUBMIT ON MOBILE:

The process is the same, except you use your mobile browser of choice (which should be logged out of your account automatically if you regularly use the app)

Input the email in the area highlighted in yellow

[communitysecretsanta]

FAQ

When will I…

Please consult the event schedule. In terms of pairings, you will receive them by nov. 30th. Please don’t worry if it’s the 29th and you haven’t heard from me yet, you will by the 30th guaranteed. PLEASE be patient with me about this- keep in mind I do this on my own, and it takes a while for one gal to make and distribute 100+ pairings. I also go in order based on form submissions. If you registered close to the deadline, you’re probably towards the bottom of my list.. but I’m getting to you!

How do I send you my screenshot/turn on ask/submit anonymously, etc.

Please check out the Secret Santa navigation page for a bunch of tutorials and instructions for the variety of settings/functions necessary for this event. If you have a how-to question that’s not already there, please don’t hesitate to send me a DM!

Since tumblr is hella bad at being a website, do we get any sort of confirmation from you that our submission of the settings went through/that we’ve been added to the list of participants? I don’t wanna find out after everyone has been paired up that my submission just didn’t happen to go through and thus I can’t actually take part

yes! so as i input people into the spreadsheet, you’ll get an IM from me confirming that you’re all set. similarly, if we’re approaching the deadline and I notice you’re missing a piece of it, i’ll also reach out to you.

What if my person is in a different time zone/what if I can’t send a message daily?

This is why it is crucial to send the mandatory, anonymous intro message on December 1st - these are all things your person needs to know. Send ‘em a message and tell them that like, “hey, I might get quiet towards the end of the month bc of finals” or “we seem to be in different time zones so my asks might seem late.” This keeps them in the loop. It’s especially important if your messages are gonna be sporadic, otherwise your person might worry they’ve been forgotten.

What if I AM forgotten/neglected?

If you have not heard from your person at all BY DECEMBER 7TH, let me know so I can find you an alternate. Worst-case scenario, you’ll get a gift from me instead. Last year, people whose Santas were dicks got custom icons and banners.

Are the pairings 100% random?

the matches are 100% random, but i do take certain factors into account.

within the form, there will be a free-response area where you can tell me stuff like that – “hey, I don’t want ego content” or, as a real example from last year “hey i’m a minor, i’m uncomfortable being paired with an adult” typically, there’s more than one of these kinds of responses. going off of last year’s example, i’ll separate “minors who don’t want adults” into their own little group that will get random pairs amongst themselves. still randomized, just separate from the larger participant pool.

tl;dr, yes they’re random, but i will interfere (as little as possible to keep it fair) when need be

I wanna participate sooo bad, but I’d feel bad for the person that gets me.. I don’t draw, gif, edit, write or… anything that I could gift them.

That’s TOTALLY okay – you don’t have to be a creator to participate. Instead of content, you could send them daily PMA, song recs, cute youtube videos, inspirational quotes/motivation, or even just make friends. honestly, the most fun part of the event is the ~super secret~ correspondence itself, not receiving something. If you’re worried, I made a list of example messages you could send.

I’ve never participated in secret Santa on here, how does it work and what do you do?

Check out the about page for some background info on the event. You can also browse the #secret santa 2019 tag here on the blog to get a sense of it.

After registration closes on 11/25, can I still sign up?

Because all participants will get their assigned partner by that date, no, sorry! might have any people that missed it be alternates if anyone gets cold feet, though.

Can I back out?

As mentioned in the form… you guys made a commitment and you have a person relying on you. I can’t force you not to back out, it’s not legally binding but… please tell me before 12/5 so they don’t go without a person.

[communitysecretsanta]

WHAT IS THE COMMUNITY SECRET SANTA?

much like a traditional secret santa, this event builds upon the “anonymous gift exchange” concept, and turns it into a secret, pen-pal-like correspondence from dec. 1-25 of the given year.

each participant will be randomly assigned a person. throughout december, you are tasked with being this person’s secret buddy. this primarily involves them anonymous asks throughout the month, and getting to know them. you can send them daily doses of positivity, share your favorite music, go into ego lore together… the primary objective is to fill ‘em with holiday cheer. the secret santa event as a whole is all about spreading positivity, festivity, and making new friends within the communities here on tumblr.

like a traditional secret santa, on the dec. 25th, you’ll reveal your identity to your buddy. you have the option of giving them a “gift," using what you know about them after your chatting, why not make them something from the heart. examples of this include writing excerpts like fanfic, art, header/icons, edits, gifs, music, or a digital holiday card. the gift part is entirely up to you; it can be big or small. channel your inner talents into something heartfelt! but yk, the best gift is the friend you make along the way, yada yada.

it’s a great opportunity to make new friends – and we’ve had some very sweet ‘success stories’ about internet friendships that came out of this event in the past :’)