This week, this post will be a little different. I wanted to tell you guys about a new (to me) Secret Santa service that I’ll be participating in. It’s The Broke and the Bookish’s 7th annual Secret Santa service!!
It’s basically me giving a special Christmas gift to a special book fan, which includes a book from their wishlist and a small gift and/or candy treat.
I’ve already picked my gift and small present for my match, and while I obviously can’t tell you who it is for, I hope she loves it!
The rules apply:
1. Send an email to TBTBSecretSanta (at) gmail (dot) com answering the following questions BEFORE November 13th with the answers to the following questions:
*BEFORE November 13th means 11:59pm EST on the 12th though if they slip in the wee hours of the morning while I’m sleeping I’m okay but please don’t yell at me when you are past the deadline any later when I’m pairing and I say no…I have extended it too many times in the past but with 400+ participants last year I have to shut it down sometime, sorry)
Full Name & Address
Blog URL (also any other social media accounts you might want to share to help your secret Santa out)
List 10-15 books you’d like to read or a link to a wishlist (please mix it up with older and new releases — aka maybe things that aren’t just available in hardcover right now). DO NOT ASK FOR ARCS please. If your SS wants to throw some in there because they saw it on your Goodreads wishlist or something that’s fine but once we had someone ask for mostly ARCs and not everyone has access to an ARC fairy. Also, make sure your Goodreads profile or Amazon wishlist is public at least for the time this runs.
Genres you read the most:
List of your bookish preferences (a few fave authors, things you WILL NOT READ, does not prefer used books, prefer hardback or paperback, if you are okay with them not getting you something on your wishlist if they think you will like it etc.)
Please give a few things you like or things about yourself (to help with your goodie). See below for examples in the guidelines.
* Suggestions for things to add that could be helpful to tell your Secret Santa for the little gift: general info about yourself, if you celebrate Christmas, hobbies you have, your passions, music you love, things you will not eat/are allergic to, smells or flavors you do not like, shows you watch/favorite movies, things you collect, any fandoms you are part of, if would love something native to where your Secret Santa lives, coffee/tea you like, favorite colors, foods you love, your style/aesthetic, favorite animals, things you are obsessed with, etc. etc. Also maybe if you have an e-reader and would be willing to get ebooks or a gift card. Just really anything relevant to your interests that could help them.
Would you be able to send internationally if needed? Please answer with:
A. Yes, I would actually prefer to send and receive internationally
B. No, I cannot.
C. Would prefer not to but will if needed
(if you are outside of US and Canada just know I can’t guarantee that you will get somewhere even remotely close to you. I try to work it geographically for you but it all depends on who signs up and where they are from. You can check in here where I will be updating this post to see which countries are represented if you are unsure.
Are you:
a) Under 18
b) Over 18
Have you participated in this Secret Santa before or is this your first time?
Which closely resembles what kind of package you will be sending out (I will be pairing people with similar answers so please understand by choosing an answer I’m expecting that to be what you send out ):
a) 1 book and a small gift/candy
b) 1-2 books and a couple goodies
c) 2+ books and goodies
Is there somebody that your Secret Santa could contact if they have a question for you? Please ask that person before you put their twitter handle or email address here. I get a LOT of emails to me trying to figure out specific things (ie: what’s their favorite color? What GoT character is their fave? Do they have this Funko pop?) to make a great package for their Secret Santa so this might be a little less work for me to be the middleman going back and forth and asking the questions and supplying the answers.
Any questions, comments or additional things your Secret Santa should know?
2. When you receive your Secret Santa match: go play Santa and buy your prezzies — please read the guidelines below. Send it out no later than December 15th. The earlier the better as the mail is always slow during the holiday season. IF SOMETHING COMES UP PLEASE EMAIL ME. Communication is super for me.
3. After you send off your package, please email TBTBSecretSanta (at) gmail (dot) com letting us know you sent it off WITH DELIVERY CONFIRMATION/TRACKING (changing it this year, sorry!). Email us again when you receive your package. (Unless there are questions, I will not be responding to these emails due to time but will filing them away). If you have not received your package by January 1st please then email us and I will attempt to contact your Secret Santa. Please understand I will try my damndest to work it out but there is only so much I can do in the event someone decides to be naughty. Karma is a biotch though..maybe they’ll get their toes run over by Santa’s sleigh.
So like I said, I cannot reveal who my Secret Santa person is, but I hope that she loves what I bought her and shares it on her social media, come December 25!
For more info on the service, visit brokeandbookish.com.
