GWJ Secret Stan 2018: Who Was That Masked Elf?!

Skraut wrote:
Rahmen wrote:

Dear Stantee,

Your gifts are on the way and two of the three may arrive quickly with the third sometime before Dec 11th.

- Rahmen

So, today I went up on my roof to hang Christmas lights. I don't remember any packages being at my front door when I went up, and I think I would have noticed a delivery while I was up there, so I'm not sure how Rahmen's elves did it, but there was most definitely a package on my front porch when I came down.

Spoiler:

IMAGE(https://i.ibb.co/cLY43KW/IMG-20181202-181651.jpg)
First up is Blood Sweat and Pixels, the story of how many of today's biggest games were made. As someone who worked in game development almost 20 years ago, it's interesting to see how some of these stories will compare with my own. Really excited to read this.

IMAGE(https://i.ibb.co/nbdPWs9/IMG-20181202-181718.jpg)
Next up is Level Up, which seems like a huge 500+ page college textbook on game design. I haven't done much game development in the past year due to some life constraints, so perhaps this book will help get me back into hobby game development again

Thanks so much Rahmen, I still don't know what wizardry you used to make these appear on my front porch, but I'm definitely looking forward to reading both!

Glad the first two made it quickly. The hired gang in their efforts to be speedy apparently only stole a sleigh big enough for the first two. They haven't reported yet when they'll try and deliver the third but I'm guessing they'll lay low to avoid big Santa and may not get back out until next week. I'll try and send another warning if I learn they'll be in the area.

Hope my Stantee likes their gifts, feel like I failed the Stalking game this year...

I've had my Stantee's gifts at my house for a few days now. Last year I had a really cool way to deliver and put in a message. I'm not feeling it yet this year and running out of time to get these things out!

Hopefully a great idea will come to me in a dream or something, I can't just send the gifts out, I have to make it fun

To my victim.

Package one is on its way.

Dear Stantee, gift numero dos is underway!

Ok. All items are here. I will try and get them wrapped this weekend and sent off early next week.

Dear Secret Santa,

I received a package over the weekend while I was out of town. My wife opened it, said there were two things in it, and is going to wrap them so they go under the tree.

Jonman wrote:

Dear Secret Santa,

I received a package over the weekend while I was out of town. My wife opened it, said there were two things in it, and is going to wrap them so they go under the tree.

Your/her restraint is much better than mine! I have already made a martini with the gin from the first two days of my booze advent calendar while reading my kick ass D&D art history book.

bhchrist wrote:
Jonman wrote:

Dear Secret Santa,

I received a package over the weekend while I was out of town. My wife opened it, said there were two things in it, and is going to wrap them so they go under the tree.

Your/her restraint is much better than mine! I have already made a martini with the gin from the first two days of my booze advent calendar while reading my kick ass D&D art history book.

Well the entire point of the advent calendar is NOT to wait until the 25th, so you're at least half covered!

[edit] NOTHING TO SEE HERE

(Psst! This isn't the GOTY thread.)

Eep! How did that happen?!

*rushes off embarrassed*

My Stantee's last gift finally arrived and has joined the pile of things I need to wrap this week. I was already planning on baking this weekend, so this actually lines up perfectly. If all goes to plan, I should get this box out sometime next week.
Now I'm getting all nervous, I hope they like it and I didn't completely goof this up.

Presents ordered for my Stantee, hope to get them on Friday, wrap them and have them shipped out Saturday/early next week at the latest.

Came home to a box from Valve with a Steam Controller, and not one, but two Steam Links!

No name, though, so thank you very much, whoever you are. I can finally play my PC games without having to be cooped up in the office all the time.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/UPwPFF0.jpg)

Dear Victim, I haven't forgotten you. Life has gotten busy these last few weeks. Good news though! A gift that I had assumed was lost to the four winds has unexpectedly arrived in good condition. Now instead of a two part gift, it is a three part gift. Will be sending the first two within the next business week, I have many appointments this week, so I will probably send it early next week. After this, there is one more gift that has yet to arrive that will be sent out as soon as possible, I want you to have something by the holiday and figured this was the best way to ensure that. I will let you know when your gift is sent, and expected to arrive. I will get tracking for it and if something goes wrong I will take care of it. Happy holidays, Victim.

Dear Victim,

Assuming there are no more shipping delays, your presents will arrive before Christmas. I hope. You might receive something after Christmas however if this season continues its course.

Dearest Victim,

I continue to agonize over the decision to simply send the meager offerings I have amassed or to continue to wait, perhaps in vain, for your "real" present to complete its long journey from the Inscrutable Orient. I have heard painfully little from the courier other than that it "left the carrier facility" on the evening of November 26 and is likely dodging pirates someplace along the Straits of Malacca. The arrival window they gave me was a deeply unhelpful December 7- December 24.

Community,

Please advise. I shall govern my decision to ship or not ship based on popular consensus. What rules the GWJer Collective(tm)?

Go for it, Paleocon. I've got one big, personal gift remaining that I can't even start on til after Christmas. If it's something they can't use without the other, like a game for the Souja Boy console, but the console's not here yet, you can leave a note, or leave them guessing.

One of my elves is on the IR 2-4 weeks with an upper body injury. Fortunately this is my backup elf, and I'll just have to drive the main elf even harder until all is in the box and ready to ship.

Dear victim,

Procrastination is putting up a hell of a fight, but nevertheless the primary component should be in hand tomorrow and ready for "processing". Note to self: double-check fire extinguisher expiration dates. Ancillary components to be procured locally...probably...assuming I can find enough of 'em crawling around. Never fear - a cunning stratagem all but assures delivery ere the holidays wane.

I laughed at the Soulja Boy comment. Well done.

Ok, so thought I was done, but found something that would be really cool to add to my Stantees gifts, so ordered, now I have to wait till they show up, wrap and pack everything and ship it off, so hopefully by end of next week Stantee, sorry for the delay, but hope you like it!

People shipping to (or from) Canada.

Due to a partial postal strike, shipping parcels up here in the Great White North is f*cked. If you had an estimated time, throw it out. You are at the mercy of a bunch of postal workers who are (rightfully) annoyed they were legislated back to work.

All my stuff has been acquired. Time to wrap and send it on its way.

Mère Noël struck again!

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/2SNRGUP.jpg)

Holy sh*t. This is way too much. Thanks, Amelie!

Bonus_Eruptus wrote:

If it's something they can't use without the other, like a game for the Souja Boy console, but the console's not here yet, you can leave a note, or leave them guessing.

...TIL that's actually a thing.

Paleo - Ship it with a note that some stuff will show up later.

mudbunny wrote:

Paleo - Ship it with a note that some stuff will show up later.

It took me a few minutes to figure out what you're saying. I was wondering why you'd want a relationship with a low-carb diet...

I’m just sorry they didn’t do gift wrapping. =/