Welcome to our annual Secret Santa!
🎁🎄 Names have been drawn! 🎄🎁
Hello! Gunny Waffle speaking. Allow me to be your Santa bat guide~💙
With your gift recipient assigned, it is now time to go make or purchase a gift for them!
You have until Wednesday, December 28th, to do so
Go see who you got~ (You should have also gotten an email)
Thank you everyone for joining and Berry Christmas. ^-^
Full event info can be found in the Registration event.
🧝♀️ ELVES 🧝♂️
You can still ask to be an elf!
Elves are those that donate games or artwork in case someone has to back out or a mistake is made. There is no shame in having to drop out of the exchange, even at the last minute. Although I will do my utmost best to fix things up, elves are my safety net. If you wish to be an elf, please contact me directly to discuss. You may remain anonymous if you wish!
🎁 GIFTS 🎁
There is a budget of $10-35 USD. If you are making something, a good rule of thumb is spending at most 2-3 hours on it.
Stay within budget. There is some leniency due to taxes and whatnot, but landing well outside the budget may be met with a ban from future community events. Generosity is great to see, but not at the cost of devaluing everybody else’s gifts. We also don’t tolerate intentionally giving as little as possible just to get a gift. Communicate with me directly if there are issues. I can help!
If you are having trouble or are unable to give what is requested, then please contact me and we can figure things out. I’m here to help and you are in no way a hindrance for asking! Open communication is important, so please contact me as soon as possible, especially if you need to drop out!
🎄 EXCHANGE 🎄
Gifts will be exchanged December 28th onwards. Don't worry about being late, this lasts a few days as this is a global event! I know many of you are dying to give right away, but please wait until I announce that the exchange has begun.
Failure to give a gift without warning may result in being banned from future community events. That may seem harsh, but with money involved, it's unfair to leave someone hanging without a word. Communicate with me directly if there are issues. I can help!
We are beyond stoked to see the exchange! :D
More info can be found in the Exchange event.
❔ LIVING FAQ ❔
Got questions? You are free to ask me anything regarding this event. I’m more than happy to help!
Answers will be added below, anonymously.
About Your Concerns
What if they only ask for art but I can't provide art or am unable to commission? Or what if I can only provide art and they don't want any?
There is always a solution! Contact them via anonymous message on Sneaky Santa. Ask them what kind of alternative they may want. If that doesn't work then contact me for help.
Will I get in trouble if I suddenly can't get the gift in time?
As long as you openly communicate with me you will be fine. The only way to get in trouble is if you don't ever give a gift and accept a gift at the same time. I have helped with gifts as delayed as mid January. Things happen!
What if I need to drop out? Can I do that?
Absolutely, this is by no means a contract. Just contact me and we can work it out! Please let me know before we draw names if possible. If you have to drop out after that then it gets a little bit harder, but we can still make it work.
What about gifting for people in other countries? It's generally harder or more expensive to do so.
Try to limit yourself to $35 USD after conversions. If the items on their wishlist are unavailable in your country, try contacting them anonymously on Sneaky Santa for alternatives. Always triple check that the gift you are buying for them will work between your two countries. Online codes are often region locked, especially for gift cards.
If none of the above work, contact me for help.
About Giving Gifts
If someone wants a commission, is it okay if I draw it myself?
Absolutely!!! It is even encouraged if you feel capable enough!
I know my gift recipient IRL, can I give a physical gift?
Sorry, no can do. It would be unfair to grant this privilege to only a few people.
I want to write something for my gift. Can I do that?
Writing is a wonderful form of art, though unfortunately it has been abused in the past and is no longer allowed. However, if you are a competent writer and your recipient is OK with writing then you can provide me with a gallery as proof and get permission.
Are there rules regarding the contents of gifts? Like ratings?
Since this is a public event and hosted on our Discord, yes. Please follow the PG-13 content guidelines of the Discord server as outlined in the #rules channel, which means SFW only.
Is it ok if I buy a steam game/card that's on sale for under $35, even if its base price originally was $50?
Absolutely, it is about the cost in the end, not the value. If you can get a better gift for under $35 then please do so! :D
The artist I am commissioning wants to charge a rush fee that pushes me over budget. Can I give the gift late if I promise it will come later?
Feel free to not pay for a rush job as long as you provide me with proof of purchase prior to the exchange.
Are tips part of the $10-35 budget limit? I want to support my artist friend.
Not at all! Consider that a gift to the artist, tips do not count towards the budget. You are awesome! c:
Are we limited to giving one gift?
Nope! You are limited to a budget of $10-35 in total, so multiple gifts is a wonderful idea if possible.
Can I give gifts to others as well?
Please don’t give gifts to other participants! Not only is it against the spirit of the event, but you may collide with other Secret Santas. Feel free to organize your own exchange of gifts with others though!
How do I gift a game on Steam?
Valve has removed all methods of acquiring Steam keys from their platform. But there are ways around this that are legal and safe! If you don't care about anonymity, just add them as a friend on Steam and gift that way. Otherwise read on.
There are lots of online stores and some offer Steam keys as an option! So buy a game through them instead of Steam. Research how the game is redeemed and check if a store app is required to play. If there are concerns, please use Sneaky Santa anonymous messaging to ask your gift recipient if they are OK with your store choice before you purchase. If the price seems too good to be true, it likely is!
Two popular stores are Humble Bundle and GOG.
About Being a Santa
Is it possible to be both a Santa and an Elf?
Is it possible to be more awesome? Go for it! Thank you for contributing so much!
I haven’t heard back from my gift recipient on Sneaky Santa. Can you help?
Gladly! I am more than happy to act as your poking stick to make sure folks check their inbox. I don’t blame you guys at all, the inbox is easy to forget! I will ask that you have patience though, if possible.
What happens if you get the same person from a previous year?
You get the same person! \o/ Preventing repeats will get harder and harder with each year, rendering the random aspect void as time goes on. If you get a repeat, consider it a chance to give more!
It is the 28th where I live...may I give my gift now?
Sorry but that would not be fair to everyone else. I'll announce when the exchange begins!