|♥| Chicken Smoothie Secret Santas 2024 |♥| PINGLIST OPEN

[LissaJo]

Please note we are changing a few things this year so
it is important to read the What's New section before joining
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Targaryen unfortunately does not have time to organize this year & has asked me to step in for her.

♥ Secret Santa's Letter Box ♥ Ping List For Next Year ♥

• 2024 Chicken Smoothie Secret Santas will officially open applications on Monday, November 4th, 2024!
  
  Please read over everything and spread the word!
• Registration will end at 23:59 UTC (CS Time) on November 30th.
• You must open your Secret Santa Assignment PM by 23:59 UTC (CS Time) December 5th to confirm you are active.
  
  Click here for the current time in UTC (CS Time).
• We are now using Google forms instead of forum replies to accept applications!
  if your country does not allow the use of Google forms, please message any elf and we can help you get signed up!
  
• It is now a requirement that upon application you write a letter to Santa on the Letter Box Thread.
  You MUST start your Letter before submitting your application
  
  You can find the Letter Box thread and more information on it here.

• SOME THINGS WILL BE CHANGING THIS YEAR: RE RARITY TIERS, ART IN GIFTS, LETTERS REQUIRING PREAPPROVAL, ETC.
  
  For a breakdown of the results from our 2022 feedback poll, please view the post below here.

Please read everything in full in order to participate in the event!

CS Secret Santas are members of the CS community who build up a collection of gifts for another user for Christmas. This annual holiday gifting event started back in 2011! Many members have participated in this event over the years and have had a fantastic Christmas thanks to the generous players partaking in this event.

Secret Santa is a popular holiday game/event where everyone gets to be a Secret Santa and is randomly assigned someone else to gift. You aren't allowed to tell anyone who you are gifting and you won't know who is going to gift you. The whole point of this is to collect gifts for the person that you are a Secret Santa for and give it to them on Christmas.

Please remember when participating that this is a gifting event for people who want to make Christmas more special for others. We encourage our participants to gift others without expecting the same value or more back from their Santa.

Do try your hardest.

You should give this your all! Do your very best to give your assigned person a great Christmas present!
Do ask questions if you have any.

If you have a question, chances are someone else may have the same question. I may even post your question in the FAQ.

Don't say who you are a Secret Santa for.

Or else why would it be called Secret Santa?
Don't harass or be rude to other Santas.

Teasing, bullying, insults, or harassment will not be tolerated. If you have problems with another player, please contact me or one of the Little Elves.
Don't ask for donations.

Try your best to obtain gifts for your assigned person by your own means!
Don't spam this thread.

Keep all discussion on-topic. You're welcome to chat all you'd like in the Secret Santa Discord.
Gifts should be given because you want to give!

The purpose of the event is to allow users to gift others because they want to - not because they expect the same or more back in return!
NEW! You must write a letter to your Secret Santa

You can find the Secret Santa's Letter Boxhere

Once registration closes, you will receive a Secret Santa and be assigned someone to be a Secret Santa for. Throughout the month of December, you will collect gifts for the person that you are a Secret Santa for and give it to them on Christmas.

There are 4 tiers that you can sign up for: the Very Uncommon Tier, the Rare Tier, the Very Rare tier and the Extremely Rare Tier. You may only sign up for 1 tier.

You must provide a gift worth no less than the minimum of your tier that includes a minimum of 15 pets/items. Your Santa will do the same for you. For example, if you sign up for the Rare Tier, the gift you send to your assigned person must contain at least 1 rare pet, along with very uncommon, uncommon, common, very common, extremely common and OMG so common pets. You will also receive at least 1 rare pet, along with very uncommon, uncommon, common, very common, extremely common and OMG so common pets from your Secret Santa. You can still send a gift with much more valuable pets, though!

Here are the 3 tiers that you can sign up for:

Tier 1 - Very Uncommon Tier

• You are only expected to gift at least 1 Very Uncommon pet.
  
• Your gift doesn't need to only include very uncommon pets.
  
• You should include very uncommon, uncommon, common, very common and OMG so common pets.
• Your gift should include a MINIMUM of 15 pets/items/gifts. Only one of these needs to be Very Uncommon.
• You may include rare, very rare, extremely rare or OMG so rare pets in your gift, but you probably won't get any in return.

Tier 2 - Rare Tier

• You are expected to gift at least 1 rare pet.
• Your gift doesn't need to only include rare pets.
• You should include rare, very uncommon, etc pets.
• Your gift should include a MINIMUM of 15 pets/items/gifts. Only one of these needs to be Rare.
• You may include very rare, extremely rare or OMG so rare pets in your gift, but you probably won't get any in return.

Tier 3 - Very Rare Tier

• You are expected to gift at least 1 very rare pet.
• You should include very rare, rare, very uncommon, etc pets.
• Your gift should include a MINIMUM of 15 pets/items/gifts. Only one of these needs to be Very Rare.
• You may include extremely rare or OMG so rare pets in your gift, but you probably won't get any in return.

Tier 4 - Extremely Rare Tier

• You are expected to gift at least 1 extremely rare pet.
• You should include extremely rare, very rare, rare, very uncommon, etc pets.
• Your gift should include a MINIMUM of 15 pets/items/gifts. Only one of these needs to be Extremely Rare.
• You may include OMG so rare pets in your gift, but you probably won't get any in return.
• You must have previous participated in a CS Secret Santa event to sign up for this tier.
• Elves will verify your account appears to be able to fulfill this gift. If not, you may be asked to change tiers.

If you would like to be surprised by the tier you are in, and don't mind if it is any of the first three tiers, you are allowed to do so!
Please note you will NOT be put into Tier 4 - Extremely Rare unless you request it.

Interested in giving and receiving art gifts? Please read below.

We had a LOT of feedback last year regarding art gifts.

70% of responses in our feedback form from last year requested an option to opt in or out of giving/receiving art gifts.

We also received feedback from people frustrated that art did not count towards the tier minimum as art can be expensive to commission, and some people primarily only asked for art from their Santa.

As such we are implementing the following changes to Secret Santa:

1. On your sign-up form you can request to be paired with someone who would also be interested in giving/receiving art.

If you request this but we are unable to assign you to someone else interested in giving/receiving art gifts, we will notify you upon assigning you to your chosen Secret Santa giftee.

2. To address the issue about art as a stocking stuffer: Santas can request that we ask the giftee if they are comfortable with art commissions being used to meet the tier minimum requirement of the gift, so long as the art gift [did cost or is roughly valued at] the tier minimum or higher instead.

Please keep in mind that the value of art is subjective and by requesting or agreeing to have the art you are gifted be valued at the minimum tier threshold of your gift you accept responsibility for the fact that there are different interpretations of what art pieces may be valued at.

If it is agreed by the Santa, the Giftee, and the Elves that it is possible for the art to meet the minimum gift tier, we elaborate that it is important that the Santa makes sure to provide stocking stuffers such as pets below the tier requirement, items, C$, etc.

What's New

• For 2024, we have adapted a new way of submitting your application for Secret Santa!
  By using Google forms for applications, this eliminates a step of our elves having to copy & paste your information into our sheet.
  Google forms does not require you to sign in or track your information in any way.
  If you're logged into Google, it will auto save your app for you if you step away and come back.
  If you live in a country where Google forms does not work, please PM an elf and we will help you get joined!
  
• When you send your gift, you also will be required to submit the link via Google form so we know it is complete!
  
• We have added a gift minimum size of 15 pets/items/gifts (art, offsite, etc) no matter what tier level you choose.
  Many people expressed interest in a guideline/minimum required gift either due to not knowing if their gift insufficient or because they have received low-effort gifts. (Most Santas do amazing at sending a gift they would love to receive!) Everyone should have no problem coming up with the minimum as they could even be fodder if you absolutely can not find an appropriate amount of gift-worthy pets/items/etc.
  
• We have added an Extremely Rare tier by popular request.
  
• If you have chosen to receive art & prefer to receive art over pets, you may now choose to accept art as the minimum value of the tier you signed up for. This is done via the joining form!
  
• We posted the EXACT date where we will determine if you are active or not. If you have not opened your Secret Santa Assignment PM by 23:59 December 4th, we will assume you are inactive & remove you from the game. You will receive a PM if this happens & you may join late sign-ups if they are still open when you return.
  
• There will be a feedback poll on our new changes after SS is over to determine if we will keep them moving forward!

Join Secret Santas 2024

If you can not access Google Forms, please message any of Santa's Helpers & we can assist you in submitting your application.

See your currently submitted form here!
All text answers are private and not able to be viewed publicly,
however your tier & art preferences are available for everyone to see.

Frequently Asked Questions can be found here!

Spread the word and help us advertise! I can also make custom ones for you if you'd like!
Advertisements can be found here!

[LissaJo]

Veteran Elf - LissaJo
I'm running the event this year in Targaryen & Rogue's stead.
I'm available for any questions and
queries about the event, so don't hesitate to shoot me a PM!












Veteran Elf - ♔Voltaire♔











Little Elf - CelticKitty











Little Elf - Falco











Little Elf - Arya22











Little Elf - librarycat












Veteran Elf on Vacation - Targaryen
She is taking a break this year and may not
see your PM as quickly as other elves might.
We hope she is able to join us again next year <3








We are no longer currently recruiting helpers. If the event gets busier we may reopen applications.

[LissaJo]

Hi everyone, welcome back to CS Secret Santa 2024!

We really appreciate the feedback everyone left in 2022 and we hope to offer some small changes to help the event go better this year.

Art Gifts

We had a LOT of feedback last year regarding art gifts.

70% of responses in our feedback form from last year requested an option to opt in or out of giving/receiving art gifts.

We also received feedback from people frustrated that art did not count towards the tier minimum as art can be expensive to commission, and some people primarily only asked for art from their Santa.

While CS Secret Santa aims to primarily be a CS focused event, art is a large part of the community and many participants really enjoy giving/gifting art so it is important for us to facilitate this as much as possible in the event.

As such we are implementing the following changes to Secret Santa:

1. On your sign-up form you can request to be paired with someone who would also be interested in giving/receiving art.
If you request this but we are unable to assign you to someone else interested in giving/receiving art gifts, we will notify you upon assigning you to your chosen Secret Santa giftee.

2. To address the issue about art as a stocking stuffer: Santas can request that we ask the giftee if they are comfortable with
art commissions being used to meet the tier minimum requirement of the gift, so long as the art gift [did cost or is roughly valued at] the tier minimum or higher instead.

Please keep in mind that the value of art is subjective and by requesting or agreeing to have the art you are gifted be valued at the minimum tier threshold of your gift you accept responsibility for the fact that there are different interpretations of what art pieces may be valued at.

If it is agreed by the Santa, the Giftee, and the Elves that it is possible for the art to meet the minimum gift tier, we elaborate that it is important that the Santa makes sure to provide stocking stuffers such as pets below the tier requirement, items, C$, etc.

Letters

63.4% of respondents stated they agreed letters should be a hard requirement to join the event. 23.8% said maybe.

We have had a lot of feedback airing frustration about the people they were paired with having not written a letter, having too vague a letter or having a letter which primarily requested pets/items/etc far beyond the scope of the tier they signed up for.

We have decided to make letters a requirement upon sign-up.

Having letters be a hard requirement, and those letters requiring pre-approval will allow the elf team to more sufficiently monitor all the letters posted and make sure they are compliant with the spirit of the event.

It creates a lot more hassle for both Santas and Elves to try to communicate with participants and encourage them to write more helpful letters when the event is in full swing and enable us all to be more confident about participating in the event.

We will be trying to offer more encouraging letter templates to help facilitate everyone in writing a better letter to Santa this year.

Tier Requirements

96% of respondents liked the tier requirements last year and as such we've decided not to really change much apart from how art may be agreed to fit the minimum tier requirement as mentioned above.

The only minor change is that the "Uncommon" tier has now become the "Very Uncommon" tier.

Respondents noted last year that the very-rare tier was too wide in scope as a very rare pet can mean a 2022 store pet or an '08 ex-list dog. Hopefully now that the rarities have recently changed this will be less of an issue this year. We will keep this in mind and monitor 2023 participants thoughts on the matter and consider changes for next year if we find it to be best.

[LissaJo]

Are Secret Santas auto-accepted?

No - this used to be the case. Santas will have to have their own letter to Santa approved by an elf before they are accepted. We will message you when we can confirm that you have been accepted to sign up. If there are issues with your letter, we will let you know.

When does registration close?

Once a registration deadline has been decided, I'll make an announcement and post it in the News section. Registration ends on November 30th though, so you guys have the month of December to collect gifts for your assigned person.

How do I put my profile link and username in the form?

Here's a link to a little mini tutorial.

Who do I gift?

Once registration closes, you will receive a PM from either me or one of the Little Elves with your randomly assigned person to gift.

How am I assigned who to give a gift to?

First, everyone is split into their respective tiers. If someone signed up for multiple tiers, they're randomly assigned to one of the tiers they signed up for. Then within each tier, the list of all players in the tier is randomized. Finally, we assign people to gift the person below them on each randomized list. For example, for each tier, the first person on the list gifts the second person, the second person on the list gifts the third person, etc. until the last person on the list gifts the first person. This way, everyone is randomly assigned someone to gift within their tier and it's impossible to get a gift from the same person that you're gifting!

Can I be a Secret Santa for more than one user?

No, you can't. In order to keep everything fair, everyone will give one gift and get one gift. However, it's always up to you how many people you want to gift outside of this event!

When do I gift?

You can send your gift after midnight on Christmas day according to CS time (UTC). You'll have 24 hours after that to send out your gifts before the Elves and I start checking in with everyone, since we're all in different time zones and people may need to send out their gifts out according to their own schedules. If you know you can't send your gift exactly on Christmas day, contact me or one of the Little Elves in advance.

How much do I give them?

Your gift must be worth at least the minimum of your tier. There is no maximum, though! Since you have the entire month of December up until Christmas day to collect gifts, I highly encourage everyone to go above and beyond to try and make your assigned person's Christmas extra special. If you're feeling super generous, you're even welcome to sign up for a lower tier but send gifts valued at a higher tier, knowing that you'll probably receive a gift of much lower value.

Do I have to gift a dream pet?

No, you don't. You're only required to gift within your tier. Dream pets are usually are really expensive, so don't worry about it too much. If you're feeling super generous, you could definitely try, though.

Does the gift have to be on their wishlist?

It doesn't have to be, but it's highly encouraged. People are more likely to keep what they get if it's on their wishlist. Check their letter to Santa to see if there's anything else they'd like and just try your very best to make them happy!

Can I gift items, C$, art, or off-site items?

Yes, you can. Check their Letter to Santa to see if they'll like getting items, C$, art, or off-site items.

What if I don't know what they want?

They should have written a letter to Santa. If you need help locating their letter, feel free to ask elves. If you want to ask them further questions about what they'd like, you can also ask us to message them to ask for further clarification.

When the time comes, what do I say in my message?

Something along the lines of... "Hi ____, I was your Secret Santa! I hope you enjoy my gift!" Personalize it, make them feel awesome, and try to make their day!

What happens if someone doesn't give a gift?

I will contact them to ask about their situation and ask them to immediately gift whoever they were assigned to gift. It may just be because they forgot to gift it at the right time, they were busy, or some other justified reason. However, if they knowingly didn't gift the person they were assigned to gift, refuses to give a gift, and just takes the gift that was given to them by their Secret Santa, they will be banned from ever participating again. I will then personally gift whoever doesn't get a gift.

Why does registration open so early?

I gather up as many Secret Santas as possible throughout the month of November so that PMs can be sent out with who everyone is assigned to gift and the event can officially begin on December 1st.This gives everyone the entire month of December up until Christmas day to gather gifts.

Why is this not in the Free Adoptions forum?

The Free Adoptions forum is used for one person to give everyone else gifts, whereas in the Secret Santa event, multiple players give gifts to each other. This is an event based around a group of players, so the Clubs and armies forum is the best place for it.

Are other gifting games like this allowed?

Normally, events where the creator isn't the only person giving away gifts aren't allowed. I get special permission every year to continue Secret Santa. The only other annual gifting games like this that are allowed are Lights On Lights Off for Halloween and Holibombs for Christmas, and they're run by some of the Chicken Smoothie staff.

[LissaJo]

Spread the word and help us advertise! I can also make custom ones for you if you'd like! ♥


made by TheBeeGirls.

Code: Select all

[url=https://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=5000210][img]http://i.imgur.com/2ywFSnD.png[/img][/url]

made with the help of alegreya

Code: Select all

[url=https://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=5000210][img]https://imgur.com/KwD0b4O.png[/img][/url]

made by ImThatRogue

Code: Select all

[url=https://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=5000210][img]https://imgur.com/u8SjtXt.png[/img][/url]

made by ImThatRogue

Code: Select all

[url=https://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=5000210][img]https://imgur.com/vzt8dsK.png[/img][/url]

made by ColdSnowball

Code: Select all

[url=https://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=5000210][img]http://fontmeme.com/permalink/161204/10d3ff24a21a49c69ea72c7090617efc.png[/img][/url]

got a button you want to share? PM it to LissaJo ♥

We are an affiliate for the

▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

The Chicken Smoothie News is a community-run Newsletter that has exclusive interviews with staff and members such as Simon, we analyze trade data, keep up with art trends, and so much more! Additionally, we also feature dress-ups, compliments, and art from users every single month, so if you'd like to get your name out there, submitting for the news is the perfect place!

This ad is here for affiliate purposes, as this thread is being advertised on our Newspaper currently! If you would also like to get an ad in our paper, you can Apply Here!

[LissaJo]

Please note we are changing a few things this year so
it is important to read the What's New section before joining
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥



What's New

• For 2024, we have adapted a new way of submitting your application for Secret Santa!
  By using Google forms for applications, this eliminates a step of our elves having to copy & paste your information into our sheet.
  Google forms does not require you to sign in or track your information in any way.
  If you're logged into Google, it will auto save your app for you if you step away and come back.
  If you live in a country where Google forms does not work, please PM an elf and we will help you get joined!
  
• When you send your gift, you also will be required to submit the link via Google form so we know it is complete!
  
• We have added a gift minimum size of 15 pets/items/gifts (art, offsite, etc) no matter what tier level you choose.
  Many people expressed interest in a guideline/minimum required gift either due to not knowing if their gift insufficient or because they have received low-effort gifts. (Most Santas do amazing at sending a gift they would love to receive!) Everyone should have no problem coming up with the minimum as they could even be fodder if you absolutely can not find an appropriate amount of gift-worthy pets/items/etc.
  
• We have added an Extremely Rare tier by popular request.
  
• If you have chosen to receive art & prefer to receive art over pets, you may now choose to accept art as the minimum value of the tier you signed up for. This is done via the joining form!
  
• We posted the EXACT date where we will determine if you are active or not. If you have not opened your Secret Santa Assignment PM by 23:59 December 4th, we will assume you are inactive & remove you from the game. You will receive a PM if this happens & you may join late sign-ups if they are still open when you return.
  
• There will be a feedback poll on our new changes after SS is over to determine if we will keep them moving forward!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Sign-Ups are now OPEN!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

[Lovebean]

I'm gonna bonk this so I can find it easier.

[izzy29587]

Bumping so I can find this when applications open (SO EXCITED!!)

[LissaJo]

We already have 34 sign ups! Feel free to reply when you sign up to keep bumping this up <3

[Sunside]

bumping so I can sign up after I get off of work!!<3