First year participating in FlyerTalk Official 2019 Secret Santa Extravaganza

As most of you should know, FlyerTalk is a forum where international frequent flyers and travelers congregate to exchange and share deals and experiences.

Early on in October, I chanced upon this thread:- "OFFICIAL 2019 Secret Santa Extravaganza" and was immediately drawn in by the idea of sending local gifts to someone who may very well be on the other side of the globe (and to receive a unique Christmas gift of course). I've done secret Santas, but an international Secret Santa just seemed so much more exciting especially because you don't know who or where you might be sending or receiving a gift from!

Upon closer look at the thread, it is an annual tradition for the forum moderator to organize this international Secret Santa Extravaganza for the community. The requirements for participation were very simple, the gifts should be a minimum of $50USD not inclusive of shipping and packaging fees and that you needed to be a registered member. As a first time participant, I can only choose to have 1 receiver. If you have participated before, you can choose to have multiple receivers and multiple Secret Santas.

I immediately signed up and waited about 1 week for the moderator to update the thread to verify my participation.

Soon after, I received the much awaited message from the mod. My receiver is someone not too far away in Australia who loves reading and handicraft. The total opposite of me. I researched and prepared a mini gift box with about 4 items and a handwritten card. Clearly, I exceeded the minimum spend of $50USD for the gifts not including the S$30 for shipping! Clearly I don't ship overseas often and did not realize international shipping fees can be so expensive!

(Plugged out of my Instastory as I realized I deleted the original picture)

I also received my gift about a week later.

To my surprise, my Secret Santa was from Japan!

The gifts were all carefully wrapped in these festive glossy wrappers together with a handwritten note on a Japan Airline Card.

I was so excited to see what the packages had contained especially because I am absolutely in love with JAL. Perhaps the mod knew this and paired me with someone from Japan.

Well, I'm not going to divulge the gifts I received, but I had so much fun planning the gifts for my receiver and to receive the awesome gifts from my Secret Santa from Japan.

Christmas is about giving and to be able to give to a complete stranger and attempt to make their day and then see their review on the forum absolutely delights me. If I get the opportunity to do this again next year, I would without a doubt!

Merry Christmas!