Non-threaded

Forums » News & Updates » Read Thread

Keep up with the latest contests and find out what's been changing with the site.

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago
Commended by Mizal on 11/19/2025 9:03:07 AM

✩ Secret Santa 2025 ✩



‘Tis the season to be wholesome! 

As the festive season approaches, let’s gather around the Christmas tree, put our names in a Santa hat, and exchange digital presents. Only this year, there will be an added twist!

How it works

  • Respond to this post if you want to join!
  • On the 25th of November, you will receive the name of your giftee
  • You'll have roughly a month to prepare a present for them. Aim to deliver your gift by Christmas!


This year, when you receive the name of your giftee, I will ask you to share a secret that will give them a clue about your identity. Choose something you don’t mind everyone else knowing. Each time someone receives a gift, a secret would be revealed.

Here are some past threads for some inspiration: 2023 and 2024.

After all the gifts have been exchanged, we shall let the guessing games commence!

TL;DR: Give a present, receive a present (and likely commendations too). 

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago
LET ME IN

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago

YOU ARE IN

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago

I want to join this Christmas appreciation event!

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago

I'd like to participate. Funny, I actually started making something for christmas but I'm afraid it's too ambitious to finish on time.

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago
Yes!!

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago
Yep I'm in again.

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago
Can't promise my gift will be high or even medium effort, but I'd hate to miss out again this year so sign me up.

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago

I'll join!

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago

Can you embed in padlet? Just wondering if I can make something moving or not.

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago

Yes, you can. Avery linked a Youtube video last year and padlet lets you upload gifs too! (Just remember that if you're using something like youtube, check to make sure your account doesn't give away your name or other personal details). 

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago
I don't feel right entering this if I don't have a good storygame published for anyone to review. Maybe if I finish one of mine in time though.

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago
That's a good goal to have. What are you writing about, Wildblue? Should be interesting! I'm looking forward to reading your game.

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago

Extra motivation to finish your contest storygame!

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago
I'd like to join. The gif is so cool Mystic! I wonder if Ben or someone else is going to do the Santa ninja thing again, that was so fun last year!

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago
PLEASE LET ME JOIN!!! (This is a really cool thread and I'd like to take part ^-^)

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago

I'm in!

Secret Santa 2025

14 days ago
I'll join this year :)

Secret Santa 2025

13 days ago

Sign me up :)

Secret Santa 2025

13 days ago

I'm in.

Secret Santa 2025

13 days ago
This was fun last year. I'm in.

Secret Santa 2025

13 days ago
Sure, why not?

Secret Santa 2025

13 days ago
Count me in! :]

Secret Santa 2025

13 days ago

I'll do it!

Secret Santa 2025

13 days ago

Can't promise anything amazing, but I'd love to join in on this!

Secret Santa 2025

13 days ago

I love gifting things! count me in ^^

Secret Santa 2025

13 days ago
I'm in

Secret Santa 2025

13 days ago
Sure, why not, I'm in.

Secret Santa 2025

12 days ago

I was looking at the 2024 padlet, and is there some kind of Santa's ninja helper that's separate from the gifters or something?

random

Secret Santa 2025

12 days ago
Oh, that was a really funny story.

So, it wasn't actually planned. Mystic came at this planning to just assign one gift to each person, but then someone mysteriously started gifting every one, and Mystic revealed that one of the participants decided to make a 50 point reward for whoever guessed who the secret "ninja" was.

It later turned out to be Ben, and we all had a grand time trying to figure out who it was.

Who knows, maybe there's a secret ninja in our midst who will do it again this year.

Secret Santa 2025

12 days ago

Oh, ok. Is that where he got his profile pic from?

Secret Santa 2025

12 days ago
yeah!

Secret Santa 2025

12 days ago
Or maybe this year, everyone will be a secret ninja and everyone will get a ton of gifts.

Secret Santa 2025

12 days ago

Can I join?

Secret Santa 2025

12 days ago
yes

Secret Santa 2025

12 days ago
@Jade_Dabilover

Wrlcome to the forum! If you're joining the Secret Santa event, I'd recommend writing a few reviews, or competing in the Thunderdome or something, it's easier to gift people and also take part in the guessing game when there's some material to work with.

Secret Santa 2025

12 days ago

      Wrlcome XD  you'll have probably fixed that when you see this so people can't find it any more but it's funny to see while it's there.

      But yeah, I was already thinking about how it'd be the bane of my existence trying to gift something to someone that all I know about them is they like blue. Bhp is fine but still pretty bad.

EDIT: Jade just hasn't logged on since joining :/

Secret Santa 2025

12 days ago
I should mention for any newbies, the gifts are reviews and art and things, no one is expecting you to mail a package lol.

I'm also wondering about the new "secrets" idea, how is it going to help them guess our identity if it's something no one knows and might not even be related to any visible site activity? Or is it meant to be more like an obscure clue than actual new info?

Secret Santa 2025

12 days ago

It's more like an obscure clue than anything else. For instance, if someone shares the secret of having read Eternal five times in the last months, then we can instantly rule out anyone who doesn't read :)

Secret Santa 2025

7 days ago

question: How would you hint that you've read eternal a ton in a picture? Just an example, not what I'm going to do.

Secret Santa 2025

12 days ago

A few new rules:

Looking back at the feedback form for the last Secret Santa event, here are some new changes we'll implement:
 

  1. To join, you should have 5 commendations. This lowers the likelihood of complete newbies joining with no intention of submitting a present and instead shows some staying power on the site.  
  2. If you want to give an extra present to someone who isn't your giftee, you are more than welcome to! Just label it with either your name or a clarification that it isn't from their Secret Santa so this doesn't cause confusion down the line.
  3. Anyone who cannot be bothered to write a short story, review a game or scribble something resembling a picture in an entire month will be put on a naughty list and will not be able to participate again (unless you have a very valid reason). The deadline would be the 27th so everyone has time to recover after Christmas. 


@Jade_Dabilover @UnscapeableDeath @beefhotpot you won't be excluded from this event since the rules weren't established beforehand, but it'll be great if you could rack up a few more commendations before the end of the month. It can be easily accomplished by writing 3 good reviews or posting a short story (which also lets your Secret Santa have something to review as your gift). Reviewing the stories in the Thunderdome would be appreciated too :)

Secret Santa 2025

12 days ago

Yay! I have enough comms!

 

Why does November 25th takes so long ><

Secret Santa 2025

11 days ago

I can't believe it took me this long to realize, can you only do one gift?!

Secret Santa 2025

10 days ago
I mean (hopefully) nobody will be mad for getting a bonus gift. The one you get assigned is a requirement, but it's not against the rules to do something extra for someone you really like.

Secret Santa 2025

10 days ago

You can gift as many as you like to however many people you want to, one gift is just the minimum requirement.

Secret Santa 2025

10 days ago
I'll join

Secret Santa 2025

7 days ago
I really don't have time for this, but I'm in.

Secret Santa 2025

7 days ago

Just in time. Actually, are you technicaly late because now Mysic has to reshuffle the gifters/gitees?

Secret Santa 2025

7 days ago
I'll join as well so Ogre can too

Secret Santa 2025

7 days ago

I just hope we'll still get the names today.

Secret Santa 2025

7 days ago

Alright, looks like there are 26 participants, just in time for the upcoming year of 2026! The wheel of chance will decide your fate. You can expect the name of your giftee at some point tonight after I check the list of names twice - remember to think of a secret to help them guess your identity :)

Anyone who wants to join after this would probably just give gifts to each other.

Secret Santa 2025

7 days ago

Yay!

Secret Santa 2025

7 days ago

Here's the padlet so you have something to look at while you wait.

Made with Padlet

Secret Santa 2025

5 days ago

Darn. I didn't check the cutoff date for this, and I missed the signup.

Ah, well. Maybe next year.

Secret Santa 2025

4 days ago
You can still join Cat! You would just need someone else who hasn’t joined to join as well to balance it out. I’m sure someone will join, let’s ask

Anyone who hasn’t already joined interested?

Secret Santa 2025

4 days ago
I'm sure you could join. Maybe if someone volunteered to Mystic to make an extra gift?

Secret Santa 2025

3 days ago

You're in! 

Secret Santa 2025

7 hours ago
To whoever got my name: just mentioning, I have been very good this year and I could really use a new pfp!

Secret Santa 2025

5 hours ago

Some presents have arrived! Let's see if anyone can guess these Secret Santas:

@goodnight_a your hint is 'I procrastinate ALOT...'
@Mizal your hint is 'If you really can't tell, you're completely sporked.'
@RKrallonor your hint is 'I once lived in Nebraska.'
@UnscapeableDeath your hint is 'I do pixel art.'
@Fabrikant your hint is 'I have never read Eternal'

There appears to be a mysterious generous gifter who has sent some of you additional presents! Try guessing their identity too.
@V__V @MadHattersDaughter @RKrallonor @Will11 @beefhotpot

Secret Santa 2025

5 hours ago
Ooh, I know who RK's is.

And I love mine! (And yes I'm pretty sure I know who it is...Which reminds me I've got some other art I need to add to the game soon too lol)

I'm impressed you guys are getting these up so fast, kind of chuckling at Avo already all over the comment boxes too.

Secret Santa 2025

4 hours ago

._.

Secret Santa 2025

4 hours ago

Should I wait for an official poll or something to start guessing, or could I go ahead and start now?

(Edit: Guessing as in saying/posting who I think everyone is)

Secret Santa 2025

4 hours ago

Is there a limited amount of guesses?

Secret Santa 2025

4 hours ago

Question for everyone: would you prefer discussing and guessing the Secret Santas (2023) or to have a poll at the end (2024)? Let me know which would be more fun for all of you!

Secret Santa 2025

4 hours ago

I would prefer poll.

Secret Santa 2025

4 hours ago

Why not both? We could do discussions, then all do a poll at the end.

Secret Santa 2025

2 hours ago

I agree with UD!

Secret Santa 2025

2 hours ago

Sure! Why not. I would think discussions wouldn't count as our guesses, though. If Mystic is ok with it, of course.