November 23rd, 2008 / 8:03 pm
Web Hype

HTMLGIANT is Secret Santa

Dear Readers,

We are pleased to announce our First Annual Secret Santa Gift Exchange to support independent literature.

Here’s how it works:

1) If you want to participate, email your name and mailing address to htmlgiant@gmail.com with the subject line: SECRET SANTA. The due date for this is Midnight on Friday, December 5th.

2) As soon as possible, we email you the name and address of your assigned gift recipient.

3) We assign your name and address to another Secret Santa.

4) By Christmas, you purchase for your gift recipient a wonderful gift and email us to let us know what you got him or her.

5) You simultaneously enjoy the gift that you receive from your own Secret Santa.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

So why a Secret Santa gift exchange?

We at HTMLGIANT enjoy two things: promoting independent literature and surprising people. We figured a Secret Santa thing might allow us to do both. We hope that by doing this we can get independent literature into everyone’s faces, but in a way that would expose those faces to new, unheard of things. That’s the surprise part.

So what should I buy for my gift recipient?

Well sure, we have some suggestions. Buy a subscription to your favorite independent journal. Or buy a subscription to an independent journal you’ve heard good things about. Buy a book from one of the many small presses around the scene. Buy a book by an independent author. Buy a book in translation. Buy an anthology of work published by one of the many online literary journals. We can’t make you do any of this, really, but you should know that we certainly hope you’ll consider something of the sort. That was our intention. Maybe we’ll come up with a list of suggestions?

When should I buy and send my gift?

We don’t really know. We’re not very good at logistical problems. If you’re buying a subscription online, you could technically wait until Christmas Eve to pull out the credit card. But then your gift recipient wouldn’t have anything in hand to read and enjoy that morning. In this case, it might be worthwhile to send him or her an email and say, “Hey, guess what? I’m your Secret Santa and I just bought you a year’s subscription to such and such magazine.” If you’re buying him or her a book, maybe you should purchase it a week or two ahead and have the press/journal mail it directly. If you’re planning to mail it on your own, don’t wait until the last minute. There’s really no excuse not to. You have all you need to send the gift: a name and a mailing address. And remember, a late gift is better than no gift at all.

How do I learn the identity of my Secret Santa so that I can thank him or her?

Because HTMLGIANT will know who is paired with whom and what gifts everyone received, we will post a massive list on Christmas morning of all of the exchanges that occurred. Then you can comment on the list and post your thanks. Ultimately, we’d like to give everyone an idea as to how much cool stuff was received, how many independent presses and journals and authors benefited from your goodwill, how many people are into reading independent literature.

What if I already own what my Secret Santa purchased for me?

If you find out that you already own the gift, we encourage you to regift it to someone else. You might also consider commenting on our massive post to say how happy you are to receive such a wonderful gift, but that you already own it and would be willing to set up a trade with someone else. The idea here is to create some chaotic sort of gift exchange. In order to do that, we ask that you embrace the giving spirit of the holidays.

How can I avoid giving someone a gift that they already own?

Good question. We struggled over this one and came up with this: we recommend that you get people things they’d likely not have, such as a subscription to a small magazine you think you’ve discovered on your own, or a book just released by a small press. Check out catalogues to see what books have just come out.

 

 

So, that’s all. We really do hope you’ll consider participating. And spread the word. The more people, the better. If you have any other questions, please email us.

Tags: ,

120 Comments

  1. Blake Butler

      what a photo

  2. Blake Butler

      what a photo

  3. jh

      what about unabombers

  4. jh

      what about unabombers

  5. Ryan Call

      only allowed if they support indie lit

  6. Ryan Call

      only allowed if they support indie lit

  7. Matt

      I love that the photo is a pope santa. I heard he’s a bad ass. He gives kids gifts after he touches them.

  8. Matt

      I love that the photo is a pope santa. I heard he’s a bad ass. He gives kids gifts after he touches them.

  9. Cliff Garstang

      Bah Humbug. Except for this. This is cool.

  10. Cliff Garstang

      Bah Humbug. Except for this. This is cool.

  11. Julia Cohen

      I’m sorry, did you decide to call it Secret Santa because Secret Jewbag was already taken?

  12. Julia Cohen

      I’m sorry, did you decide to call it Secret Santa because Secret Jewbag was already taken?

  13. Molly Gaudry

      I love this. At least maybe it’ll be a merry Christmas
      : )

      even though it’s going to be a lonely Thanksgiving.
      : (

  14. Molly Gaudry

      I love this. At least maybe it’ll be a merry Christmas
      : )

      even though it’s going to be a lonely Thanksgiving.
      : (

  15. Molly Gaudry

      Excuse me: A merry winter…

  16. Molly Gaudry

      Excuse me: A merry winter…

  17. matthew savoca

      8 crazy nights

  18. matthew savoca

      8 crazy nights

  19. jereme

      Ryan,

      I like this idea.

  20. jereme

      Ryan,

      I like this idea.

  21. matthew savoca

      someone at htmlgiant should compile a list of indie presses that are currently accepting booklength manuscript submissions. this same person, or other people too, should update this list frequently. the list should be categorized and very formal. this should be one of the chief duties of htmlgiant forever.

  22. matthew savoca

      someone at htmlgiant should compile a list of indie presses that are currently accepting booklength manuscript submissions. this same person, or other people too, should update this list frequently. the list should be categorized and very formal. this should be one of the chief duties of htmlgiant forever.

  23. Alicia

      support indie literature
      with ribbons and glitter!

  24. Alicia

      support indie literature
      with ribbons and glitter!

  25. Molly Gaudry

      Matthew: Tell that person to add Keyhole to their list.

      Alicia: Yes! Pink!

  26. Molly Gaudry

      Matthew: Tell that person to add Keyhole to their list.

      Alicia: Yes! Pink!

  27. Molly Gaudry

      Sorry, haven’t slept in awhile: Tell that person to add Keyhole to her or his list.
      I fucking hate typos.

  28. Molly Gaudry

      Sorry, haven’t slept in awhile: Tell that person to add Keyhole to her or his list.
      I fucking hate typos.

  29. barry

      molly:

      why a lonely thanksgiving. you wanna come to my grannies?

  30. barry

      molly:

      why a lonely thanksgiving. you wanna come to my grannies?

  31. Molly Gaudry

      Barry, That is so sweet! I bet your grandmother has the best recipes. I have to work, and who’s going to come in during dinnertime? Nobody. If only I were still bartending, I’d be having a much better week. I’d buy myself a warm pair of boots.

  32. Molly Gaudry

      Barry, That is so sweet! I bet your grandmother has the best recipes. I have to work, and who’s going to come in during dinnertime? Nobody. If only I were still bartending, I’d be having a much better week. I’d buy myself a warm pair of boots.

  33. Molly Gaudry

      Barry, by the way: I still haven’t heard from you know where. What’s that about?

  34. Molly Gaudry

      Barry, by the way: I still haven’t heard from you know where. What’s that about?

  35. barry

      my grandmother is amish. she cooks well.

      thats odd that you havent heard from them yet. email that one guy. he’ll give you the scoop.

  36. barry

      my grandmother is amish. she cooks well.

      thats odd that you havent heard from them yet. email that one guy. he’ll give you the scoop.

  37. Molly Gaudry

      I’ll bet she does.

      Okay, I’ll let you know when I know.

  38. Molly Gaudry

      I’ll bet she does.

      Okay, I’ll let you know when I know.

  39. Leigh Stein

      If I’m Jewish, do I get eight presents?

  40. Leigh Stein

      If I’m Jewish, do I get eight presents?

  41. Ryan Call

      hmmm, i did not think this out very well.

      i cannot promise 8 presents, but there could be a ‘snafu’ with the gift assigning…

  42. Ryan Call

      hmmm, i did not think this out very well.

      i cannot promise 8 presents, but there could be a ‘snafu’ with the gift assigning…

  43. Secret Santa « Feel Good Lost

      […] November 26, 2008 by rachelmallino I am SO participating. And you should, too. […]

  44. Leigh Stein

      It’s okay. I’m only Jewish when someone asks, “Are you Jewish?” But really I celebrate Christmas. I was just trying to work the system.

  45. Leigh Stein

      It’s okay. I’m only Jewish when someone asks, “Are you Jewish?” But really I celebrate Christmas. I was just trying to work the system.

  46. Rachel

      Great idea, Ryan.

  47. Rachel

      Great idea, Ryan.

  48. zach

      i’m more for the secrets than the santas

  49. zach

      i’m more for the secrets than the santas

  50. Ryan Call

      maybe we could do something like that too

      email matthew simmons for blind(secret)items

  51. Ryan Call

      maybe we could do something like that too

      email matthew simmons for blind(secret)items

  52. <HTMLGIANT> » Blog Archive » A Thanksgiving Post: Secret Santa Update

      […] you everyone who has signed up so far for the HTMLGIANT Secret Santa Gift Exchange for Independent Literature. As of right now, we have 59 people signed up to take part in the gift exchange, including some […]

  53. Barrelhouse » Blog Archive » Be an Indie Lit Secret Santa with HTML Giant

      […] folks at HTML Giant have launched a cool project Secret Santa project. As the name might suggest, it’s a secret santa thing, with books. Just send them an email […]

  54. shawn

      neat idea.

  55. shawn

      neat idea.

  56. Secret Santa!

      […] I signed up. How about you? […]

  57. cari

      Great idea! I’ve signed up and blogged it…

  58. cari

      Great idea! I’ve signed up and blogged it…

  59. moebius

      Soo… got any list of suggested indie publishers? I don’t really know of any, and might just be inclined to order from a mainstream distributor like Amazon.com or B&N.

  60. moebius

      Soo… got any list of suggested indie publishers? I don’t really know of any, and might just be inclined to order from a mainstream distributor like Amazon.com or B&N.

  61. Lakin Khan

      oooohh! I’m always ready to play Secret Santa! and with books/mags/journals, wow! count me in! And no, I’m not a real Muslim. But once my husband was, I mean, once I had a husband who was, but I’m over it now.
      gonna blog this too, it’s such a cool idea.

  62. Lakin Khan

      oooohh! I’m always ready to play Secret Santa! and with books/mags/journals, wow! count me in! And no, I’m not a real Muslim. But once my husband was, I mean, once I had a husband who was, but I’m over it now.
      gonna blog this too, it’s such a cool idea.

  63. leslie shipman

      nice.

  64. leslie shipman

      nice.

  65. Secret Santa « NCBPMA Book Blog

      […] you’re looking for some holiday magic, HTML GIANT is doing a Secret Santa of their own. Support your independent booksellers/writers/publishers/etc. […]

  66. <HTMLGIANT> » Blog Archive » 100 Secret Santas and counting…

      […] right. 100 of you have signed up for our Secret Santa Gift Exchange for Independent Literature. Things are […]

  67. aaron gilbreath

      ooh ooh, great idea. just climbed on back of santa’s bike.

  68. aaron gilbreath

      ooh ooh, great idea. just climbed on back of santa’s bike.

  69. <HTMLGIANT> » Blog Archive » MASSIVE PEOPLE(5): Interviewers Around The Web

      […] we are bad at checking our email. Things are a little disorganized at the moment (except for Secret Santa, which is really really organized – I’m […]

  70. Kevin

      Do you have anyone in England looking to do this? Cos I’m one of them…

  71. Kevin

      Do you have anyone in England looking to do this? Cos I’m one of them…

  72. the scowl » Blog Archive » reading on reading: html giant

      […] their independent literature Secret Santa program for the holidays. There’s something inherently appealing about this idea. I’m totally […]

  73. yeah yeah yeah - Words

      […] The Ampersand could make a great secret Santa gift, if a literary blind exchange ever existed. Oh, look it does. Thank you, internet! […]

  74. <HTMLGIANT> » Blog Archive » Last Day to be a Secret Santa

      […] a Secret Santa and support independent […]

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  120. HTMLGIANT / Second Annual Indie Lit Secret Santa Signup Open

      […] details can be found on the post from last year, here. It’s really all pretty simple. Spend $10-$20. SIGN UP HERE TO PLAY! And retweet away! […]