Articulate and Intricate

What’s Reddit Gifts?

Best. Christmas gift. Ever!

Reddit Gifts is a service (linked to the insanely popular website Reddit) where you can sign up to take part in various “secret santa” exchanges. You create an account and register your interest in taking part in the exchange of your choice. The most popular of these is the Reddit Gifts Secret Santa, which has people from all over the globe signing up to send a stranger a holiday present. I’ve taken part in the Secret Santa for the last two years and have had some excellent gifts, in one case my Secret Santa got me something I’d secretly been wanting but hadn’t told anyone (except the internet) because it was took geeky. Honestly though, what is so strange about wanting a cuddly brain cell?

After the Secret Santa of 2014 I noticed that there were other gift exchanges that I could join in with. Across a huge scope of topics, I soon saw one that caught my eye. A stationary exchange? Focusing on books and pens to give to others and receiving a mystery piece of writing equipment to call my own.

SOLD!

How to Exchange Presents Through Reddit Gifts!

You need to sign up for the exchange before the final date, this gives the site plenty of time to choose the person to send your gift to. You can opt for your match to be someone within your country or outside, which is a touch I really like. After a few days, the address of your partner will be sent to you via email and you have a set amount of time to get that present in the post! You’ll also get a quick overview of what your match would prefer to receive, which you can either follow or do your own thing!

RedditGifts doesn’t have a set amount that you need to spend on your match and I was even a bit sneaky this year by giving away a writing book that I bought on a whim for myself but have never used. Rather than giving it to a charity shop I thought it would have a better home with another creative person. I’ve also always felt that the structure of the gift exchange is excellent. You need to register when your package has been sent (preferably with some kind of proof and/or code but I’ve enjoyed RedditGifts fine without using that) and then wait for your partner to mark the package as received.

You can’t “complete” a gift exchange without sending a thank you to your match for whatever they sent and you can also rate the gift on how much you liked it. Completing the exchange means that you get a credit, and you need credits in order to participate. This means that time wasters or trolls don’t last long because they’re being assessed by other users. I’ve not had one rubbish gift so far in my use of Reddit Gifts and this stationary exchange was no different!

So, What Did You Get In The Stationary Exchange?

I loved my present from the moment it arrived. It’s very clear that some people put a lot more effort into the exchange than I do and my gift was lovingly wrapped with an adorable little note (if you don’t want to squint, it reads “To a fellow Wrimo. Hope you enjoy your pens & stationary exchange gifts and have fun choosing for someone else!”). Getting to rip off the wrapping made it feel even more like an early birthday present and I loved what I found inside.

Instantly recognisable was the Nanowrimo support book “No Plot? No Problem!”. It’s a book that I’ve considered purchasing more than once during the seven years I’ve been taking part in NaNoWriMo but I’ve always left off, even when buying other stuff. I’ll soon be flicking through and letting you know what I think!

I also received a new Lamy pen and a sweet little lined notebook, perfect for to do lists and the like. My Redditgifts match put a lot of effort into my gift and it’s clear everything I was given was brand new, it’s lovely to think that someone put so much time and effort into giving something to a stranger.

I was incredibly pleased with my exchange gifts and it was also a real pleasure to see that the gifts I sent out were also happily received. I really love the mandatory “Thank you” feature, it meant that I got to see this lovely review of the stationary I chose for the exchange:

My santa sent me three fantastic gifts! The first gift I opened was an intriguing looking purple notebook that wouldn’t be out of place in Harry Potter. I discovered it was a magic themed notebook with a magic wand pencil! I love stationery with character, so thank you very much for this kazuwacky :) Secondly, I received two Pigma pens, I have never used Pigma before so I am very excited to try these out. One is a brush tip (my favourite type of pen) and the other is a Micron which has the thinnest point I have ever seen! Thanks for both pens! Finally, continuing with the mystical theme, I received a small blue notebook titled ‘Bedtime Notes’ with a lovely illustration of a man in the moon. I am always thinking of ideas and such in bed so this will come in very handy indeed.

Thanks for all of the fab stationery gifts, kazuwacky!

Going for an exchange that was specifically about a topic I’m interested in was a great choice because I knew I’d love whatever I received. Plus, the excitement of getting a little surprise never seems to wear off with age, nor does the pleasure of getting a package in the post. In many ways, this was actually nostalgic for me because I never send or receive post anymore, it was practically novel going to a Post Office!

I Want to Get Involved!

I’m not bloody surprised! This is a really lovely thing to do online and feels like the modern equivalent of short-term pen pals (and all my pen pals were short term, thanks to my hatred of writing letters). The stationary gift exchange is now over (I presume for a few months at least) but there are plenty of other geeky themed exchanges that will be available in the coming year. Simply sign up and start looking for potential gifts!

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