CLOSED TacomaWorld Secret Santa 2016!!!

Bennett707 · Sep 8, 2016

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-picture-thread.401294/page-197#post-11662322
many more touching stories, just two that i remembered vividly when I went back to the thread.

HEART STRINGS PULLED

Madjik_Man said:

Okay, so 12 hours is technically waiting to open it.

@fleckosaurus

I opened the package and dug my hands into the packing peanuts. I felt a frame. I instantly got warm and fuzzy "down there." I pulled the bubble wrapped gift out of the UPS box and "it" started to rise.

I open the card first because I think I read that in an Emily Post book awhile ago.

$25 gift card to Shell gasoline. How fuggen awesome is that?

Then I carefully unwrapped the frame....

It's my truck, in the mountains of Colorado, printed on wood surrounded by a beautiful wood frame. I'm at a loss for words, this is perfect and awesome.

I texted a picture of it to my girlfriend... who lovingly mocks me for my fetish of taking pictures of my truck in the mountains. She simply texted back, "I love whoever got that for you."

And the back of the frame for prosperity's sake:

So now here comes the mushy part....

Part 1: My dad used to own discount liquor/beer/wine stores when I was a kid growing up. He would always get free schwag from the vendors to put up in his stores. About 40 years ago he gave me a beer mirror that I loved and cherished. Throughout 3 states and about 50 moves, this mirror always stayed with me. It has always been a piece of my decor and something I would see every day. Turns out it's a rare piece too. Flash forward to a few years ago when my dad was out visiting... he accidentally shut the door, adjacent to the mirror, WAY too hard and the mirror fell off the wall and shattered. My heart sank and 40 years of memories and love of that piece shattered too. For years I walk by the spot where the mirror used to hang and not a day goes by that I think of it, miss it and see more than just a physically empty space.

This piece will now be hung in that spot and be a more than adequate and fulfilling successor to beer mirror.

Part 2: The TWSS is obviously a great idea that brings a lot of laughs and fun times to our, the members', lives. For the past couple of weeks there are a lot of jocular posts about "I hope that package is coming to me," "I just sent a package to.... (ninja emoticon)," etc. Hell even last night I was really just giddy to hear the knock at the door and open up the package today. And after opening it I was excited to post this and the pictures in this thread for humor's sake.

But between downloading the photos and logging on the TW, I took a moment. The feeling of giddiness and anticipation of "how will I post this" took a backseat to reflection. My Secret Santa obviously spent some time finding out who I am, what are my interests, and what would hit me best. I didn't post a single clue, "wish list" or the likes; that's simply not my style. So some stranger took the time to get to know me, to a certain extent, for no other reason than trying to give joy to my life. That's fucking beautiful to me. There needs to be more of this in our world.

We've seen a lot of member's stories pop up in this thread that really give pause. Then we get to see what our gestures towards others bring to their respective lives and how far a little effort goes into fulfilling someone else's day/life. It's an amazing thing to be a part of... filling this world with incredible amounts of good is the only way it will become good.

Thank you so much. This gift, and the whole exchange experience, is incredible.

@fleckosaurus I hope the gift you receive brings even a fraction of joy to you as yours did to me.
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techoma said:

I've been involved in this SS for a few years. I'm not taking anything away from the previous gifters... but I must share this years story, which has not been public on TW, just a few of my closest TW friends know. .

Mid September, my wife and I uprooted and moved to AZ. I shipped the Taco, we drove her Highlander, and paid to have all our belongings moved from NY and VA to here.

On 11\1 I took my wife to the ER. It's been a nightmare since. My wife has small cell lung cancer that has spread everywhere but her brain. She's had 2 rounds of chemo (can't do radiation) and after the 3rd round (Dec 22, 23, and 24), we will evaluate quality of life vs treatment. Our days together are numbered either way.

I was prodded by a member to post on the SS list what I wanted this year. Obviously what I want can't be bought, so I requested for my SS to take his\her significant other out and make a memory. I told my wife what I did, she liked it as well.

So today upon opening my front door and I see these 2 boxes. When I saw they were for me, I immediately thought TW SS! Look at this F-ing guy! I'm not sure how he found out what he did, what lengths he had to go through, but he certainly touched our hearts! Did he know purple is her favorite color (BY FAR) or that even here in AZ she's cold most of the time? Then the card... I'm sorry, most thoughtful gift I've gotten in years.

My favorite saying these days is "In the end, everything will be OK. If it's not OK, it is not the end!" I'm not sure whos quote it is, but it is what we live by now. With the support of family, friends, and community, everything will be OK. I'm thankful to be a part of the TW community!

Thank you Patrick Frazier... Whoever you are. You are one Stand Up dude. Merry Christmas!
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techoma said:

I have been a big proponent of TW from the time I joined, and my wife has ALWAYS supported my TW endeavors, our Mod Days, and our get togethers (when we were in the Southeast - Tidewater region there were MANY)! Today, once again TW supported her. We received a beautiful gift box today. It was a VERY SPECIAL moment for her... but rather than getting all wordy, they say a picture is worth a thousand words... She absolutely LOVES the robe, and the card (only one panel shown) was so perfect!!! THANK YOU for bringing a smile to her face and warming our hearts!
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techoma said:

And the season continues! Seems the winners of a "Best Of TW" contest are donating their prizes. Late last week, out of the blue I received a gift certificate from HeadStrong Off Road. I actually emailed them to ask what it was for as I didn't enter any contest.

As you know, this is not the first "gift" or act of random kindness I've received. Along with the SS post I made here, My Giftee and his wife turned around and sent my wife the purple robe (I posted that pic). I also received a set of Trail Toys Mirrors (pretty cool item) and a Salex Glove Box organizer (didn't know how bad I needed that until I put it in!) from other contest winners.

This is a very humbling position to be in. On one hand, it can be a bit embarrassing. I know there are people in worse positions, and I get to feeling a bit guilty about accepting these things. On the other hand, after 30+ years of marriage with the same woman, our lives are getting ready to change drastically, and trying to prepare for this the best we can is a daunting challenge, if this is something we can even prepare for.

My mods used to be for function and cool factor, and were done in a leisurely fashion when I could and as the mood hit me, generally no rush. Now, as we plan for my future, it has taken on a new importance. With all the medical bills and the loss of her income immediately after a cross country move, we've exhausted our savings and look at things MUCH differently. When "the time" comes, I will be moving out of our house. For awhile after that, I will be traveling around the country to honor Alison's wishes, and travel all the parks she didn't get to take me to. At times I'll have my daughters with me, maybe even my grandson now and then. The mods to the truck have become more of a must do. I \ we will be living out of it and the RTT trailer, so it needs to be very road worthy. It won't have the convenience of a back up vehicle anymore, my garage, or my plethora of tools, so everything I get done now, gets me one more step to a safer run when I need it.

It's tough to wrap my head around it all, at times it's like living someone else's life. Four months ago we were driving across the country discussing how blessed we were, and how the universe lined up to give us this great western opportunity and bright future. Our discussions now are so very different. Now we discuss daily blessings like sleeping through the night, being able to leave the house, feeling OK, and the wonderful people in our lives. Our biological families are back east, my TW family is everywhere!

I want to thank each of you, not just those anonymous givers of their prize winnings, but also those of you who have PM'd me, dropped us a note, and just quietly wished us hope in your own way.

I hope to meet many of you in my travels, but in all actuality, I hope its later than sooner. In the meantime, don't take today for granted.
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TinyTech626 · Sep 8, 2016

Bennett707 said: ↑

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-picture-thread.401294/page-197#post-11662322
many more touching stories, just two that i remembered vividly when I went back to the thread.

HEART STRINGS PULLED
Click to expand...

Alright @Bennett707 Ya convinced me.

TinyTech626 · Sep 8, 2016

@scottalot Creeper.

Techoma · Sep 8, 2016

How can I not be in... however I will wait for the right day to send the PM!

WormSquirts · Sep 8, 2016

I need to post in here, just so I don't forget to pm on the 15!!!

Got to watch a lot of the stories unfold from the last one, even though I don't think I had even officially become a member yet, and I've been looking forward to this ever since!

Sandman614 · Sep 9, 2016

Thank you guys!

BabyTaco · Sep 12, 2016

Blais03 · Sep 13, 2016

I'm absolutely in! Shit like this is why I love Tacomaworld.

Ice Horse · Sep 13, 2016

To anybody on the fence on if they should join or not...DO IT! I see so many posts after it's closed "aww man I should have joined!" "dang this looks so fun!"

DON'T BE THAT GUY.

Join the awesome that is TWSS.

memario1214 · Sep 13, 2016

In

emelianenkov · Sep 14, 2016

Can't wait to organize all these names.

Just ANOTHER reminder, send us your information BEGINNING OCTOBER 15TH!!!!!!!!!!!

BabyTaco · Sep 14, 2016

Sending pm with info.

memario1214 · Sep 14, 2016

BabyTaco said: ↑

Sending pm with info.
Click to expand...

DONT DO IT YET!

Full disclosure I got excited and did it already too...

BabyTaco · Sep 14, 2016

I was just being an asshat

Sandman614 · Sep 14, 2016

@ChadsPride Would like this

ChadsPride · Sep 14, 2016

jpneely · Sep 14, 2016

emelianenkov[OP] said: ↑

Can't wait to organize all these names.

Just ANOTHER reminder, send us your information BEGINNING OCTOBER 15TH!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

oops. haha damn im one of those guys huh. I even read the OP! damn SAT skillz are wearing off

emelianenkov · Sep 14, 2016

BabyTaco said: ↑

I was just being an asshat
Click to expand...

You never let us down. Always there when we need an asshat

emelianenkov · Sep 14, 2016

OP updated.

se7enine · Sep 14, 2016

Tell somebody not to look down and what's the first thing they do?

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Welcome to Tacoma World!

CLOSED TacomaWorld Secret Santa 2016!!!

#81
Bennett707 Station707

#82
TinyTech626 reverses st. signs & steals everyone's left shoe

#83
TinyTech626 reverses st. signs & steals everyone's left shoe

#84
Techoma This is the Wild, Wild, West!

#85
WormSquirts Armageddon

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Sandman614 Ex-Snarky TWSS elf, Travis #hotsavannahdotcom

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#96
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#98
emelianenkov [OP] Santa/Alex Emeliahoweveryouspellhislastname

#99
emelianenkov [OP] Santa/Alex Emeliahoweveryouspellhislastname

#100
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Welcome to Tacoma World!

*CLOSED* TacomaWorld Secret Santa 2016!!!

#81 Bennett707 Station707

#82 TinyTech626 reverses st. signs & steals everyone's left shoe

#83 TinyTech626 reverses st. signs & steals everyone's left shoe

#84 Techoma This is the Wild, Wild, West!

#85 WormSquirts Armageddon

#86 Sandman614 Ex-Snarky TWSS elf, Travis #hotsavannahdotcom

#87 BabyTaco Well-Known Member

#88 Blais03 Guess I'll bring a spare wheel bearing...

#89 Ice Horse Stalking horse

#90 memario1214 Hotshot Offroad Moderator Vendor

#91 emelianenkov [OP] Santa/Alex Emeliahoweveryouspellhislastname

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#95 Sandman614 Ex-Snarky TWSS elf, Travis #hotsavannahdotcom

#96 ChadsPride Tacoma Owner & Enthusiast

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#98 emelianenkov [OP] Santa/Alex Emeliahoweveryouspellhislastname

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#100 se7enine MCMLXXIX

Products Discussed in Entire Site Forum: Off-Topic Discussion

CLOSED TacomaWorld Secret Santa 2016!!!

#81
Bennett707 Station707

#82
TinyTech626 reverses st. signs & steals everyone's left shoe

#83
TinyTech626 reverses st. signs & steals everyone's left shoe

#84
Techoma This is the Wild, Wild, West!

#85
WormSquirts Armageddon

#86
Sandman614 Ex-Snarky TWSS elf, Travis #hotsavannahdotcom

#87
BabyTaco Well-Known Member

#88
Blais03 Guess I'll bring a spare wheel bearing...

#89
Ice Horse Stalking horse

#90
memario1214 Hotshot Offroad Moderator Vendor

#91
emelianenkov [OP] Santa/Alex Emeliahoweveryouspellhislastname

#92
BabyTaco Well-Known Member

#93
memario1214 Hotshot Offroad Moderator Vendor

#94
BabyTaco Well-Known Member

#95
Sandman614 Ex-Snarky TWSS elf, Travis #hotsavannahdotcom

#96
ChadsPride Tacoma Owner & Enthusiast

#97
jpneely Well-Known Member

#98
emelianenkov [OP] Santa/Alex Emeliahoweveryouspellhislastname

#99
emelianenkov [OP] Santa/Alex Emeliahoweveryouspellhislastname

#100
se7enine MCMLXXIX

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