Mumsnet Christmas Appeal/Secret Santa - your thoughts please?

Yes it should continue, new rules about checking via MNHQ if it's been received rather than keeping posting on the thread.
Get rid of appeal and no self nominations.

I like it. But agree it should be secret santa rather than gift appeal.

This is the first year I can afford to donate so please don't get rid!

I agree with daisyflowerchain , also definitely call it secret Santa ,it is not an appeal and that terminology is misleading .

I don't understand nominating yourself. Should that be allowed?

I like it but I do feel it can be a popularity contest. Also those who nominated themselves got heavily criticised which I felt was unfair as they might still need the help.

Also I missed out one year as I hadn't seen the nomination PM so perhaps an easier way of notifying?

isn't there often one done via a john lewis gift list (not sure who runs this)? a totally different set-up of course

I really like it, but maybe something like an organised collection of things for womens refuges (or a charity who want things that mnetters are likely to have to donate) would work better overall - so you could send things bagged up as 'girls outfit age 7', a shoebox of toys/books for a boy age 5, bag of toiletries, emergency bag for a baby etc

I rather like the idea of actual donations being to a children's charity or wome's refuge but I sense that that might need a bit more thought (and organization) at this time of the year given that October will soon be upon us and many people will need a little notice to eg start to make presents. (I seem to recall that there were also thoughts at the time of the Giving Week about combining that with the Secret Santa in some way?)

Perhaps we should ask for it to run as in previous years for 2014 (learning some final lessons from it) but with a view to a possible comprehensive overhaul of both events in 2015?

It's no longer an appeal but a secret santa for those that are nominated. It tends to bring out lots of horrible threads, people upset they didn't get anything or sob stories galore.

It would be better to either do a proper secret Santa where anyone can take part and price limited or perhaps nominate a children's charity or women's refuge and do something for them.

I thought it was for people who either needed a morale boost or to say thank you to people who had helped others or given a morale boost. Or anyone really. I don't see what's wrong with that.

oh yes definitely, we're agreeing here basically - it just needs to be made really clear that MNHQ aren't going to guarantee material hardship, that's not what the MN appeal/SS is about, so if that's where you want your donation to go, you might want to look at another type of gift-giving mechanism

^^ Everything Maryz said.

I prefer a giving week.

"Appeal" does seem to suggest people in need. Which leads to jealousy when people who aren't apparently in need get nominated. So to avoid jealousy it might be worth removing appeal and also banning threads about it, other than the thank you threads with different pseudos.

haha maryz - that wasn't quite what i meant

people do often ask for more information on their recipients than MN can provide for privacy reasons, and for some people that makes a difference in terms of their gift selection, that's all

Although I do think 'Appeal' out to be ditched. 'Secret Santa' is much more appropriate.

I received a gift last year and I was very grateful, humble and slightly embarrassed!
I had had an utterly shit year and the gift when it arrived was wonderful. I cried! it was full of imagination and care.
I'm going to donate this year. I want someone else who needs it to get that boost that I received.
I am not interested in thanks or worthiness. I just want to pay it forward.

It used to be a fantastic thing when it was an appeal, rather than the secret Santa favourite Mner nomination that it's become. Now, with the competitive giving, and the poor me begging that usually begins around now, and the favourite Mner thing it's basically become, I think HQ' s efforts could be best spent elsewhere.

^This^

It really was awful last year... I haven't been nominated, I deserve to be nominated, I haven't been thanked, I haven't received my gift, I've been nominated and I'm embarrassed, I didn't want to be nominated.... Blah blah... It really was awful!

I think it's a lovely tradition and would hate to see it go. I got very annoyed last year at the griping that went on about it as it's not compulsory to join in.

It's something special to Mumsnet. When I've donated, I don't really care whether my gift goes to someone having a hard time, or someone who has made someone else smile.

It must be a mammoth amount of work for HQ to do and I'm not surprised that we're being asked after all of the whining last year, but I'd like to see it continue.

stop whinging about whether or not you are thanked - bear in mind the recipient might be having a shit time and find the pressure to thank just too much. So would those whingers who want grovelling thanks please STFU too

I didn't receive mine and my first thought wasn't "Oh no, I haven't received a present" it was "Oh no, some lovely person somewhere has made an effort for me and I can't appreciate it!". If there were a way of politely refusing a nomination I would take it, but there really isn't - somebody somewhere was kind enough to think I deserved a little extra and it would be bratty and ungrateful to refuse.

DS loves his dragon Jellykat toy we were sent the year he was born, but the giver didn't put their number on the parcel so I did what I could using mine but would love them to know exactly how much joy he's had from it - I sewed elastic and a clip on to use in the car and it has saved our sanity on many a long journey.

i vote we use Maryz's second acronym :o

I know, bit slow on the uptake today!

or add some wording to the effect of "if you only want to donate a present knowing for sure that the recipient is "in need" (for want of a better phrase) then here is a link where you can find contact details for your local refuge"

not saying that anyone on MN isn't genuinely in need in some way, but there are people who would make different present choices depending on the situation of the recipient, and MN can't pass on that level of information

Farely, I prefer Maryz latter one myself