Christmas Shopping

[Miles]

I'm taking part in Kelly's family Christmas this year and they do the same thing. There's a website to manage it all (of course I can't remember it right now!). Each member lists up to three "wants" and then people are randomly assigned a person. They set a hard limit at $10. The real fun is that each person must wrap the gift creatively. I'm sure I'll be polling for help as soon as I find out who my person is and what their gift is!

Website for managing "secret Santa" is called Elfster. As I said in my previous post the whole Christmas party is about creative wrapping. Now I'm about to have mega fun. I was randomly assigned Kelly's father, Pat, and have an awesome idea for presenting his $10 Gift-Card.

Back story: Pat and Nancy's across-the-street neighbors hung a hideously ugly plastic Santa face above their garage; they do it every year. Kelly and I went over for dinner the other night and it was the first things I saw when we pulled up. It kind of looks like Dr. Zaos meets Santa Claus on Acid. It's bad. So Pat and I joked about getting out a bb-gun and shooting it up, or lobbing water balloons with a water-balloon slingshot until breaks.

Fast forward to my giftwrap idea. I'm going to build a scale diorama of the garage, take a few pictures of the house, print out the photos and then spray-mount them to the house. Then I'm getting a one-way little hobby motor that will be attached to the garage door and hooked up to a switch that's hidden behind Santa's face. I'll build a little jig to hold the gift card and then create some sort of sling shot. Pat will have to hit Santa's face which will trigger the switch, thereby opening the garage door to reveal his gift card!

Projects rule!

[CathyCA]

I'm taking part in Kelly's family Christmas this year and they do the same thing. There's a website to manage it all (of course I can't remember it right now!). Each member lists up to three "wants" and then people are randomly assigned a person. They set a hard limit at $10. The real fun is that each person must wrap the gift creatively. I'm sure I'll be polling for help as soon as I find out who my person is and what their gift is!

Website for managing "secret Santa" is called Elfster. As I said in my previous post the whole Christmas party is about creative wrapping. Now I'm about to have mega fun. I was randomly assigned Kelly's father, Pat, and have an awesome idea for presenting his $10 Gift-Card.

Back story: Pat and Nancy's across-the-street neighbors hung a hideously ugly plastic Santa face above their garage; they do it every year. Kelly and I went over for dinner the other night and it was the first things I saw when we pulled up. It kind of looks like Dr. Zaos meets Santa Claus on Acid. It's bad. So Pat and I joked about getting out a bb-gun and shooting it up, or lobbing water balloons with a water-balloon slingshot until breaks.

Fast forward to my giftwrap idea. I'm going to build a scale diorama of the garage, take a few pictures of the house, print out the photos and then spray-mount them to the house. Then I'm getting a one-way little hobby motor that will be attached to the garage door and hooked up to a switch that's hidden behind Santa's face. I'll build a little jig to hold the gift card and then create some sort of sling shot. Pat will have to hit Santa's face which will trigger the switch, thereby opening the garage door to reveal his gift card!

Projects rule!

Be sure to post pictures!

[CathyCA]

After my dress rehearsal this morning, I'm heading out to do some Christmas shopping. I'm putting together my office gifts this weekend.

I also need to find some fuses for my Christmas lights--or buy new strings. My old lights keep burning out as soon as I put them on the tree. (I think the key word here is "old," and the move from California probably didn't help any.) It's frustrating that I can't get the tree decorated because of the stupid lights.

Did I mention that the roof crew is going to be at my house for the third day in a row?

[Very Duke Blue]

Website for managing "secret Santa" is called Elfster. As I said in my previous post the whole Christmas party is about creative wrapping. Now I'm about to have mega fun. I was randomly assigned Kelly's father, Pat, and have an awesome idea for presenting his $10 Gift-Card.

Back story: Pat and Nancy's across-the-street neighbors hung a hideously ugly plastic Santa face above their garage; they do it every year. Kelly and I went over for dinner the other night and it was the first things I saw when we pulled up. It kind of looks like Dr. Zaos meets Santa Claus on Acid. It's bad. So Pat and I joked about getting out a bb-gun and shooting it up, or lobbing water balloons with a water-balloon slingshot until breaks.

Fast forward to my giftwrap idea. I'm going to build a scale diorama of the garage, take a few pictures of the house, print out the photos and then spray-mount them to the house. Then I'm getting a one-way little hobby motor that will be attached to the garage door and hooked up to a switch that's hidden behind Santa's face. I'll build a little jig to hold the gift card and then create some sort of sling shot. Pat will have to hit Santa's face which will trigger the switch, thereby opening the garage door to reveal his gift card!

Projects rule![/quote]

did the website "elfser" begin in efland?

i woul love to be a witness when the garage door opens.

[DukePA]

I give home baked cookies for Christmas. I started doing this when I was a poor student and couldn't afford to buy gifts. As I posted on facebook this morning, I have way more fun baking than shopping.

[Very Duke Blue]

I give home baked cookies for Christmas. I started doing this when I was a poor student and couldn't afford to buy gifts. As I posted on facebook this morning, I have way more fun baking than shopping.

i love 'em. problem, so does my body.

[devildeac]

I give home baked cookies for Christmas. I started doing this when I was a poor student and couldn't afford to buy gifts. As I posted on facebook this morning, I have way more fun baking than shopping.

Chocolate chip. They can be frozen, right? We'll pick them up at the 1st 2010 Brunchgate.

[Very Duke Blue]

After my dress rehearsal this morning, I'm heading out to do some Christmas shopping. I'm putting together my office gifts this weekend.

I also need to find some fuses for my Christmas lights--or buy new strings. My old lights keep burning out as soon as I put them on the tree. (I think the key word here is "old," and the move from California probably didn't help any.) It's frustrating that I can't get the tree decorated because of the stupid lights.

Did I mention that the roof crew is going to be at my house for the third day in a row?

hope you have gotten new lights by now.

[DukePA]

I give home baked cookies for Christmas. I started doing this when I was a poor student and couldn't afford to buy gifts. As I posted on facebook this morning, I have way more fun baking than shopping.

Chocolate chip. They can be frozen, right? We'll pick them up at the 1st 2010 Brunchgate.

I am making oatmeal milk chocolate chip, no bake oatmeal chocolate peanut butter, and pecan cherry white chocolate chunk cookies!!!

[Very Duke Blue]

this 1 handed ctn'r will not be wrappingn presents. i will be using bags. from the dollor store.

[Miles]

Okay engineers I need your help. I can't use a pushbutton to engage a motor because it requires too much force (I'm using jellybeans as "water balloons" that will be propelled at the target with a rubber-band) so I'm going to use a counterweight which will lift the garage door when it's lowered. Now I just need to figure out the mechanics for releasing the counterweight. I had thought of using a mousetrap but it may be too bulky.

The problem is that Santa's face is front of the area where the garage door will lift. That means I can't have anything too thick behind the face/target or it will prevent the door from lifting. I suppose I could build a track, much like a real-life garage door, but that seems like a lot of work.

Here's an illustration (semi-exploded) showing the position of the posts, target and garage door. Any ideas would be welcome.

[bjornolf]

I'm a little confused about what we're doing here. Is this a model you're building, or is this for your house?

[Miles]

I'm a little confused about what we're doing here. Is this a model you're building, or is this for your house?

Scroll up.

[CameronBornAndBred]

The problem is that Santa's face is front of the area where the garage door will lift. That means I can't have anything too thick behind the face/target or it will prevent the door from lifting. I suppose I could build a track, much like a real-life garage door, but that seems like a lot of work.

POP!

[CameronBornAndBred]

The problem is that Santa's face is front of the area where the garage door will lift. That means I can't have anything too thick behind the face/target or it will prevent the door from lifting. I suppose I could build a track, much like a real-life garage door, but that seems like a lot of work.

POP!

That was the sound one of my last brain cells made as it exploded pondering Miles' conundrum.

[Miles]

The problem is that Santa's face is front of the area where the garage door will lift. That means I can't have anything too thick behind the face/target or it will prevent the door from lifting. I suppose I could build a track, much like a real-life garage door, but that seems like a lot of work.

POP!

That was the sound one of my last brain cells made as it exploded pondering Miles' conundrum.

Yeah I think I'm going to build a track, and then cut the garage door into segments just like a real garage door. It's going to be a lot of work but this idea is just too good to let go, or to sacrifice. So yeah, a lot of work coming up it'll be worth it.

Tomorrow: Ninja mission to take pictures of neighbors hideous garage (right in front of Kelly's parents) and Santa Face.

[bjornolf]

Wow, that's pretty complex for a simple gift card reveal. Maybe you should just give a Lowe's gift card too with a diagram of your project and tell them to build it themselves.

[Miles]

Wow, that's pretty complex for a simple gift card reveal. Maybe you should just give a Lowe's gift card too with a diagram of your project and tell them to build it themselves.

That would suck. The whole purpose of the evening is creative presentation. This gift-wrap has the added bonus of Pat getting to destroy his neighbor's hideous Santa, which he can't do in real life.

[knights68]

Okay engineers I need your help. I can't use a pushbutton to engage a motor because it requires too much force (I'm using jellybeans as "water balloons" that will be propelled at the target with a rubber-band) so I'm going to use a counterweight which will lift the garage door when it's lowered. Now I just need to figure out the mechanics for releasing the counterweight.

Why not use the 'ol lit candle and a string trick? How many times ya gotta open and close the door?

[captmojo]

Miles....do you have too much idle time at the present? Much like CB&B, I think I have blood running down my face from the exploding head.
I give you an 'A' grade for your ambition.
I give myself an 'A' for going to get another drink.