The Unofficial Furfest Secret Santa

Welcome to a grand, very last-minute experiment! The Unofficial Furfest Secret Santa is a gift exchange among furries attending Midwest FurFest. I've always loved participating in massive gift exchanges like the Reddit Secret Santa and I hope this small event can help spread some of that same fun and warmth within our community.

How does it work?

Once all the participants have filled out their information, including likes and dislikes, by Wednesday, November 27th, at 11:59:59pm EST, an automated system will go through the list and randomly assign a gift recipient (giftee) to each participant (giver). On November 28th, emails will be sent to the givers with all the necessary information about their giftee. Givers will then have a little more than a week (including some time at the con), to purchase and prepare gifts.

On Saturday, December 7th, at 3:30pm Chicago time, we will meet at Midwest FurFest in the Con Suite to exchange gifts. Find your giftee, give your gift, thank your giver, and have a good time!

There are no minimums or maximums on gift values. The goal is only to give something thoughtful which will bring your giftee joy.

How to sign up

Fill out this form by Wednesday, November 27th, at 11:59:59pm EST.

Sign Up Here

The information you provide will only be used for the Unofficial FurFest Secret Santa. This includes contacting you about the event and providing information to your gift giver. Once the gift exchange is complete, all data will be deleted.

Rules

Our guiding principle is to use common sense, treat everyone with respect, and always act in a manner which enhances the experience of others.

In-Person Gift Exchange

To help avoid anyone taking advantage of the kindness of strangers, we require that all gifts be exchanged in-person at our meetup on Saturday, December 7th. Please only sign up to participate if you believe that you can attend that event.

No Troll Gifts

The gift you give should be thoughtful, respectful of your giftee, and should be intended to bring them joy based on the likes and dislikes they provided. Bear in mind that gifts will be exchanged in-person and in a public area of the con, and as such, the FurFest Code of Conduct applies. Severe violations of this rule, especially violations of the Code of Conduct, may be reported to con staff.

NSFW Gifts

Because we are furries, it is inevitable that someone will want to give, or someone will want to receive, a NSFW gift. To avoid awkward situations, however, your gift should be appropriate for all ages.

Keep in mind that gifts will be exchanged in a public area of the con. It is your responsibility to follow the FurFest Code of Conduct, which prohibits the open display of adult material.

Frequently Asked Quetions

What if my gift-giver doesn't show up?

Unfortunately, we can't guarantee that everyone who signs up will show up. Life gets in the way, scheduling conflicts arise, and sometimes people can even be jerks.

If your giver or giftee does not come to the exchange, we'll do our best to ensure you still have a good experience and don't leave empty-handed.

Who are you?

I'm Bullsworth. I'm in my early 30's and I pretend to be a donkey on the internet. I also run the Leopardy! games at MFF and some other midwest cons. My hope is this little event might bring a little more happiness into the furry world. You can find me on Mastodon and Twitter.