secret santa 2023
i'm still feeling an immense sense of dread at the moment, but i want to share what i got from an online secret santa this year.
i haven't gotten any christmas presents in years outside of a more local (but still online) secret santa last year, so this feels like a seriously crazy amount! even if you're used to getting presents, this is still insane!!!
the card is soooo cool! i'm really happy they got me the two specific barok items i asked for as well. i also adore the fruit parlor amana and cafe genbu acrylic stands (back when they still made merch of him with glasses)... that would already be more than enough, but then there's still a crazy amount of shinsoku merch! i know that they're cheap as hell due to character tax, but surely this must be over the price limit we set for ourselves, right??? (i went over the price limit too, but it was to buy funko pops... fucking funko pops...even though that was what they asked for).
ah, amana-chan is the pinnacle of cuteness~ it feels really special to get a gift from someone who actually understands your interests. last year i got bootleg naruto merch.
but christmas is crazy, man. i know this level of gifting is not normal and is only possible due to shinsoku being so cheap, but i can't imagine getting such extravagance from others every year. it's totally different from when i'm buying a bunch of merch for myself, i'd say mostly due to it being a surprise. it feels sinful to tear open packages without knowing what's inside (it's hard to open it neatly to save the paper for packaging as i usually would). i think subscription boxes are difficult to me for the same reason. i'd like to participate again next year, but there's nothing else i want after this LOL... however, i really enjoy picking out gifts for others, making special cards and personalized packaging.
well, this gives me the excuse to finally upgrade my shinsoku itabag to a crossbody! i've got a shit ton of barok merch coming in next month, so i'll use my current bag for him... dude i am never fucking quitting anime consumerism.
i need to prepare christmas and new years pictures for dogs zine...