SantaThing 2021!

It's that time of year again—this is our FIFTEENTH annual SantaThing!

Important links
- SantaThing page
- SantaThing Help/FAQs
- Blog post
- Donations thread

You can edit your SantaThing entry at any time by going to the SantaThing page, and scrolling down a bit to "Your SantaThings." Each entry has an "(edit)" link to the far right of that line. Click on the member name next to a SantaThing profile to read about their preferences and leave suggestions!

Any questions? Post them in this thread, see the SantaThing Help page for FAQs, or email me directly at kate@librarything.com.

Yay!

huzzah!

Looking forward to another fun delivery 🚚

I love santathing!

This sounds like so much fun! I wish all my Secret Santa exchanges were for books!

I am so excited! Last year I didn't really celebrate Christmas, because my husband died in October, so it was a little sad for a while. But this year, I would like to spread the Christmas cheer far and wide. 🎅🤶

Woo hoo!! Love SantaThing!

>7 deaflower: I'm so sorry to hear that.

One of my favorite things on here!!

This is a favorite annual tradition of mine! I'm so glad LibraryThing is still doing it. Sadly, this year has been very difficult as I was sick for many weeks this year and I'm living paycheck to paycheck and barely hanging in there. I think I'll watch the festivities from afar this year. Message me to hear about some great books I've read recently!

Love SantaThing! I'll be doing this... I just need to figure out how much I'll put toward it this year.

>11 sundancer: You could sign up for a donation at this thread here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/336595

>9 katemcangus: Thanks Kate. I am feeling a lot more positive this year.

Best time of year! :)

I am so excited :)

Hi guys - is there a reason why there isn't a bookstore in Europe available this year? I appreciate that Brexit is causing lots of issues with UK bookshops, but there are other stores such as Kenny's Bookshop in Galway, Ireland, or the American Book Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands, that could work just as well (or rather, better) for most of us across Europe.

I love SantaThing, but I'm afraid I won't be taking part this year, as the Book Depository is my only option and in the current climate I'd prefer to support smaller retailers.

>17 holly_golightly: I agree. Bookdepository has also gotten very expensive since brexit.

>17 holly_golightly: I've decided to take part but would have preferred another Europe-based option as well. Especially as The Book Depository is an Amazon property anyway.

I'm still debating whether or not to participate, largely because of the lack of non-American and non-Amazonian options. As an EU citizen, I'd prefer to support something semi-local at least (i.e. within the EU).

>17 holly_golightly: >19 Ennas: >20 thebookmagpie: >21 Petroglyph: Thanks, y'all, for the feedback! We're always looking to improve SantaThing and we'll definitely discuss this as an improvement for next year.

I have mentioned this before but..Why not a LT Badge for Santa Thing.

Very nice, I am tempted :)

Quick question . . When given the person to choose books for - does Library Thing easily show their collection, so you don't accidentally buy something they already own?

>24 Faustgeist: as long as their profile isn't private. You should be able to see what's in their library.

>23 guido47: I think it's a policy that you don't have to pay money to get a badge.

>24 Faustgeist: Besides, many people haven't catalogued all their books.

>27 anglemark: What!

>27 anglemark: then accidental double books happen in that case. The person picking can only go by what's there.

>28 bnielsen: I know, I know. There ought to be a law.
>29 mellymel171328:. Yup.

>22 katemcangus: You can try Blackwells! It's a bookstore in Oxford that has international delivery and no shipping fee, at least in Europe!

>31 GeorgiaKo: No shipping fee in the US, either. I buy a lot of stuff from them, as they're often cheaper than Amazon.

>17 holly_golightly: >19 Ennas: >20 thebookmagpie: >21 Petroglyph: >31 GeorgiaKo: >32 Stevil2001: We've added an EU indie option! Kenny's Bookshop in Ireland is now included as a bookstore choice when registering for SantaThing.

>33 katemcangus: very much appreciated! I’ve switched mine now. If you manage to add Blackwells or something at some point in the future I’d be ecstatic but this is a great alternative also!

>33 katemcangus: We have a professor on campus who orders from Kenny's a lot!

>33 katemcangus:
Much appreciated!

>1 katemcangus: Will there be exchanging Christmas cards as well this year?

>37 TheHappylittlelady: there will be. :)

>33 katemcangus: Great!

I've swapped my chosen to option to Kenny's *fingers crossed* - thanks for increasing the options

I did this a couple of times and loved it, so much fun! Last few years money has been to tight to participate but I love reading about it.
I have a question/suggestion. Is there a way to add used books to the mix? I love older books and used books as much or more than new. I just thought that might be an idea to think about. Used, you can get more for your money sometimes. Just an idea.
Hope everyone gets a lot of good reading!!!

>41 hredwards: we have plenty of donations for people in your position. https://www.librarything.com/topic/336595 of you would like a donation so you can join in the fun.:)

The only reason why used books are not done. Is because they are more then likely to have a price change or go out of stock before they can be ordered.

>42 mellymel171328: That makes sense. I knew it would be difficult.

>33 katemcangus: This is fantastic! Thank you, Kate!

Looking forward to joining in again this year even though I've only read a fraction of the books I've received from my Santas over the years. LOL!

>45 Morphidae: Ha! I get to mine eventually, but it usually takes a while.

Is there… any way to increase the amount you signed up for? 😬

>47 avanders: you can email kate@librarything.com She can help you with that.

>48 mellymel171328: mellymel171328 thanks!

I'm into poetry and have gotten a list of recommendations from a friend. It seems that some of the authors don't have Kindle editions. I know this is probably impossible, but can we request paper or Kindle depending on what book it is? Thanks.

>50 gentlespirit512: I don't think you can do both.

I didn't think so. I'll have to decide what to do. Thank you!

>52 gentlespirit512: split it in 2? $20 in paper and 20 digital?

I haven't been able to fill out my likes and dislikes yet. I just wrote TBD. I will be on later to do so and to do an updated import of my library. I know sign up end today so we'll we'll paired up soon. Hopefully I'm not too late updating everything. Sorry! I'm in a bad asthma flare and my MS is acting up so I've been getting around a little slow. 💜

>54 litwitch: We'll start making matches in the next hour or so, so I hope you're able to fill it out soon! I also hope you feel better soon!

>55 katemcangus: Kate, please check your email ASAP.

I love all the indie options now available! Would there be any possibility to nominate an indie bookstore for next year's selections? Thanks for all the hard work that goes into this!

>58 jamieschecter: Absolutely! We're always open to suggestions.

Update: We're tying up loose ends and making matches. Both are taking longer than we'd like. But the morning should find you with them.

>1 katemcangus: Ho ho ho! This is my first SantaThing (jingle!) and I have a question. We're going to receive a profile message to learn who our Santee is ... does that mean sent to my email box or a message box here in LT? If the latter, where do I find messages?

>61 bardbooks:
I'm not sure whether profile messages are forwarded to your email by default (I think they migh be?), but I can tell you where to activate that option.

On your profile page (which you reach by clicking on your username in the top right corner), click edit profile. Under Account Settings, there'll be the option to email comments and notifications to you.

You usually get a profile notification with a link to the page where you can select for them.

SantaThing profiles don't say which store the recipient wants to use. Is that on purpose? (It's been there in the past, but maybe that's for after gift picking officially ends?)

Hey folks! I'm here with an update: we had add a few folks and clean up a few things, but matches should be out shortly!

>63 AnnieMod: Thank you! I'll take another look.

>65 katemcangus: Thank you for making this magic happen!

>62 Petroglyph: Thank you! I'm good to go!

Aaaaaand matches are live!

>69 katemcangus: Found a santee with a "private" library. Could you please send a reminder to participants to open their libraries to help their santas make good choices? :)

>64 karenb: SantaThing profiles don't say which store the recipient wants to use. Is that on purpose? (It's been there in the past, but maybe that's for after gift picking officially ends?)

They do now that matches have been made. Thanks for the heads-up, though.

>70 genesisdiem:

There's probably nothing you can do—just pick from what they say; we'll make sure they don't have the book in their library when we order.

Re Bookpeople. It looks to me that they fill orders from books held by their distributor not from large stock. Books I have looked at say “Out of Stock” and usually filled in 5-7 days. Are those okay to pick?

(Other things they say are “Unavailable to Order” and “On our shelves at the moment” or words to that effect.)

Is there a way to search for people who are looking for certain genres? I was thinking of making suggestions of certain books and trying to find an easier way of finding people who might be interested.

Two days for picking? really?! You've had the sign-up open for weeks which literally takes a minute or two to complete, but the picking process which takes hours and contemplative thought and we get two mid-week days to do it.

Public apologies to my santee, I'll try my best, but two working days really isn't going to get my best effort.

My Santee has a limit of $20. I've found several titles that are spot on as to what the santee wants, but the prices are 75 cents or 99 cents over the $15 ceiling, considering shipping. Is it acceptable to order something for, say, $15.75? Is there a float fund that might take up the slack?

Not having heard a response to my question >73 Capybara_99:, I made picks. I am about 95 cents over. I would be happy to throw in the extra dollar if you tell me how.

Hi! This is my first SantaThing and I have an etiquette question. I'm finding it difficult to get the pricing right. I have a $25 limit, and in the store most paperbacks are between 16-18; hardcovers 27-30. Is it better to give one book even though I'm not "close" to the amount, or go over by a dollar or two? Thank you!

>78 emmettwilson: Depending on the interests of your Santee, you might look for Dover books. They publish a huge range of classic literature that is no longer (or has never been) under copyright, and as a result, you can get some really decent selections for as little as $3.

>78 emmettwilson: I suspect the answer would be different for different people. Which us unfortunate for you, seeking guidance as you are.

For what it is worth I personally would be ok with a single good book even if it left money unspent.

>78 emmettwilson: I believe in the past people have used a leftover amount that isn't enough for a book on book-adjacent merchandise, such as a set of bookmarks or something similar. I don't know what store you're shopping from, so that may or may not be an option for you.

I like the new feature that doublechecks whether a work is in Santee's library.

Does it work for private libraries, too?

>79 caras_galadhon: This is a great idea--thank you! And thanks for the other suggestions as well Capybara_99 and rosalita!

In past years, I know we've been able to ask for help if we're stuck on a Santee.

This year I was matched with ablachly -- LT's head librarian. I might be a little intimidated, but our literary interests are also quite different. I'm not sure what to buy for her; everything on her wishlist is unavailable or too expensive. So I'd love suggestions for mysteries/police procedurals, literary fiction, and fantasy as she requested.

Please note that I did pick one book, and I'd like to include a work by Octavia E. Butler because I think Abby would like it, but I'm not sure if I picked the right one for her to start with. Feedback on that would be welcome as well.

(Actually, my daughter's account sushiguineapig was matched with ablachly, and my account was matched with ablachly's daughter aged thirteen. I wonder the odds of getting both! But I had a much easier time picking for the kid.)

>82 Petroglyph: I think so, yes.

>84 sahra: Santees are supposed to be secret. Please remove the name.

*****

MASSIVE apologies to my Santa. My preferences will be up soon. I should have gotten my wishlist together sooner. My only excuse is my life has been really crazy (medical issues) the last couple of months. Even so, I should have been more timely.

Two questions (also asked above):

1) Can the books I picked for my Santee add up to 95 cents over the amount? I will pay an extra dollar myself if told how to.

2) Can we order books that are not on the shelf but which are otherwise available to order? (Mine are from Bookpeople and typically say “usually arrive in 5-7 days.)

I would love an answer in time for me to take corrective action if I need to.

>75 reading_fox: I have to agree that mid-week is usually tricky for me, as well. Usually there is a weekend, from what I'm remembering which always makes it easier for me.

I was lucky that this year, I happen to be on holidays from work at the moment. But, with my Tuesday and Thursday nights both busy this week, if I'd been working, it would have felt really rushed to pick mine out, as I really would have only had Wed evening to do it.

I guess I wanted to comment in hopes that in the future, LT will try to plan the timing so there is at least one weekend day to work with?

>87 Capybara_99: I don't think there is an issue on someone knowing who is picking for them. As long as suggestions are made in the commend section of the page it can't be seen by the person getting the books. Every year people always help each other.

>89 mellymel171328: Directed at someone else?

(But to address the issue - as I remember, in the past posters here have taken care not to reveal who they are picking for, but I agree it is less sensitive than the titles suggested.)

>87 Capybara_99: I hope picking out of stock books from Book People is allowed. I couldn't find a good mix of books that my Santee didn't already own and would use up the budget well from the books on the shelf. I did stay away from backordered books though.

>90 Capybara_99: yes sorry. I was speaking to >86 Morphidae:

I don't mean any harm or disrespect by it.

>91 jamieschecter: I’d recommend to stay away from out of stocks completely honestly - LT won’t order an out of stock book for someone (because it won’t arrive on time).

>94 AnnieMod: >91 jamieschecter:. However - Book People does seem to work from a model where it fulfills orders from its distributor’s stock and kerps relatively little on its own shelves. The store distinguishes between out of stock (as in “not on shelf”) and things not readily available. The stock on the shelf also seems to me too narrow for Santa Thing otherwise.

But I would love it if we could get an official response about this, and my other question.

>95 Capybara_99: In the past, prices have changed before the actual ordering has taken place. So I always add a few alternate choices in the comments in case something needs to be swapped out.

>96 genesisdiem: There tends not to be price fluctuations unless either an international store or a discount is involved. Book People sells at list price, it seems. At least the books I’m looking at.

>95 Capybara_99: I had to use Book People, as well. Not knowing their model, I did make sure to choose things that are in stock, even though it took me longer and I wasn't necessarily able to get my first choices.

I just started adding books for my Santee and got this message:

LibraryThing Work: Cannot map to work

What do I need to do to get my title and author to be appropriately "mapped" to the work? (These are Kindle books, not sure if that matters.)

ETA: I've managed to choose eight books, and spent all but eight cents of my Santee's money, and I'm so proud of myself that I had to share that. :-D
Now I'm just hoping none of those ebook prices go up before the order is placed!

Of course, all of them also say Cannot map to work, but oh well. If I find out how to fix that by Friday morning, I'll certainly try to get it done.

>99 HeathMochaFrost: I've managed to choose eight books, and spent all but eight cents of my Santee's money, and I'm so proud of myself that I had to share that. :-D

:-) Congrats! I think I was 8 cents away, as well. Probably the closest I've ever come.
ETA: Oh, 7 cents. I'm sure I've never been that close.

>99 HeathMochaFrost: I have the same message, only mine are actual paperbacks: Catalog check: Caution. Cannot be mapped to a LibraryThing work, so *****'s catalog can't be checked.

Maybe this is an IT issue?
Has anyone else got this message, I got it for all of the books I've selected.

I got that message for 2 of the books I had selected but then checked my santees library by title and made sure my recipient didn't have those books, so I ordered them.

My favorite part of SantaThing is looking to see what people have chosen for others based on what was listed as their interests and I just wanted to remind people to read the part of the profile that says what people specifically do not want, especially when it comes to books for children or young readers.

>73 Capybara_99: Sorry for the delay: those are absolutely ok to pick! I'd avoid the “Unavailable to Order," but otherwise you're fine.

>74 gentlespirit512: Unfortunately, there's not. But that's an interesting idea....

>104 katemcangus: Great. Thanks.

>75 reading_fox: We shortened the window in hopes of getting books to folks in time for Christmas. We hear what you're saying, and we'll take it into consideration for next year.

>76 jburlinson: >77 Capybara_99: No need to worry about going over by less than a dollar. LT will gladly cover that.

>88 LibraryCin: This has also been noted. Thanks for the feedback!

>99 HeathMochaFrost: I'm so sorry for the confusion! The way the catalog check is set up is to work with ISBNs, not ASINs, thus the message. We'll double check for overlap, but you should be just fine!

>101 Sarah.Couchman: Hi Sarah, I checked out your entry and I believe this is because you entered in more than just the numbers that make up the ISBN (ex: ISBN-13: 9781620971932). I've deleted the "ISBN-13:" from each entry and it's now working.

Reminder: picking ends at 12pm Eastern. Get in there while the gettin's good! (Yes, I am from Texas)

>110 katemcangus: Whew! OK, thanks for the clarification. I did check the catalog a bunch just to get ideas, as well as to make sure she didn't already have any of the books that occurred to me, so unless she bought them in the last week but hasn't entered them yet (ha ha), it should be good. Thanks again!

..I am unpicked... Please recommend ALL the books!! :D

OKAY! We're officially closed, but we have a number of members who weren't picked for. You can now "grab" a member to give them books.

Go to https://www.librarything.com/santathing.php

See all "Unpicked" ones and click through to one you want. There you'll see:

"This member is up-for-grabs to anyone who wants to take over the gift-giving duty."

Go ahead and click "Grab this member for yourself."

I love it when all of the unpicked Santees come up for grabs!

:)

You can also help by leaving suggestions for any of the unpicked ones, if you don't want to commit to fully grabbing someone...

I would love a suggestion to finish filling in the budget for https://www.librarything.com/santathing_thing.php?id=28, please! $6.19 left.

>119 kristilabrie: I left a few suggestions. A tough amount to fill. If none of my suggestions grab you, you might search Dover Thrift editions.

>120 Capybara_99: Thanks! Will take a look (and I just realized I posted this on the wrong thread, oops).

>102 guido47: Yeah, I always check personally, as well.

>74 gentlespirit512: Sorry, kind of a late reply. I would go to the SantaThing page and use Ctrl-F to find the genre you're looking for. I've done that before.

>109 katemcangus: Thank you!

This one is confusing. Can the powers that be take a look at it? The money seems dedicated to specific books and only half of it to the names Santee.

https://www.librarything.com/santathing_thing.php?id=238

To anybody wanting to leave suggestions for LittleSambonie: their profile states they are 10 years old.

>125 Capybara_99: We're taking care of it. Please no one claim it!

I believe an error has been made for this Santee.

One of the picks has a French isbn (and is, indeed a French edition). From the Santee's catalogue, they aren't that comfortable reading in that language...

>128 Petroglyph: We've got it. Thanks for the heads up!

Alright, y'all: everyone has been claimed and we’re starting the ordering process! However, we might have more calls for help as we order, so keep an eye out! Thank you for all of your help!

For Santee #106

I made a mistake and ordered a regular thriller instead of a psychological thriller. Hopefully, you haven't ordered for them yet and can give me a bit of time to try to try a more appropriate book.

Hi all, did all the picks get taken care of? I've been unexpectedly busy and then suddenly on the road and didn't realize until last night that I hadn't checked who I was supposed to pick for.

>132 WeeTurtle: Picking closed by 12pm Eastern on Friday and since then LT staff and LT members have worked to make sure every entry has picks.

>111 katemcangus: Thanks! I wondered if that is what I had done, and then forgot to go in and remove the beginning and see if that changed anything. :)

>130 katemcangus: Is there another thread for that or has it all been smooth sailing?

>135 Tropical-Library: you mean like https://www.librarything.com/topic/337121? SantaThing 2021: Picking Help Needed

>131 Morphidae: You can always add another comment to the Santee's entry to suggest a substitution.

>136 karenb: Thanks, I figured there was one but couldn't find it -- thought there'd be a link from here. It's been very quiet this year, usually heaps of last minute ordering questions!

>136 karenb: Thank you! I kept waiting for things to be posted here!

>138 Tropical-Library: Agreed!

Hi All, Sorry it's been so quiet: we've been busy! An update: all orders have been placed for Kenny's, Timeout, and Reading's! Book Depository orders are in the process of being placed and we're double checking the BookPeople and Longfellow orders before sending them off to the stores. Powell's are up next.

Be sure to keep an eye on https://www.librarything.com/topic/337121 to watch for pleas of help for last-minute replacement suggestions!

I should get a box of coal -- I totally missed the picking deadline. So I'm very thankful to all the elves who stepped up and filled in. I have done it myself in the past -- and I will definitely do so in future to make up for this year's lapse.

Update: Book Depository orders are DONE! Spreadsheets with orders have been submitted to BookPeople and Longfellow and it's now in their hands to fulfill the orders. We're still working away at Powell's, as well.

And since we've started to receive shipping confirmations, I've started an Arrivals thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/337360

Good work!

Yay!! Congrats and thank you!!

>142 katemcangus: i ordered for someone from book depository but they are not greyed out and no comment saying ordered...
https://www.librarything.com/santathing_thing.php?id=80

>145 Cfraser: Sorry, Kate misspoke. Yesterday I finished the Book Depository orders going to the United States (and Europe, earlier in the week). The UK orders are still to be done.

Thanks to Abby for the correction! I can now say that all but two Book Depository orders are done. Powell's is also done. We're down to Kindle orders and any substitutions that come our way!

>146 ablachly: phew! did not want my santee accidentally missed

All print books have been ordered, and we're onto the Kindle ones now (which will be set to be delivered on 12/24)!

Thanks as always for the good work,

Impressively fast ordering this year! Thanks very much.

I'd love to nominate a couple stores for next year. For general orders, East Bay Bookseller's in Oakland, CA has excellent curated guides on their website that could help with more niche orders and The Ripped Bodice in Los Angeles, CA or Love's Sweet Arrow in Tinley Park, IL would be great for romance specific requests.

Is it possible to use ThriftBooks next year?

>152 QueenOfBookland: We try to focus on independent sellers of new books. Since Thrift Books sells mostly used, it's not likely we'll use them.

>151 jamieschecter: Thanks for the recommendations! We'll take them into consideration for next year.

Another option might be Joseph-Beth Booksellers. They only have two bricks and mortar stores--Lexington and Cincinnati. I loved shopping there when I lived in Cincinnati and still try to visit if I'm in either city. Both stores are fairly large with a wide range of interests in stock. https://www.josephbeth.com/

>155 thornton37814: So noted. Thanks!

>1 katemcangus:

Many thanks for another great Santa Thing event! For me, this year is the BEST ever -- I think I've been doing this for 8 years!

Unlike last year's COVID mail delivery delays that moved LT Xmas to February when my books finally arrived, this year they have already been delivered from Book Depository. Not only that, they've been opened!! Not only not only that, I've started reading in all three of them already and am deeply hooked by each. Exquisite torture -- which to read first? HOORAY for all three wonderful titles. Thank you very much, LT Santa, who remains unidentified as of this posting but who fulfilled all my wishes.

Where did you say the arrivals thread is? I don't see any link to this year's.

Thanks.

arrivals thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/337360

>159 majkia:. Thanks.

SantaThing 2021 orders are officially done! Now all we do is sit back and wait for the books to arrive. Thanks to everyone for the help!

Thank you and well done to all of the team for your huge efforts!

Note: SantaThing is now open. (I opened it this afternoon, for people ahead of the US and people who open presents on Christmas Eve.) So you can see what people said about your gifts, or see what they are if they haven't been received. Happy Holidays, all!

T

Glad to see I'm supposed to be getting kindle books. No sign of them as yet though.

Link please!!!!

>165 Limelite: The link is in the very first message in this post.

>164 majkia: I got mine at 3am est yesterday.

I didn't participate in Santathing this year, but I did create a List called 2021 Christmas Gifts, where I welcome you to come and share what books you got this year. Would love to see what you got and expand my ever growing Wishlist!

Merry Christmas!

>169 karenb: thank you Karen, for adding the link!

>164 majkia: Your books were ordered! I'll message you directly to see if we can figure this out.