Dear everyone,
Now you are making me feel embarrassed. To my defense, I openly told Richard to assign me just one person as usual, because I kind of felt like, in one of his emails, he is about to arrange something this year. None of you guys aside from my original assigned person should have done that!
I participated in several Secret Santas in my membership in the forum. I never had a problem with any of them until 2016 or 17, the date when the Turkish Post got total privatization. Since then, unregistered mail from abroad seems to get "lost" occasionally. Makes me feel sad remembering the late 1990s when I was working in a far-off, rural area in Turkey and how the post office had spent every effort finding me and delivering an ordinary letter to me. Those were the days when people had more respect for their jobs.
I remember a few Santas before I received something. Might be 2020. It was a weird year as some of you may remember. So I don't think I am missing many Christmases as Richard thinks. :)
I grew up in a culture that cherishes giving and celebrating. No matter if it is the new year, Eid, the national day of wherever we are living in, the olive festival of my hometown, Christmas, or any day we're alive. Even though I live far away from almost every forum member and haven't been actively trading with people since the mail here got rather unreliable, modern Turkish coins do not have much variety, thus being uninteresting for collectors, and sending mail became too expensive, I still try to enroll in every Secret Santa possible since my registration to the forum in 2008.
The bottom line of this rather long forum post is that I am happy with the exchange whether I get something or not. I am happy with giving for the traditional CCF activity every year. I don't mind what or when I receive it, as I sometimes send boxes of sweets when I don't have interesting numismatics for the person I am assigned to.
Every year, Richard puts much effort and energy into the secret Santa exchange for the forum members and if there is someone who deserves to receive more than one gift here on the thread, it most definitely is Richard.
jfindring, (Jeff) and MINT_MARQ, thank you, guys. I hope there isn't anyone else sent me anything as I do not want to be in debt to anyone else :)
Attached is my gift for this year. Lovely
Indian Head cents. I had to crop the picture to upload it here, they look much better on hand. A lot of history there.
And if you read my post up to this last line, thank you for your time reading it. English is not my native tongue, it's just a loosely learned one for me so please forgive my mistakes when I use it.
(edit : grammar. yes this is the best I could do, haha)
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Posted 12/19/2022 06:41 am
But you didn't have to! Guys, seriously, I really feel embarrassed. I am just a regular participant like everyone else. 
