From Retro to Raven's - A Vintage Gothic Retro Day

I'm not even sure where to start with this. Since I began the Online Secret Santa journey in 2013, I've participated in countless exchanges and had conversations with numerous people. While some experiences were rather average and others were decent, most have left me with unforgettable memories that will stay with me for years to come. Despite all the wonderful gifts and interactions I've had over the years, none have compared to the special connection I enjoyed with my Santa during this particular exchange.

In short, I couldn't have asked for a better Santa. She truly went above and beyond, exceeding my expectations time and again. Her kindness, sweetness, and compassion stood out, and she showed genuine interest in getting to know me. She put in a tremendous amount of effort to ensure that this exchange was nothing short of perfect.

So lets talk about my situation first. Whenever I leave a thank you to a Santa I always put this little tidbit in here to the Givin.Gifts community, for them to read. It's to let them know that when I participate in Secret Santa's, I always share my Mega-Wishlist along with a comprehensive 300+ page Google Document that offers an in-depth glimpse into my life. This document encompasses stories, my personal history through varies parts of my life, preferences, likes, dislikes, and everything that occupies my intricately detailed mind. I created it as a means for people to get to know me better, and it organically evolved into a collection that encompasses everything you could possibly want to know about me.

Anyone who reads this would gain valuable insight into my life—my practice of witchcraft, my passion for anime, my appreciation for luxury designer goods and fragrances, and my extensive collection of items I've spent years curating. My Wishlist is filled with over 3,500 items, which can sometimes make gift selection feel overwhelming.

I always appreciate when someone takes the time to go through all the things I provide and put in a good amount of effort even if it's just going through the majority of my wishlist. I understand how crazy and wild my OCD is to most people, and how it can be hard for some people to manage through it all. While I'm appreciate of any interaction, I absolutely adore meaningful and deep interactions that are more than just a one time thing. Getting to know me and talk to me is almost a gift in itself.

This is exactly what my Secret Santa. She took the time to go through my entire mega-document, my wishlist, and spend hours talking to me through the course of this entire exchange. In those hours of talking she got to know me. I truly feel like from all the conversation, all the time getting to know me, she became a friend, and she was able to not just deliver an incredible and expensive gift that wasn't on my wishlist. She was able to bring something that was almost a leap of faith in an area no one would dear go, just to make it feel extra special with lots of love.

These interactions are extraordinary, resembling an altered reality, as they feel perfect and almost made up. This is why I suggest online Secret Santas and Givin.Gifts to my friends, because of people like my Santa. Who take things to a level where you're only experiencing peak happiness that leaves you smiling for weeks.

My Santa surprised me with two gifts that weren't on my wishlist, but they were greatly influenced by our previous interactions. Additionally, one of the gifts she said wasn't part of the official 'exchange,' even though I see it that way and am counting it as such.

The theme was Retro, cause it was the Retro Day exchange (duh), but retro can also encompass vintage in a sense, right? For me, vintage aligns closely with the gothic era, and with that comes gothic fashion, since the gothic era is essentially the definition of retro. Does that make sense?

My Santa gifted me a Vintage Lace Dress with a Corset Back from Dolls Kill, which has this Marie Antoinette vibe going on and it's awesome. She chose it for me because it matches my aesthetic, and she thought I would adore it. I absolutely do—I think it’s fantastic and super cute! As a femboy, I often switch between alternative fashion for boys and a more feminine mode sort of hyperized gothic aesthetic, and sometimes a bit of y2k/gyaru/mcbling style, if i'm in that sort of mood. Needless to say, this dress is the perfect retro gothic piece that I could've never expected to get, so for the millionth time thank you!!

As I told her, this was totally enough, but then she went above and beyond again and got me something for the retro day exchange that "fit the theme". Which was this super cool gold floral retro picture frame. As it does fit the gothic aesthetic also, and a lot of my house is decorated like Morticia Adams and Aphrodite had a baby.

I keep telling myself I am the luckiest person in the world to get someone like this to gift me things this awesome, that are not just incredible gifts, but pricey too. I am so incredibly thankful and wish there was something I can do as well to gift back to them. My expectations were well met and then some, and my bar was raised incredibly high. While this is the first time ever i was truly taken back and had such a high level of communication, this is the sort of interaction I yearn for.

You were amazing, you're an incredible person, and i'm so grateful I got you as a Santa, and got to know you. I hope we continue to talk and be friends, and I hope you have nothing but a perfect life for how kind and incredible of a person you are, as you deserve nothing but amazing things in your life.