With over 200 cat-crazy, big-hearted participants spanning the United States, I think we can all say it was a very Happy Holidays and plenty of kitties were spoiled rotten!
The First Annual TofuKitty Secret Santa Gift Exchange was a huge success! I wanted to thank all of those who participated...for opening your hearts and helping to keep the true meaning of the holiday season burning bright. This fun event was about connecting as a cat-loving community, being grateful for what you have, giving back however you can, and making those around you feel special. I wanted to host this event to showcase just how awesome and loving the cat-community truly is. You did not disappoint.
Here are just a few examples of the photos I received from Secret Santa participants over the last 4 weeks. If you want to share yours, tag me in your photos @tofukittyclub!
While going through each and every one of the completed Secret Santa surveys, I had the opportunity to read some remarkable and epic responses. For that reason, let me introduce the “Winners” of the First Annual TofuKitty Secret Santa Gift Exchange!
This award was (obviously) for the kitty or kitties with the most epic name. For this one, I couldn’t pick just one winner.
The first winner was Amanda Casale and her kitty, named ‘Amelia Pumpkin Spice Latte Sriracha Casale’. Toianna Wika is the other winner with her kitty’s name, ‘R2kitty2’. I don’t know why, but this one made me laugh out loud.
This next award went to the person who described their kitty or kitties the best. Judi Albert was the winner for this category. Judi has 4 cats, Smushy, Paulo, Sparta, and Moose. The way she described them, I could literally picture them in my head and it cracked me up. She wrote, “All my baby boys like the infamous red dot and anything like that. Moose loves to sing at 2 in the morning, Sparta likes puzzle toys and Paulo just goes with the flow while Smushy supervises.”
This award was meant for someone who truly epitomizes the holiday spirit. The winner of this category was Chrystal Knight. I had accidentally sent Chrystal two matches for the gift exchange (which meant she had to send 2 people gifts). She wrote me and asked if it was by mistake (yup, it definitely was) and I quickly corrected it so she’d only have to send a gift to one match instead of two. She quickly wrote back that she’d love to send them BOTH a gift! This warm sentiment truly touched my heart. She truly understands the ‘reason for the season’ and so that’s why she won the category for ‘Biggest Heart’.
Thank you all for making this event so wonderful! I hope to make this gift exchange an annual event, as I believe we need more giving and connectedness in this great big world. Plus, who doesn’t love spoiling kitties?!
If you didn’t receive your match for the gift exchange, do 2 things: