Cellar Secret Santa

[richlevy]

I just want to say that it warms the cockles of my heart to see the members of the Cellars acting like a typical family gathering for the holidays. Adding the cousins in pointless argument over gift giving involving misinterpretation, suspicion of motives, defensiveness, and possibly guilt really just make the whole thing way too authentic.

Just as long as everyone makes up before the turkey gets cold.

[LJ]

he said cockles

COCKLES OF YOUR HEART
[Q] From Craig Bodhi: “I’m curious about the idiom warm the cockles of your heart.”

[A] It’s one of the more lovely idioms in the language, isn’t it? Something that warms the cockles of one’s heart induces a glow of pleasure, sympathy, affection, or some such similar emotion. What gets warmed is the innermost part of one’s being. It’s not that surprising that it should be associated with the heart, that being the presumed seat of the emotions for most people. But what are the cockles?

We’re not sure. We do know that the expression turns up first in the middle of the seventeenth century, and that the earliest form of the idiom was rejoice the cockles of one’s heart.

Cockles are a type of bivalve mollusc, once a staple part of the diet for many British people (you may recall that Sweet Molly Malone once wheeled her wheelbarrow through Dublin’s fair city, crying “cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh!”). They are frequently heart-shaped (their formal zoological genus was at one time Cardium, of the heart), with ribbed shells.

It may be that the shape and spiral ribbing of the ventricles of the heart reminded surgeons of the two valves of the cockle. But I can’t find an example of the word cockle being applied to the heart outside this expression, which makes me suspicious of this explanation. It may be that the shape of the cockleshell, suggesting the heart as it so obviously does, gave rise to cockles of the heart as an expansion.

After this piece appeared in the Newsletter, James Woodfield pointed out that there is another possible explanation. In medieval Latin, the ventricles of the heart were at times called cochleae cordis, where the second word is an inflected form of cor, heart. Those unversed in Latin could have misinterpreted cochleae as cockles, or it might have started out as a university in-joke. Oddly, cochlea in Latin is the word for a snail (from the shape of the ventricles — it’s also the name given to the spiral cavity of the inner ear), so if this story is right we should really be speaking of warming the snails of one’s heart.

[Aliantha]

Maybe it came from the fact that people loved cockles and to eat them, they're best warmed, so when you warm the cockles of your heart (heart meaning that which you love), you feel happier because you're about to eat what you love. The fact that love is generally associated with creating warmth as opposed to feeling 'cold and alone' is also implied.

Anyway, I don't know why people had to get shirty. I only asked for the date to be brought forward a week or so and someone didn't think it was reasonable to do that, so I simply asked to be taken off the list rather than bother arguing more.

Presumably that has occured and we can all just move on from here.

[ZenGum]

LJ, maybe you need to come out of your shell?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

.....so I simply asked to be taken off the list rather than bother arguing more.

And then made 6 more posts.

[Aliantha]

In response to people's questions Bruce. Just like I'm responding to another one of your smart arse posts. Why bother? Because the arseholes of the world don't deserve to win. Also, it's a discussion forum so it's my right to respond.

You're on ignore now you stupid old shit.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Seven.

[bluecuracao]

Originally Posted by monster

Cock theme optional

I would like some clarification on this.

The Secret Santas (i.e. gifters) are the deciders, correct?

[monster]

Originally Posted by bluecuracao

I would like some clarification on this.

The Secret Santas (i.e. gifters) are the deciders, correct?

yes

[monster]

So far I have the mailing details for

Limey, BigV, Labrat, lookout123, bluecuracao, ducksnuts, clodfobble, jinx, case, zippyt, cicero, SundaeGirl and three anonymous but long term dwellars.

total 15. If you're not on the list, you're not in (yet). Any more?

The following expressed an interest but have not yet PMd me mailing details:

Richlevy, jester, SteveDallas

[monster]

http://www.cellar.org/showpost.php?p=410577&postcount=2

[monster]

OK, the names are in, the randomizing is done, I will be sending out details this evening. Please follow these guidelines:

1) cost of gift and mailing should not exceed total $15US
2) Cock theme optional
3) Check last mailing date for your destination and mail well within that timeframe. International mailing should probably be done by Friday December 7th.
4) PM me or post in the thread when you have mailed your gift.
5) Keep the address you receive confidential. Do not pass it to a third party without permission.
6) Please remain as anonymous as possible so senders can be revealed (if they want to be) after the grand opening. This suggestion is optional, but it might be fun for recipients to guess who their Santa was.
7) Remember that it is not necessary to send a gift in return -someone else will have sent your Santa a gift. Thank you notes either in the mail or in the thread are sufficient. If we reciprocate it could escalate to the point where we rescue the US economy!
8) Vote in the "opening time" poll I will post later

We have 20 Santas, by the way

[LJ]

Originally Posted by monster

8) Vote in the "opening yime" poll I will post later

We have 20 Santas, by the way

opening yime? is that like yove your mother?

[monster]

yeah.

moving on...

please also post or pm to let me know you have received your gift....

/santa dictator

[monster]

OK, they're all sent! If you are a secret santa and do not have a PM about your intended in your inbox, PM me NOW!!!!!