Welcome to our ambitious, yet humble, international-karaoke-video-Christmas-gift-exchange extravanganza, affectionately known as...
Karaoke Secret Santa, aka #KSStotheNINES! It is our 9th year, hence the punny title!
Long story, short: instead of physical gifts you exchange, you make a creative YouTube video for your Karaoke Secret Santa draw! We've had people plan out full-on music videos, film local christmas celebrations while their track plays in the background, or simply sit a camera in front of them and sing to a karaoke backing track playing in the background. Truly, it's your thought, spirit, energy, and effort that counts! All scales large and small are appreciated!
A lot of our updates will come via the Elfster gift exchange, which we use to have all the participants sign up (step #1 COMPLETE!), create wishlists (your next step!), and have their names drawn for the event. There is also an Activity log where you can post as you do in other social media forums.
***Careful when you have a specific question for your draw....make sure any spoilers are avoided and questions asked anonymously.
Also, we post on Facebook with occasional status updates, tips, reminders, and videos. Twitter is also used to share in the fun.
Quick Basics:
1) Sign Up via the official gift exchange on Elfster. (by 11th Dec! Names will be drawn on 12 Dec, USA PST)
*There is a mechanism for Latecomers, but I will have to have a hard cut-off to allow you all time to put together the video!2) Create and curate your #KSStotheNINES wishlists on Elfster.
More in-depth about creating your wishlists here; though some interface nuances may have been updated, the general gist still applies.3) After Draw, look at your draw's wishlist and choose an appropriate song to perform in your "karaoke" video.
Remember: creativity is encouraged! It can be a simple as you doing a selfie-video as you sing along to an online karaoke track or playing along with an instrument, or as complex as creating an entire choreography and music video for your secret santa. Other ideas could include - filming yourself at a local karaoke night, using Guitar Hero (do they still exist?), singing a cappella, reciting the lyrics in a dramatic reading, or whatever you feel inspired to do!4) Upload to YouTube and share with your draw and Karaoke Secret for Christmas!
Remember: Your secret santa draw could be in another time zone - so, Google the time difference and deliver it in time for their Christmas... ideally. ;-)***If you're a newbie and want to know a little more detail, I suggest going to the "How to KSS" page, located here.
Note: We like to keep things public (or unlisted public) so we can add to our Karaoke Secret YouTube playlist and share with entire group (and your friends!).
If you are considering joining us, please make sure you have the time and willingness to commit - we've had a few flakes in the past, and it's not a great feeling to miss out on a video when you've went out of your way with your efforts.
If you still have questions, we KSS Veterans can answer your questions! You've probably been roped into it, but it's a lot more fun and easier than you think!
Should be fun! Can't wait to see everyone's videos!
