2021 Christmas Contest

Old Greenhorn · December 13, 2021, 06:13:52 PM

OK, Done. I came home after a very long hard day exhausted and covered in mud, sat down to check the forum before dinner and things just started to click. 5 Minutes later, done. Of course there were those 12 other hours reviewing videos before hand to work out some clues, but that fix for video 12 was the one that got me going straight.
Thanks Jeff for all the time you put into this. Thanks also to all the wonderful and thoughtful sponsors!

Ljohnsaw · December 13, 2021, 06:41:11 PM

Quote from: Old Greenhorn on December 13, 2021, 06:13:52 PMOK, Done.

8)

Is there anyone else trying? Come on, give it a shot and learn something. Pay attention to wardrobe ;)

Erik A · December 13, 2021, 07:12:16 PM

Done.....

Use a spreadsheet, math, reading glasses to count the letters on word number 7, Sherlock Holmes powers of deductive reasoning, a sharpie to mark off videos.... scratch that it messes up the monitor!!! statistics, basic cipher skills and ....

I used brute force for the last letter!!

Jeff · December 13, 2021, 07:18:09 PM

8) 8)

doc henderson · December 13, 2021, 07:20:15 PM

we have till next year, right?

I will start in a few days so I can go beginning to end. :christmas: :snowball1:

:snowfight1: :snowfight1:

Erik A · December 13, 2021, 07:22:51 PM

Quote from: Jeff on December 13, 2021, 04:43:05 PM
Quote from: Jeff on December 12, 2021, 09:32:19 PM
I think John may be messin with me :D
John was not messing with me! There was a discrepency in a letter i.d. on one clue. AND HE STILL GOT IN! that has been repaired. Carry on all 3 of ya. :D

I used brute force on that one.
Here.. let me help everyone out.
This is the spreadsheet I used for the contest

no you can not see sheet1

Jeff · December 13, 2021, 07:27:57 PM

@Erik A , an entry did not come in from you yet. Better retrace some steps

Mossy Chariot · December 13, 2021, 10:19:02 PM

Thank you, Jeff and Tammy, for slowing me down, bringing me back down to earth. I really enjoyed participating in the contest, but much more, enjoyed seeing your life/home in the U. P. Just what I needed to settle in for a good time with family and friends over the holiday season.

:christmas:Merry Christmas to you all!!!

Old Greenhorn · December 13, 2021, 10:37:35 PM

Quote from: ljohnsaw on December 13, 2021, 06:41:11 PM
Quote from: Old Greenhorn on December 13, 2021, 06:13:52 PMOK, Done.
8)

Is there anyone else trying? Come on, give it a shot and learn something. Pay attention to wardrobe ;)

I'm quite certain MANY are working on this, but are working through it. Consider the creator. I will say this one was different and as Mossy Chariot said, it brings to back to slowing down a bit and enjoying.
So Bryan I will say, this isn't the same as in the recent past and I think doing this in a binge is going to make you crazy. I kind of did that too and had to tear myself away to get off to work this morning. After an exhausting day I came home with a 'nope, not tonight' attitude about getting back into it and that's when it all came together by itself. If I could give a hint for solving this one it would be "relax, take your time and work through it exactly the way Jeff suggested in reply 22 above But make dang sure you have the correct information on video #12 as revised". :D

;D On this one, the journey matters more than the destination.
There are almost 3 weeks remaining in the contest. The guy that finishes first and the guy that finishes just in the nick of time have exactly the same chances at the drawing time. Besides, who does it for the prizes anyway? This contest is always just plain clean fun, at least for me. I get a kick out of the challenge and I love the banter that surrounds it while we all deal with the frustration Jeff has handed us in past years. This one was very low of that last part, no frustration, just work though it.

doc henderson · December 13, 2021, 10:58:13 PM

OK. yes that was all caps. i will do it in a few days when i have time. too much going on now. i will order some constant comment on amazon and have it delivered, and get a fire in the stove in the house, set up the tree, get some other stuff done, then I will set down and relax and do the puzzle. I have watched the videos so may have some of the answers. I hope this counts as some of the banter that you cherish so much.

God Bless us every one.

VB-Milling · December 14, 2021, 04:39:19 PM

That was a lot of fun! Thanks for putting it all together @Jeff

Make sure you count words and letters accurately. I screwed one up and it threw me for a loop longer than I'm willing to admit!

LIL · December 16, 2021, 12:24:35 AM

STAPLED IT!!

I look forward to this every year

Now what am I going to do, I never finish this early, usually it's a day or two before the competition ends. :D I am also revelling in my own smugness that I didn't even need any help from @Ianab at all!! Now it's time to burn all the evidence and pretend like it was a walk in the park.

As usual love and thanks to @Jeff and @Wildflower for their continued support and friendship and all that goes into making this place what it is.

:christmas:

LIL

Old Greenhorn · December 16, 2021, 08:32:38 AM

Quote from: LIL on December 16, 2021, 12:24:35 AM
Now it's time to burn all the evidence and pretend like it was a walk in the park.

LIL

I had the feeling that I was the only one who did that! Glad to know I am not alone. usually 3 pages of cheat sheets, this year I just printed the instructions out and kept my notes right there.
It's a fine gift Jeff, Tammy and the sponsors and prize donors give every year to the forum membership and I too look forward to it. Different every year and always a challenge. Glad you got through it, looks like entries are beginning to build.

Jeff · December 16, 2021, 09:45:01 AM

Actually, they are not. You can pretty much tell if there is any activity by looking at the view counts in the christmas contest play list. Thats something new this year, though not intended, you can tell the activity level of the contest. Next to nothing at this point.

Old Greenhorn · December 16, 2021, 09:48:47 AM

Well we have plenty of time. I do note that the contest banner at the top of the page is smaller this year and I nearly missed it. I am thinking some folks haven't found it yet.

Roxie · December 16, 2021, 11:00:25 AM

I agree! Can you make it bigger and more prominent, Jeff?

doc henderson · December 16, 2021, 11:24:34 AM

I plan to do it as always, but if I did it today it would join a list of PITA things I have to do today. I will do it when I have the time to enjoy it. Thanks everyone... or is it "God bless us, everyone!".

Magicman · December 16, 2021, 10:22:51 PM

smiley_dizzy

Magicman · December 18, 2021, 08:28:53 AM

Come on folks, my screwy eyes smiley_dizzy above was to depict how I felt after watching videos and solving this puzzle. If you had been next door or in the next room as PatD was, you could/would have heard my Victory Yell.

I only worked on it one evening so it ain't bad. I would suggest that you print off the sheet that says:

HERE ARE YOUR CLUES and jot down your answers as you find them.

(PatD is still working on it and actually has enough clues to solve it, but I say nothing.)

Jeff · December 18, 2021, 09:44:43 AM

There are short cuts... but you might miss something important! More time looking at me. Bahaha

Magicman · December 18, 2021, 09:54:04 AM

Yup, I told PatD that there was probably an 'easy way in', but I did not spend any time looking for it. I am a subscriber and had previously watched all of the videos, but I still needed to watch to verify what I thought. The 'doggy treats' for example but I did not catch the 'Bigfoot' clue until I watched the video the second time.

straincm · December 18, 2021, 10:28:22 AM

Made it!!! 8)

Very fun, got my wife involved watching the videos. She especially liked the birthday gift for Tammy. We finished before watching all the videos, but she wants to keep watching the videos to find the clues. Thank you very much Jeff, thine creativity; never ceases to amaze me! Also to all the sponsors, especially to Logrite!

Merry Christmas! :new_year: :christmas:

Jeff · December 18, 2021, 12:20:34 PM

Well tell her we made over 100 videos since we closed on the cabin this past spring. Did y'all see me crash my rowboat? :D

VB-Milling · December 18, 2021, 01:06:34 PM

Quote from: Jeff on December 18, 2021, 12:20:34 PM
Well tell her we made over 100 videos since we closed on the cabin this past spring. Did y'all see me crash my rowboat? :D

I give the backflip an 8/10 LoL
The second attempt went much better and good on you for leaving both attempts in the video. Sometimes things don't go as planned!

Clark · December 18, 2021, 08:02:55 PM

I haven't participated in any of the previous Christmas contests because they seemed...~~nitpicky~~ detail oriented. I did enjoy it and after watching the videos get a slightly clearer idea of what is rattling around in Jeff's mind. I enjoyed that part the most. Not that it necessarily means much coming from a complete stranger but I give you the highest compliment I can: I would enjoy having you as a neighbor.

Clark