by Balin » Tue Dec 18, 2018 10:03 pm
Are the presents for LPTF members (for example, the one with skydivers for GalFisk)? No (but check out the '08 woubit's Christmas puzzle for that conceit)
Wait....
I just found a puzzle from December 2011 titled "Pilgrim" whose solution is related to emoticons!!!
Are we looking for the poster (Gourami)? the solver (Potato)? Neither, but see below
Two more from Dec 2009:
[biograd] Let sleeping dogs lie (soultion involving a squirrel)
[TommyP] Cooking dilemma (solution involving skydiving).
From Dec 2006:
[BeccaAnn] The Cat (soultion involving the word "dammit").
And from Dec 2005:
[Tsoram1970] Robin Hood (solution involving a Walmart bag).
Found also this one from Dec 2012:
[Solo1] Extra Virgin
but I don't get how musical notes are related to the solution (apart from White Christmas).
You've got all of it.
As you play "White Christmas" on the xylophone, the car's overhead lights get slowly brighter until the car is fully illuminated, allowing you to spot any potential hazards on the floor and cross to the next car.
Explanation - the LTPF equivalent of "abandoned toys" is the archived puzzles. The opened presents hinted at the titles of archived puzzles (all in December, as per the hint from [i]The Fantasticks), the tags gave the years where those puzzles could be found, and the wrapping papers clued at something found in the solution of those puzzles.
The five with a numbered tag were demonstrations of what you were looking for; the important one was the tagless present. The musical notes on the wrapping paper meant you had to find a Christmas carol in the solution of an archived December puzzle with a title related to olive oil, and play that carol on the xylophone.[/i]
Having reached the door of the abandoned toy car, you pass into the next car and find yourself surrounded by screaming children. Every seat is occupied by a young boy or girl; some of the children are crying, most are yelling, and all are making some noise or another. Oddly, each is holding a couple small torn pieces of rope.
No one's blocking the door, so you try the next car, but there are more children and more screaming. Again, every seat is filled, and each child here has a small bag of potpourri in his or her hand.
The kids still aren't paying attention to you, so you try the next car, but again find yourself in a fully occupied car filled with screaming children. These kids are are all holding small scales.
You try to get by, but a boy and a girl who are not sitting down are blocking the door.
"That elf gave us terrible presents!" yells the boy. "He's mean!"
"Go get us something good!" yells the girl, even louder.