Giving My Mentor a 3,000 Year Old Tradition for Christmas 

Your face be dammed lol, see you in the spring Xyla......bring a helmet haha

You got to admire Colin there. He's not *that* concerned for his own safety, but when it comes to someone else? He won't send something dangerous.

Colin's gift being literally too dangerous to send is so on brand 😂

"And that, children, is when personal protective equipment became part of our Christmas tradition."

I am humbled and honored ❤❤❤❤ thank you!!!

How was Colins gift MORE terrifying than the fire explosion contraptions that were on screen and in our imaginations??

That practice of every owner in the lineage putting their stamp on it is really cool. You should've made your own stamp and put that on Direstas gift!

Your mothers' response "Well we sent you to Chinese school" absolutely corpsed me. Your mother is awesome!

Xyla: is an accomplished creator, pilot and inspiration to thousands of people worldwide Xyla's mom: INSTANTLY ROASTS HER

My ears keep hearing you say Boatal Tote, which makes me smile.

I really like the fact you did not fill the routed letters to the top. Everyone one does. It adds dimension to the your art.

Taking the "It's the though that counts" saying to all new level here, especially from Colin.

Love the stamp! We got to see your Mum! Cannot wait to see you try the Oar in May Ruth & Shawn

You could collaborate with Colin to build the ultimate rocket (or jet engine) powered canoe......

Your mom cracked me up. I really like the fact that you shared your culture AND that retain and use the language.

As soon as she said that the box scared her, I immediately guessed it was from Colin, and I was right.😂

You guys really need to get Adam Savage and Tested in on this. I think that'd be so much fun!

Such a thoughtful gift. I liked too how Colin chose to put your safety first even after all the effort he'd put into the build. There's something really thoughtful in that too.

I came here straight from Colin's channel. I hope his real present to you turns out to be a million views, likes and subs.

As a Chinese dad who sent his kids to Chinese school, I fully endorse your mom's reaction. 👍

your mom is lovely and your present was very heart felt

YOU WIN! This is the most thoughtful gift of all who participated. Outstanding. You captured the essence of the challenge. This is perfect for Jimmy. He was obviously touched by this. Great job!

I've seen most of the secret santa videos and found your gift as the most thoughtful and personal. I have to admit Colin's gift was the most quirky. Happy New Year!

Mom Foxlin is a doll, lots of love, and a happy peaceful holiday.

I never knew this about stamping artwork. This is actually really amazing. Love the history part of it!

Your mom is so kind and supportive.

One of the most thoughtful and creative gifts I've ever seen!

4:58 seeing Xyla speaking Chinese is amazing, it honestly just makes here so much cooler.

I've taken six years of Chinese classes, so one year my parents got me a chop seal for Christmas. The trouble is, they didn't want to spoil it, so they didn't use the Chinese name my first teacher gave me (which doesn't seem to mean much anyway). So I was very excited to receive this piece of culture, but the name translates to "Thunder Banana" (based on a Chinese dictionary). On the plus side, the seal came with a free nickname...

Colin should have built you a tunnel from your shop to your house. Maybe next year.

This was cool, everything from the idea, to asking Momma Foxlin to help, to the Diresta-sized chop. Fascinating bit of culture, art, and shop work!

Came for cool building videos, stayed for botal toat.

Disappointed that Collin didn’t send the death trap ….. amazing build Xyla

One of the first times in history that a secret Santa gift wasn't stupid but was actually beautiful and thoughtful.

Her mother is a very lovely lady

I always look forward to this series each year. Honestly, this is probably one of my favorite videos of all time in the series. The history and culture lesson were absolutely awesome, thank you so much for sharing!!

You really hit the nail on the head with your gift! (sorry, pun not intended). I watched his video and it was clear he was blown away by the thoughtfulness and coolness of your gift. Edit: have to add, I did a little research on the surname DiResta. Obviously Italian, but I found that it comes from a Milanese noble family (marchese, or marquis rank), who first settled in Milan in the 14th century. Originally the name was “Di Restais”, and the “di” part is just the Italian patronymic, equivalent to the “son” in “Johnson” or the “Bin” in “Bin Ladin”. “Restais” is probably French and means “to stay behind, remain, hold”, probably as in a stalwart defense of a land which earned them their nobility in the first place. And the main symbol of their heraldic crest is a 🦞. (well, technically a 🦐, è uno gambero rosso, a red prawn). So the red color was fitting for that I guess! Anyway I think what you did with the transcription was cooler and more of a nice interpersonal gift idea, but I was just curious about what the name actually meant/came from, and I thought I’d share.

I love Maker Secret Santa! It may be my favorite YT holiday tradition. The chop and sign you made for Jimmy is both beautiful and meaningful. He can use it on his prints, along with his usual stencil of course. Getting a gift from Colin would be both terrifying and awesome. Looks like the terrifying part is yet to come. Time to go watch some more of these. Thanks for sharing!

Engagement for the engagement god! Subs for the sub throne! Also, as someone of Chinese descent, but who was not raised in the culture at all, thank you for showcasing it.

Simple, beautiful, and highly personal. What a great gift!

I love your idea. I am Japanese and we put our hanko, the Japanese version of the chop on everything :)

7:48 Boatle Tote.... Lol couldn't find that resin anywhere! I'm mildly dyslexic and thought that was cute... Great heritage project!

Xyla I think you blew his mind with that gift. you could tell the reaction on his face was excitement. you nailed it

You definitely put your stamp of creativity on this one! And you should definitely make your own stamp!

Not knowing much about Chinese culture I had no idea what this would look like when it was finished and now I want my own. The small one, not the giant one and in Xyla style.

Literal Death Machine, I'm not surprised colin went "hmm maybe I should not send that" Not trying to kill Xyla 😂🤣

So many cool things about this especially getting your mom involved! Happy Holidays, Xyla.

that’s a very thoughtful gift, and your mother is quite smart.

open thunder tower pagoda sounds like an epic name. You should totally make a second one with that on it

An absolutely beautiful gift Xyla!

I bet you’d kill it at the game “Operation”😂💪🏼🔥👍🏻

My wife is Taiwanese. That "But we sent you to Chinese school."...asian guilt trip was felt in my soul.

Boatal toat resin, a highlight 😂😂

That chop was pretty cool. I liked the large version. That glossy red looked really great.

This is absolutely phenomenal!!! The quality of the whole project is amazing!

It's amazing when the gift is lovely on its own, and then the story behind it makes it ten times better. Side note- why does Colin saying he might come for a visit sounds like a threat?:D

Your gift is perfect and thoughtful. Too often in these secret Santa's it's a crap gift that will get tossed aside but not yours. Well done!

lovely piece. and so nice of your mom to help out

That was such an amazing piece of art and tradition all rolled into one gift!

Being an immigrant's son (parents came from Portugal to South Africa) I could absolutely relate to 'why you not pay attention to Chinese/Portuguese school' and hanging had a cool mother!

I see what Colin meant when he said the present he sent could be seen as a bit kinky! lol.

Love this gift, very thoughtful

Awesome gift for Jimmy...so nice!

I like the idea that Jimmy is just all the makers' dad

I've never been jealous of a sponsorship before... I am now.

Xyla, that was legit amazing! Truly cool.

Found your videos just before Christmas 2022 and binge watched all of them over the holiday weekend. The skills demonstrated combined with enthusiasm make the videos both interesting and uplifting. Thanks.

Well, I am glad that Colin's gift didn't kill you or burn down your workshop 😂 That stamp and cultural lesson was quite fascinating and neat!

wow, 2 videos in 3 days? i guess it is the christmas season indeed

Wow, Xyla!! the chop is SUCH a cool idea and your execution was fantastic!!!

After watching all the vids, I think this one was hands-down the best, as it had the most thoughtful. Hard to do in a rush. Excellent work.

going out for paddling in full motorcycle gear.

Making something for Jimmy is as hard as making something for Santa himself 😁

Xyla that gift you made for Jimmy is beautiful! I love it! You could probably produce lovely little pieces of Chinese inspired wooden nick knacks and sell them for a good price.

So awesome that you can call your mom for help. The process you used to come to the idea of the present was awesome as well. So cool, thanks for sharing this with us!

That was a really unique and cool gift!

So glad Colin's gift led me to this channel. Excellent Video and now I'm subscribed... Merry Christmas Xyla

Absolutely beautiful and so very thoughtful! Thank you for sharing!

What a beautiful and thoughtful gift!

After watching all the videos, yours came out the best. Great work on the vid and the gift!

Perfect mom! So cute and her energy is so good!!!

A lovely and thoughtful gift! (And your mother is awesome!!)

You made the nicest gift!! if I got something like that I would be crying my eyes out.

You nailed it Xyla. Best gift this year. It's practical since Diresta puts his name on everything, but you bring your own angle. It's also beautiful and beautifully presented.

wow. that's a really thoughtful gift. amazing idea.

Wow your mum is so COOL! Love her energy and wit!

This gift is the winner so far! It's so beautiful and thoughtful, that I would definitely ugly-cry if I were the recipient! You did such a great job!

Thoughtful and beautiful gift! This is the way to do it! I'm that dad you are referring to as well and a handmade gift like this is priceless.

What a thoughtful and amazing gift.

Such a beautiful gift! 😍

Her eyes are absolutely amazing

Awesome work Xyla! 😃👍🏻👊🏻 ..... Nice almost gift from Colin as well.

I am really amazed by your growth. I've been there almost since day one and you took off so well. You can be proud.

the red color on the big stamp was so beautiful I love it

This is such an awesome and unique gift Xyla!

Excellent job on the gift!!

The smaller gift you made is lovely and wonderfully thoughtful, but the large one is a work of art, and so beautiful! Well done indeed, fantastic! 😀

Wow, than is an incredibly thoughtful gift! Happy to join you from the Furze channel.

Great gift, one that will forever keep on giving Xyla!! Your Mom is a sweetie too! Merry Christmas and Happy New Maker Year!!! Best regards!! Q

Came here from Jimmys channel and I’m 100% hooked. Your gift to him was brilliant and your sense of humor is 🤌🏽