Some of us live a gazillion miles away, you cruel inhumans.
If someone in/around the great Garden State would be willing to coordinate, I have a suggestion for how to remedy this.
A few weeks before the proposed FOT Christmas in July, we organize Secret Santa and pair attendees with those of us restricted from attending due to extended geographic proximity. Make the deadline a week before the event to ensure everyone has their gift prior to the gathering. I'll volunteer to do the pairing if someone attending could be my point person in Jersey "on the ground," as it were.
Then, if we wanted to really get geeky, we could somehow synchronize it so that those at the gathering open their gifts at the same time as those of us out here in the fly-over States, using the chat to correspond.
Two problems I see with this idea are 1.) it sorta takes the wind out of the "opening gifts in person" thing and 2.) I'm not sure what the ratio of attendees to out-of-towners would be. But it would be a way for those of us who can't attend to participate and be there in spirit. Also, gifts!
Just spitballin' here. Might be more of a hassle than it's worth. I've been known to overreach (see: my failed FOT Jazz Fart'appella project).
Whaddaya guys think?