[Bardificer] It sparks joy (PUZZEL OF THE YEAR 2022)

[Bardificer]

One item in my house is special to me. But the reason it is special is something it shares in common with most of the other stuff in my house. What is the reason?

[Sarisberie]

Did you make it? Did you make all of the stuff in your house, but this item actually works or isn't damaged or flawed or something? La pièce de résistance?

[GalFisk]

Does it make you feel: happy? Proud? Sentimental? Satisfied? Accepted? Accomplished? Appreciated? Awesome? Skilled? Like you got your money's worth? Is the item: old? New? A tool? Utensil? Furniture? Part of the buiding? Is it bigger than a breadbox? Is it made from: metal? Glass? Wood? Paper/cardboard? Felt? Fabric? Plant fiber? Hair/wool/fur? Rubber? Ceramic? Bone/teeth/shells? Plastic? Liquid? Gas? Is it electric? Electronic? Did you buy it? Make it? Get it as a gift? Is it art? Useful? Pleasant? Cumbersome? Elastic? Does it have moving parts?

[Bardificer]

Sarisberie

Did you make it? No. Did you make all of the stuff in your house, but this item actually works or isn't damaged or flawed or something? La pièce de résistance? No, good thought though!


GalFisk

Does it make you feel: happy? Proud? Sentimental? This is closest. Satisfied? Accepted? Accomplished? Appreciated? Awesome? Skilled? Like you got your money's worth?
Is the item: old? Not particularly. New? About 15 years, not super relevant. A tool? Utensil? Furniture? Part of the building? No to all. Is it bigger than a breadbox? No.
Is it made from: metal? Some this. Glass? Wood? Paper/cardboard? Felt? Fabric? Plant fiber? Hair/wool/fur? Rubber? Ceramic? Bone/teeth/shells? Plastic? And this. Liquid? Gas? Is it electric? Electronic? No to rest.
Did you buy it? Make it? Get it as a gift? This. Is it art? DOYD. Useful? Not particularly. Pleasant? Yes. Cumbersome? No. Elastic? Irr. Does it have moving parts? Yes, I suppose one.

I'll just say it's not super relevant exactly what the item is. Might help to get the general category.

[Sarisberie]

Is it to do with your hobby/ies? Is it the final item in an otherwise complete set, model railway collection &co? Memorabilia? Was it (&/or the other items) handed down through the family, left to you in a will, have sentimetal value, something from your childhood?

Camping related? (you had all the gear all over your house and you finally got a decent tent?) Hang-gliding?

[GalFisk]

Is it relevant that it was a gift? If so, relevant who gave it? Why? When? On what occasion? How it was given? What it cost the giver? Was it relevantly first? Last? Are relevant memories evoked by it?

[Bardificer]

Sarisberie

Is it to do with your hobby/ies? No/irr.

Is it the final item in an otherwise complete set, model railway collection &co? Memorabilia? No, but good guesses. Was it (&/or the other items) handed down through the family, left to you in a will, have sentimetal value, This is an element of it, no to rest. something from your childhood?

Camping related? (you had all the gear all over your house and you finally got a decent tent?) Hang-gliding? No.


GalFisk

Is it relevant that it was a gift? Yesish. If so, relevant who gave it? Not really, a friend. Why? Yes. When? On what occasion? Yes, this will help. How it was given? What it cost the giver? Was it relevantly first? Last? Are relevant memories evoked by it? No to rest.

[GalFisk]

Was it given on a birthday? Anniversary? Graduation? Wedding? Happy occasion? Sad occasion? As a prize? As consolation? As a sign of friendship? As thanks?

[Bardificer]

GalFisk

Was it given on a birthday? Anniversary? Graduation? Wedding? No--I'll say that this type of occasion isn't always associated with gifts, it's just an event tied to the giving.
Happy occasion? Yes.Sad occasion? No. As a prize? As consolation? As a sign of friendship? Thisish, no to rest. As thanks?

[GalFisk]

Thisish sign of friendship: a sign-ish? Friendship-ish? Was the item only part of the gift? Do we need to know the occasion? Did it mark a transition? Beginning something? Completing something?

[Sarisberie]

Is the fact that it has a moving part relevant? Would it help if we knew what that part is? Was it a holiday-related gift? Something that someone (friend, relative, spouse etc) brought back from afar/abroad/other? Location relevant? Is the giver (or person associated with the item whether giver or not) still part of your life? Alive?

[trebor2]

Do we need to uncover more about the other stuff in your house? Was the other stuff also gifts? From the same friend? Did you ever live with that friend? Do you live with that friend now?

Did this gift show that your friend had remembered something important about you? About the friendship?

If another person had given you the exact same gift, would it still have the same meaning for you? Is it possible for someone else to give you the exact same gift? Was the gift made by the giver? Was it bought in a store? Custom-made? Relevant?

[Bardificer]

GalFisk

Thisish sign of friendship: a sign-ish? Friendship-ish? Haha, I'll say sign-ish. Giving a gift for this reason helps signify friendship, but isn't really expected or required among friends. Was the item only part of the gift? No. Do we need to know the occasion? It would help. Did it mark a transition? Beginning something? Completing something? None exactly, but this is closest.


Sarisberie

Is the fact that it has a moving part relevant? No. Would it help if we knew what that part is? Not really. Was it a holiday-related gift? No. Something that someone (friend, relative, spouse etc) brought back from afar/abroad/other? Yes. Location relevant? Yes!
Is the giver (or person associated with the item whether giver or not) still part of your life? Alive? Yes, irr.


trebor2

Do we need to uncover more about the other stuff in your house? Yes. Was the other stuff also gifts? No (maybe some, irr.) From the same friend? No. Did you ever live with that friend? No. Do you live with that friend now?No.

Did this gift show that your friend had remembered something important about you? No. About the friendship? No.

If another person had given you the exact same gift, would it still have the same meaning for you? Probably. Is it possible for someone else to give you the exact same gift? It would be difficult, but technically possible. Was the gift made by the giver? No. Was it bought in a store? Yes, or similar. Custom-made? No. Relevant? Only a bit.

[trebor2]

The other stuff in your house: Is it also tied to this specific occasion? To similar occasions? To the same occasion, but at a different time? (Like your 30th birthday instead of your 40th, for example.) Is there anything unusual about the other stuff in your house? Anything relevant about your house itself?

Does the occasion occur only at certain times of the year? When a certain life event happens? The first time you meet a person? Seeing a friend after a long period of not seeing them? A housewarming? Visiting a friend who lives far away? A promotion? Announcement of expected parenthood?

Is the location relevant insofar as: continent? country? province/county/region/canton/state? city? geographic features? nearby buildings? indoors vs outdoors? Home vs business?

[Bardificer]

trebor2

The other stuff in your house: Is it also tied to this specific occasion? To similar occasions? To the same occasion, but at a different time? (Like your 30th birthday instead of your 40th, for example.) No to all. Is there anything unusual about the other stuff in your house? No, the trait you are looking for is very common in household stuff. Anything relevant about your house itself? Yesish, a bit.

Does the occasion occur only at certain times of the year? The relevant event happened only once. When a certain life event happens? The first time you meet a person? Seeing a friend after a long period of not seeing them? Thisish. A housewarming? Visiting a friend who lives far away? A promotion? Announcement of expected parenthood? No to rest.

Is the location relevant insofar as: continent? country? This is relevant. province/county/region/canton/state? city? geographic features? nearby buildings? indoors vs outdoors? Home vs business? No to rest.

[JenBurdoo1]

Is it from someplace you have not been? Would like to visit? But your friend visited? and brought back? A souvenir? Had you asked for it, or was it a surprise?

Is the item religious in nature? Can it only be found where it came from? Or has it relevant characteristics of that place?

Was the gift calculated to "fit" in or among your other household items? IE, if someone who was not a friend or had not seen the inside of your home given it to you, would it still have the same meaning?

[Bardificer]

JenBurdoo1

Is it from someplace you have not been? Yes. Would like to visit? Sure, irr. But your friend visited? and brought back? A souvenir? Yes, exactly. Had you asked for it, or was it a surprise? Surprise, irr.

Is the item religious in nature? Can it only be found where it came from? Or has it relevant characteristics of that place? No/irr to all.

Was the gift calculated to "fit" in or among your other household items? No, good thought. IE, if someone who was not a friend or had not seen the inside of your home given it to you, would it still have the same meaning? For the purposes of this puzzle, yope.

[Sundowner64]

Is the reason why your friend traveled to this place relevant for you?
Is the place significant for you only because your friend was there? (or because of the occasion why your friend was there?)
so if someone else had been there and brought this souvenir for you it would not have the same value for you?

[Bardificer]

Sundowner64

Is the reason why your friend traveled to this place relevant for you? No.
Is the place significant for you only because your friend was there? (or because of the occasion why your friend was there?) For this context, yes.
so if someone else had been there and brought this souvenir for you it would not have the same value for you? If another friend had brought it, sure.

I think you all have discovered the crux of why it's special, it's the 'something it shares with all my other stuff' that is left to explore.

[GalFisk]

Is the other stuff from the same place? WAG: is it a souvenir from China, and you've lots of stuff that's "Made in China"?

[Sundowner64]

Is most of the stuff in your house brought in by friends?

[Sarisberie]

All second-hand? All plastic?

[trebor2]

Is your own travel history (or lack thereof?) relevant? Are all the souvenirs from places that you intend to go? Are you trying to collect something from every country? From every state/province/canon/county in your country? (Sorry, I forget what country you're from.)

[Bardificer]

GalFisk

Is the other stuff from the same place? WAG: is it a souvenir from China, and you've lots of stuff that's "Made in China"?
Your WAG is exactly right! Dang, I'm sorry I abandoned this forum right when people started solving my puzzles! I blame work. T_T


*********************************SPOILER

In high school, my friend got to travel to where her parents were born in China, and she brought back a lovely piece of costume jewelry for me. It's special to me mainly because it was brought to me all the way from China. And yet it sits in my bedroom alongside a hundred other things that were made in China and shipped to me!

[Sundowner64]

Nice puzzle.
A present from China sticking out among all the other stuff from China. But it was personally selected for you.
Welcome back, Bardificer!

[Bardificer]

Thank you!

[Sarisberie]

Great puzz, and nice to see you back