Archive for the ‘White Elephant Gift Exchange’ Category

Easter gifts in a unique exchange party

White Elephant Egg Hunt

I bet  that you have never seen a white elephant or an actual white elephant egg – have you?  These albino elephants are so rare and valuable that only kings can own them once they are found. So imagine the rarity of an actual white elephant egg!

Now you can have a Royal white elephant egg hunt with your family and friends. Like any other white elephant exchange, this is an opportunity to share fun gifts and great conversation with those you love.  But you will need to substitute something different for the very rare albino elephant eggs – We suggest the common cantaloupe!

Once you have your substitute elephant eggs gathered from the local grocer, you are ready to prepare them for the gift exchange party. Use a marking pen to number each “egg” so that there is one egg for every player.  We suggest that you use a food-safe marker, but the skin of a cantaloupe is thick like a…..Elephant’s hide, so you could probably get by with another style of marker if you use it on the day of the event.

Set-up like any white elephant gift exchange

You will set-up this  party using the standard rules for white elephant gift exchange and then extend invitations. You can suggest that they bring gifts that will add to the fun of the event and even set a price limit if you would like.  Easter is a great time to host this party so you could suggest Easter gifts or some Easter themed gift purchasing requirement.

On the day of the event you will need to hide the eggs, just like you would for an Easter egg hunt.  This is just a bit different because these eggs are white elephant sized, so you might want to let the grass grow a bit taller! You should get a bit of entertainment from this effort…

The party game starts with the white elephant egg hunt. Tell the players that the numbers will be their gift selection order in the gift exchange portion of the game. This will allow for some strategy to play-out as people find elephant eggs and then decide to keep or leave them for the next guy. (Like strategy every helped anyone in a white elephant gift exchange!)

Baby Elephant Eggs?

After all the eggs have been claimed they can be gathered into the kitchen for processing into the “baby elephant eggs” with a Double Melon Baller and Mini Scoop.  Just remember to record who had what number so you can use it in the exchange portion of the party. Use the newly created fruit treats as a part of your refreshments.

Now you are ready to do the gift exchange like you would with any traditional white elephant gift party.  In stead of drawing names in a random manner you will use the order from the white elephant eggs.

Other Ideas…

You could expand the fun with an Easter trivia contest during the mellon balling fun, or do a left-right game with the melons prior to finalizing the game selection order.  → Printable Easter Ideas

Now you know that the white elephant gift exchange is not just for the Christmas season, but can be a great way to share gifts and fun at almost any holiday.  Take the time to plan a Royal White Elephant Egg Hunt and Gift Exchange this Easter – You are going to love this Party!

White elephant gift exchange – Easter style

Every holiday is an opportunity to share gifts and fun with family and friends, and Easter is no different.  This year you might change things up a bit and host an Easter Gift Exchange.

Unique and creative gift giving is the hallmark of a great party, and nothing makes a party more fun than some games… Of course we always suggest some type of white elephant gift exchange.

For your Easter party you could ask everyone to bring gifts with a Easter theme.  Maybe it could be a Bunny& Egg party, or an “Everything Fuzzy” exchange or for a religious gathering the theme could be centered on Christian gifts.

You would structure your gift exchange like any traditional white elephant gift party, with all invitees asked to bring a wrapped item. You could specify a price level and determine if regifting is OK and then notify all with an invitation.

Because we are affiliated with the Amazon markets we went in and gathered together some gifts that may help to get your creative juices flowing.

We also searched Python Printable Games for some other party game ideas for you → Easter Games

We continue to promise to provide you with all the creative ways that you can share gifts with family and friends, and Easter time is no different. This year add some fun party games to your Easter events. Here are some printable party games that we have affiliated with so that we can include them in the AlbinoPhant idea systems.

Try a Scavenger Hunt

We all know the value of an Easter Egg Hunt, so why not add another dimension with a special scavenger hunt. Our recreationalist suggests that you adapt the scavenger hunt to a gift exchange party by placing a number on each egg, then link that number to a corresponding gift that is available for sharing. You can determine if you want to turn the party into a full gift swap or not. (note: young children may not understand “stealing-gifts” within a standard gift exchange)

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The Famous Left Right Game

We love this game and it can be adapted easily to a white elephant style party activity.  There are several of these left-right or right-left stories available, we thought we would share one of them that you can use in this  years Easter gift exchange party. This one is a Bunny Tale…

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Add in some Trivia

During the party, stop the action and share a bit of Easter trivia with your guests. We have even heard of white elephant gift exchanges that tie the correct answers to trivia questions to an extra turn for a gift swap with someone – completely out of turn!

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We wish you and your family a wonderful Easter and as always…

You are going to love this Party!

White elephants compared to gift exchanges by eatery.

A Bay Area Thai fusion diner called the White Elephant is the passion of Siripat Nuengchamnong, a Thai-trained chef.  Because of her cultural background she is confused by the way that we identify the albino elephants of her homeland.

“We like the elephant- the elephant is nice, friendly, and gentle, and it is a symbol of Thailand.” I know that here in America, a white elephant is a game where you can steal other people’s gifts in a gift exchange. But in Thailand, our white elephant is a rare species.”

Yes we do view the white elephant as something that doesn’t have as much value as they do in their home country. But we do use the white elephant gift exchange as a friendly group sharing activity and that is positive.  In Thailand the albino elephant is rare and held in very high regard. We tend to use the gift exchange as a very popular party activity in the Americas.

At AlbinoPhant we believe that the white elephant gift  should be elevated to include gifts that really add to the friendly atmosphere of the party. This is why we continue to share white elephant gift ideas that will add to the conversation within the game.

We are pleased that Thailand, a restaurant in California and others around the world continue to educate all of us concerning the white elephant and its value.  The albino elephant and the gift exchange party that it has inspired are both very valuable. We will continue to promote great gift swapping opportunities here on the pages of AlbinoPhant.

Just for fun we explored the internet to find other restaurants that have chosen to name themselves after these rare white elephants. Listed below are various location around the world, so we have provided a link on each so that you can explore their websites if you wish.

Hypersmash.com

Online White Elephant Game Maintenance

Our engineers are working on updating the game

Play Again September 2012

You can still shop in the AlbinoPhant Markets and Share great white elephant gifts until then….

White elephant gifts are encased in value

White elephant gift traditions

Marketing unique gifts

Gifts in a Virtual World?

White elephant gift discovery

White Elephant Gift Party Rules

The most complete list of gift exchange rules anywhere!

The white elephant and secret Santa exchanges are the most popular gift swapping parties for groups during the holidays. Similar group parties are used by direct sales companies like Tupperware every day of the year. The PartyWeDo recreational experts monitor the gift exchange industry to assist you in finding the best ways to share presents with family and friends. Our team has collected the most complete list of gift exchange rules and suggestions available on the web. We encourage you to share these ideas with your friends and family.

On the right side of the page is a line of buttons that will take you to various white elephant and other gift swap ideas. We hope that you will try any variety of these great party games for your next group gathering.

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Your Going to LOVE a White Elephant Party!

In every style of gift exchange game there is a requirement that everyone bring a wrapped white elephant gift to the party. Keeping the identity of the purchaser secret is an important part of the fun. Some gift exchange games like the White Elephant Secret Shopper game use the secret identity of each purchaser as a part of the fun so secrecy is critical. Do not put your name on the gift, and try to be as stealthy as possible with your present delivery to the party host.

It is the responsibility of the party host to collect and administer the items for the exchange. Some hosts require that all wrapped white elephant gifts arrive in a garbage bag to conceal their identity. It is recommended that hosts meet players at the door to collect the items and to keep track of how many packages are available for the exchange. Most gift exchanges require that all of the gifts are gathered together in one spot for the game-play activity. Hosts should set up the room so that all players can have easy access to the presents during the exchanging process.

Gifts are the center piece of a successful exchange party so the host must establish some rules or guidelines for the white elephant gifts.

The white elephant or Yankee Swap gifts should:
* Have a suggested price range… Hosts should set a price limit for purchases so that people don’t become to extravagant or go too cheap. Most exchange party items fall between 15 and 35 dollars each. The exception to this rule is the Bridal Gift Exchange Party or the Birthday Gift Exchange Party where pricing is not so much of an issue, because the bride or birthday person is getting all the presents anyway.
* Be tasteful… This is a very subjective rule depending upon the crowd that is invited to the party. The host should give some guidelines concerning adult themes or other embarrassing products if some of the invitees might find them offensive. Don’t stifle the creative or fun white elephant gifts from coming to the party, just be sensitive to the crowd and use common sense.
* Inspire conversation…. Creating fun banter and friendly conversation is the hallmark of a great party. Suggest to all players that they use some creativity when it comes to selecting a gift.

Here are some Gift Ideas to get your creative juices flowing from the AlbinoPhant marketplace.

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15 Dollar White Elephant Gifts

20 Dollar White Elephant Gifts

25 Dollar White Elephant Gifts

30 Dollar White Elephant Gifts

35 Dollar White Elephant  Gifts

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Finding gifts that are a balance between useful, desirable and just plain wacky is an art-form for the better gift exchange shoppers. Gift shopping for this type of party can be one of the most rewarding parts of the activity.

White Elephant gift parties have two schools of thought when it comes to gifts. One side suggests that white elephant gifts should come from the back of the closet or the dusty storage room. These people would love to play a White Elephant Regifting game, were all gifts are used or barely used. The other group follows a more historical perspective, suggesting that in ancient Siam white elephants were highly prized and important gifts (learn more about the Albino Elephants of Siam HERE). This group plays the gift exchange with newly purchased items. Ether way is perfectly fine and should work with any of the gift exchange rules listed here on the AlbinoPhant online white elephant party site.

The host must also decide before hand how the game playing order will be administered. A gift exchange is a turn-based activity, where players are selected randomly to take a turn in the game.

White elephant game variations…

If the host chooses the White Elephant Spin the Bottle game, then attention must be paid to the room set-up and finding a bottle to spin. Most hosts use a numbering system and a container (hat, pot, basket, or bag) to provide a random number selection system. This will require several slips of paper with numbers to correspond to the number of items brought to the game. In the Online White Elephant Party the players are selected with a computer-controlled randomizer software program.

Standard Game Play

The game begins by gathering all players into their seats and identifying the leader of the game; usually the host is this person, but it could be anyone assigned to that duty. The rules of the party should be reviewed so that everyone is clear as to what to expect during the white elephant game. Remember to pay attention to unique rules if you are doing an exchange that is not traditional.

All game play items should be placed in the center of the seating area prior to the beginning of the game.

NOTE: We will describe the basic rules of game play for a traditional gift exchange activity and try to mention where there are variation in other types of white elephant gift parties.

The leader then uses the random selection devise (bottle or numbers in the container), to identify the first player of the game.

On the first turn, person #1 chooses a gift, opens it, and displays it to all of the other players. In the case of the White Elephant Gift Auction, the White Elephant Caroling Exchange or White Elephant Left Right games there will be other requirements for person #1 (see individual rule sheets for these games. Most hosts require that the opened gifts remain in full view of all players during the game (no “squirreling-away” a desirable gift from the other players).

The leader randomly selects the next player in the gift exchange.

On the second turn, person #2 gets the choice of “stealing” any unwrapped gift (#1′s) or choosing a wrapped one from the gift pile.

If the second player “steals” the gift from person #1, then person #1 can choose a replacement gift from the pile of wrapped presents. In all games there is no immediate steal-backs allowed ( person #1 can not re-steal the gift just taken by person #2) Stealing back a gift that was once in your possession must wait at least one-turn removed before stealing it back.

NOTE:  You will discover that the most exciting and unique white elephant gifts will build the most conversation.  Usually there will be one or two stand-out gifts that will get the conversation going and will be the target of most of the stealing.  We can’t stress enough that part of the fun of the party is the finding the best white elephant gift and then watching how your friends and family react to what you purchased, once it is revealed.  Now back to the rules…

The leader randomly selects the next player in the gift exchange game.

On the third turn, person #3 gets the choice of “stealing” any unwrapped gift (#1′s or #2′s) or choosing a wrapped one. Game continues based on the following:

1. – If a gift is stolen from you, you can steal a gift from someone else (see #3 and #4 below), or open a new one.

2. – Turns proceed until everyone has a gift. A turn is ended when a gift is opened and displayed to everyone.

3. – A gift cannot be stolen more than once in a turn.

4. – The third “owner” of any stolen gift gets to keep it – it is unavailable to be stolen again. This is the rule in the White Elephant 3 Steal game, but is completely broken in the White Elephant Commando party.

At the end of the last turn, the first person (who had no choice at the beginning) can choose to “exchange” any gift with any player that has a gift available (not stolen 3-times) for the taking. There are some people who choose to not have the first person make the final selection. This is up to you.

The game ends.

The Christensen Family Tradition is Shared

Our family has enjoyed white elephant parties for many years as a way to save money on sharing presents. When our children left the nest we started playing the game online. AlbinoPhant is the online white elephant party that you can play with family and friends that don’t live close by. We have built this party game so that you host and then enjoy all of the same functions of the party that you would have at home, but with some exciting twists. If you and your guests have an email address and a computer you can play AlbinoPhant. We make the hosting process seamless and completely electronic.

This online party keeps track of your invitation list and then let’s you know who has RSVP’d to your party. You can set the pricing of your white elephant gifts for a level playing field. AlbinoPhant provides all of your guests a great gift shopping experience with markets powered by Amazon.

The game is structured just like the traditional party so you will see all the wrapped gifts and watch as gifts are opened and displayed. AlbinoPhant keeps track of who has which gift and randomly picks the turns. There is a comment area where players can express their thoughts and create lively banter. The extra benefits include picture posting and Youtube videos that will add to the fun. It is a social game that mimics everything that you would do in your living room at a regular gift exchange party. We know that you will have a great time in this online white elephant party…

If you want to give an online white elephant gift party a try you can use offer code 1234 when you host your own AlbinoPhant party.

…MORE IDEAS WANTED…

We are always looking for unique ways to play the white elephant gift exchange party. If you have something to share, please send us an email at partywedo@gmail.com or post your idea here on this post.

…SHARE THE FUN…

If you would like some other fun ideas for gift exchanges please explore other pages on this site. Have a great party!

…WHITE ELEPHANT PARTY INVITATIONS…

The AlbinoPhant site can be your resource for many gift exchange events. If you are looking for Invitation ideas or Decorations and Treats you can find them on the pages of this gift exchange resource site. We are passionate about the white elephant gift exchange system and suggest this activity for any and all gift sharing events in your world.

Graveling SOLD – White elephant gift auction

Finding fun and unique ways to share gifts between family and friends is a challenge for every group. The white elephant gift exchange is a great tradition for gift sharing during the holidays, but sometimes it gets a little old-hat.

AlbinoPhant attempts to mix-up the fun by offering several variations of this classic party, including an online white elephant gift exchange.

Try a combination auction and white elephant exchange for your next gathering and be amazed at the fun and conversation that you will start. Remember that the most important component of the white elephant party is the gifts. Suggest that your guest find the most unique, zany and fun white elephant gifts so that the conversation will be lively and the bidding will be strong.

The following white elephant gift exchange rules will help you host the white elephant auction party of the year…

Prepare for the white elephant party by going to the Dollar Store and get several packages of money. This is like the Monopoly money used in the board game.
Next, create several envelopes with varying totals between 200 and 500 dollars. We have found that $20 dollar or $50 bills are the best. Have each envelope contain a different total so that there is variety among the party participants.

On the day of the white elephant gift exchange, set the room up like you would for the traditional gift party. Make sure all players have easy access to the gift pile and that they sit where they can see everyone in the game.

#1 Put all the wrapped items in one place

#2 Put every players name into a hat

#3 Draw the first name, read it and then put it back into the hat.

#4 The first player opens a gift and shows it off.

#5 The first player can choose two options:
A Keep the item
B. Start a White Elephant Auction

#6A If they keep the gift the next name is drawn from the hat and then the name is returned to the hat.

#7A Player two has the same two options, ether keep the gift (until stolen or swapped) or hold a white elephant auction)

#6B If they choose a white elephant auction, they will act as the auctioneer and start the bidding at any level that they think that they can get.

#7B All players can choose to make a bid for the item and the auctioneer will give the gift to the highest bidder and collect the cash.

NOTE: Players that have an open gift can add the item into the auction bidding. For example a bid could be: I will give $100 dollars and this great ???? for your ????. If the winning bidder has a gift they will exchange the item and the money.

#8 Another name is drawn from the hat and then returned into the hat.

#9 Player selects from three options:
A. Steal another opened item.
B. Open a new unopened gift and display it to others.
C. Hold a white elephant auction on any open gift in his/her possession.

#10 Following the actions of ether the steal, the open or the auction, the next name is drawn from the hat and returned.

#11 The next player again has the 3 options explained in #9.

#12 In the event that a player with an opened gift has their name pulled from the hat they have two options:
A. Swap for any other opened gift
B. Hold a White elephant auction for their existing gift so that they can open a new item.

#13 Game play continues until every gift is opened.

#14 An option would be for the host to provide a prize for the person who has the most money left over at the end of the party.

You are going to love this party!

Caroling white elephant gift exchange rules

This is an opportunity to add a little musical fun to your regular white elephant gift party. You will need a CD player with a pause button and some Christmas Carol CD’s (make sure they have words and not instrumentals).

Place the CD player where the host or an appointed “carol-leader” can have access.

#1 Start the white elephant gift exchange as usual, with the presents in the middle of the group and with every player’s name in a hat for drawing.

#2 Draw the first name and start the first musical carol on the CD.

#3 The first player selects an item and opens it for all to see.

#4 The host or carol-leader randomly stops the music.

#5 Play who just opened the white elephant gift must “sing” the next 3 words in the Carol to keep the item.

#6 Any player who knows the words to the carol may stand and “carol for the gift” if the original player is not able to sing the next 3 words. (Host will say who was the first to stand)

#7 If the first person to stand and carol for the white elephant gift sings the next 3 words correctly they can steal the item from the original opener.

#8 All names must be returned to the drawing hat.

#9 Another name is drawn at random

#10 Another wrapped white elephant gift is take from the pile by the next player

#11 The gift is opened while the next Christmas carol is playing

#12 The host waits a moment while the item is displayed and discussed, pushes the pause button.

#13 The player that just opened a gift must sing the next 3 words of the carol in order to keep the item.

#14 If this player is able to carol for the itemthen they have the option of keeping the newly opened item or swapping with any other unopened gift. (see the 3-steal rule)

#15 If that player is unable to sing the words, then the host picks the first person to stand and “carol for the gift”.

#16 Any player who has an open white elephant gift and “carols for a gift” with the correct 3 words can swap for any other open gift.

#17 Whenever the swapping stops, the music starts and the next name is drawn to discover the next person who opens a new gift.

#18 The white elephant game continues until all gifts are opened and all players have an item.

Your going to love this party!

We suggest that you attempt this unique white elephant gift exchange idea at your next holiday gathering and bring Christmas music into the fun.

If you can’t get everyone together in one place because they all live in other towns, we suggest that you try a fun online white elephant gift party, AlbinoPhant.

For more great party ideas. → Unique white elephant exchanges