Posts Tagged ‘AlbinoPhant’

White elephant gifts are encased in value

But the real-world still includes real gift giving as a way of demonstrating love and support among family and friends.  It seems hard to believe that this supportive tradition will ever be replaced with something that is completely free.  Real gifts cost real money. This is even true for the traditional white elephant gift exchange, where everyone provides a gift and everyone takes away a gift.

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 gift auction and white elephant exchange for your next gathering and be amazed at the fun and conversation that you will start.

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 gifts 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 gift
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 gift 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 gift into the auction bidding. For example a bid could be: I will give $100 dollars and this great ???? gift for your ????gift. If the winning bidder has a gift they will exchange the gift 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 gift.
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 gift.

#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!

Flashy $15 white elephant gift

When this special white elephant gift is unwrapped during the party it will instantly be popular. 

TIME TO STEAL…!!!

Other gift exchange game players will see that they can finally clear that pesky traffic (not recommended) on the way to K-Mart for that big sale.

As MamaC, I get to select the white elephant gifts for the online gift parties that family and friends enjoy on AlbinoPhant.  I know that this blue-light flasher will get conversation going in your next white elephant party or at a Yankee Swap.

With this great white elephant gift conversation will head in several directions, including to K-Mart shopping memories or old Cop-show stereotypes.

Have some fun with this flashy gift…

This Special commercial “I know a Place!” should get your toe a tapping…

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 a gift 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 gift.

#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 gift 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 gift 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 gift.

#14 If this player is able to carol for the gift then they have the option of keeping the newly opened gift 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 a gift.

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.

Sitting an elephant down is challenging

Getting an elephant to sit requires a combination of patience and some physical effort before the massive pachyderm will finally sit back on its haunches. Regardless of the effort, any circus worth its salt needs several sitting elephants to fill the seats in the tent. So training elephants to sit is a much bigger deal than just a regular party trick.

Elephant physiology suggests, and elephant trainers know, that these animals can sit down; it is just not something that they do regularly and especially on command. Intense training shifts an elephant’s paradigm from a four-legged position to one where sitting on the hindquarters becomes a regular part of the show. It takes a great deal of work between trainer and elephant to change the thinking, so this long process is not a party for the elephant or the instructor.

Changing a pattern of action is always a challenge, and takes work.

AlbinoPhant, the online white elephant party is changing the paradigm of group gift giving. The challenge is to change our thinking from location-based parties to internet-based gift sharing activities. Up until now we would gather in one room to sit as a group for the gift exchange. The family room, the church basement or the office conference room was the normal gathering place for these fun activities between family or friends. But distance and time have made this action more challenging for many groups and all seek a better way to share gifts.

New social applications like Facebook and YouTube have demonstrated that distance can be bridged using the internet. Groups can now gather and share conversation in a virtual space, changing the dynamics of personal interaction using a computer screen.

AlbinoPhant takes the virtual conversation one step further by allowing gifts to join the conversation and groups to gather for a traditional party game online. The AlbinoPhant gift exchange is not limited by the confines of the old family room, as the online party can span any distance, gathering all who want to support one another during important life events. Personal interactions can now play-out online as gifts are revealed on the computer screen and then delivered by UPS in the days that follow the party.

Like the training for a sitting elephant, we continue our work to make the online party become “The Greatest Show on Earth” for families and friends.

$35 White Elephant Gifts You Can Wear…

Even though the white elephant gift exchange is a tradition for many groups, we are still interested in some variety from time to time. We suggest that you shake things up and have a “Wear-it-Home” style white elephant party.

This type of white elephant exchange has just two unique rules: One, the gift must be worn once it is opened and two, it must be worn home by the final owner of the gift.

We went into the AlbinoPhant online white elephant gift marketplace and pulled out some $35 dollar white elephant gift ideas that can be worn during and after the game. You can have a virtual “Wear-it-Home” white elephant party if you wish, using the AlbinoPhant system.

Here are 6 wacky and unique white elephant gifts that you could wear during the gift exchange. These gifts will definitely be stolen many times during the fun!

Your going to Love the Party!

Wolf head white elephant gift

White elephant travel vest gift

Face shield white elephant gift

White elephant gift whistle

Flag hardhat – white elephant gift

head light white elephant gift

$25 White Elephant Gift Ideas

We all know that in a white elephant gift exchange the selection of the perfect gift is a very important component to the party experience.

The gifts are the centerpiece of the traditional gift swap party, and the AlbinoPhant online gift exchange party is no different.

Crazy white elephant gifts bring great conversation into the party, so we have gathered 25 wacky white elephant gifts from the AlbinoPhant marketplace. Use these white elephant gift ideas to help find your perfect gift for the game. As usual these $25 dollar gifts include all the shipping and the party game admission included into the 25 dollar price.

Your going to love this party!

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You would think that powerful social media leaders would endorse big group parties. After all, their perspective is based upon socializing with all of the world wide web.

But I found it interesting that one of the biggest names in social networking discussed his Facebook personal account, which he manages just for those he is closest too. I completely understand why Chris Brogan’s family runs on Facebook, in what could be considered a private party.

Chris has many friends within the internet social space, including Facebook. I am grateful for his connection with me in a few of these web networks and our brief discussions on family in the past. I know that he keeps his family close in both life and business.

Keeping our family close is why parties are so important to our culture of social support and love. Family parties are closed events; private and intimate expressions based upon personal deep-rooted connection.

The same individuals who attend a huge gala party at the civic center to improve their social status, crave the private party in the family room to celebrate the important life-events of those whom they love.

Facebook has become just one tool in providing families various levels of communication, from broad to intimate.

Our family has used these internet tools as a way to stay personally connected in a spirit of love and support, no matter the distance.

The massive world of the web has given us back our private party. What about you?

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UPS delivers over 5 billion packages a year….FedEx adds a bit over a billion per year and the U.S. Postal Service employs almost as many people as WalMart, to deliver packages.

The actual number of packages moved by these parcel delivery giants and their smaller cousins is probably in the 6-Billion packages a year range.

Parcel delivery services have been the fastest-growing transportation segment in the United States over the past two decades. This market has more than doubled its share of the nation’s transportation budget since 1980 and now carries at least 10% of each day’s gross domestic product in the United States.

The package delivery business may be huge and growing, but it is still dull and unimaginative!

A recent paper distributed by the Association for Postal Commerce revealed that there are two main uses for package delivery in the US:

Business to Business and Business to Consumer.

From the APC study, we find that Business to Business (B2B) represents 83% of all Overnight Parcel Deliveries and 68% of all Ground Parcel Deliveries. It is OK for these deliveries to be dull, because efficient and speed trump emotion in this delivery category.

The Business to Consumer (B2C) numbers are a bit different, with Overnight at 17% and Ground at 32%. These packages move from a business that has a more consumer-centered mind-set. Emotion is the rule of the day in retail, and many of these deliveries were initiated by individuals to meet their personal needs, or as a gift for someone else. The B2C shipment involves people who are personally invested in a good delivery result. Good results are especially critical in the delivery of a gift.

To prove the personal emotional tie to the B2C delivery category… Just miss the delivery date of a customer’s gift for a grandson’s birthday, and then watch how the customer service line lights-up!

The B2C parcel delivery category represents what Amazon, Overstock or Target and WalMart do with their products when they ship. Before shipment, these retailers do everything possible to keep the customers engaged, so that they will return to purchase from them often.

So, if they are working very hard to keep each customer happily involved during most of the purchasing process, why do they allow the final part of the delivery process to be so uneventful? Answer: they haven’t thought imaginatively…

The solution to continued engagement during the shipping process is to provide memorable experiences ahead of the actual delivery at the doorstep. You know… Something fun between the time of purchase and the time that the UPS guy arrives.

EXAMPLE:
Let’s assume that Grandma purchased a Lego Batman set for her grandson, and that Amazon had a plan to keep everyone engaged beyond just the point of purchase.

Now let’s pretend that Amazon/Grandma sent a email note to the grandson, via his parents, suggesting that Batman was coming to visit his house very soon. Do you think that the grandson would become engaged in the process of delivery? Curiosity is a powerful emotion.

Then two days later, another email is sent to the parents, suggesting that they print off an attached note from “Batman” informing their son how special he is and how much his grandmother talks about him and loves him. The boy is engaged, the parents are participating, grandma is involved, and the delivery is anticipated. When the UPS guy arrives and the box is opened, all the memories of the experience flood in…

Imagine if Batman followed-up with a message a few days later saying: “I hope that you enjoy your new Lego set, Love Grandma and Batman”

Emotional ties and lasting memories among family and friends can be enhanced, even in a the middle of a process that is usually dull and unimaginative.

What would you do to make Business to Consumer parcel delivery more fun?

Our family uses an online gift exchange party that is modeled after the traditional white elephant gift exchange. We have found that we are more connected and engaged in the gift giving process, even from a distance.