Posts Tagged ‘Business and Economy’

Hosting any event requires determination and ingenuity. We appreciate the efforts of a party host who takes the time and energy to pull off a great social experiences.

We really give a tip of our hat to the host who goes the extra mile to make the party memorable for everyone involved. It is amazing how even the small differences can make a huge change in the level of fun and engagement at the party. It is the host’s responsibility to find the “little extra” that will turn the party into a social explosion.

One of the galvanizing aspects of any group event involves joining attendees together in a common activity, like a party game. These activities are proven social bonding tools that turn mundane events into great social experiences.

Our family uses the gift exchange format to add a spark to our gift giving parties and create unity. But this year we went a bit further and added just another dimension to the fun.

On the day of our Christmas Eve party we invited all of the attendees to meet us at the local Goodwill store, just before coming to the event. We suggested that if they had not purchased a gift for the exchange, that this would be a good time to find the perfect present…

But we had another surprise in mind.

We asked everyone to shop for a silly hat to wear to the party, and it would be our treat.

The hat selection was fabulous and the variety was amazing ( it is interesting to realize that someone paid retail for some of these at one time!). The store was soon filled with laughter as our guests discovered hats and then modeled them for anyone who would pay attention to them.
Down several isles of the store walked grown men with furry or floppy hats, still displaying the price tags. Women that were trying on hard hats and football helmets were giggling like school kids.

The party had started at Goodwill and the excitement was spreading.

The regular store customers and clerks were entertained by this odd display, and our guests were getting into a very festive mood. We didn’t even need to ask the group to continue wearing the hats as they made their way up to the checkout, they just kept them on and delighted the other shoppers.

These unusual hats became the uniform for our party and added a social-glue among the participants of the evening’s activities.

The hats cost about $2.00 a piece, but their value as a group bonding tool was priceless. It created a memorable event for those who attended.

We take our hat off to the host who takes the extra steps to build a better party experience for family and friends.

What have you done to add something extra.?

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Today marks the start of Hanukkah, a symbolic religious tradition for Jewish families around the world. A candle is lit each night for eight days; A present is shared every day, and they play traditional games.

Other faiths are preparing for the tradition of sharing gifts on each of the 12 days leading up to December. 25th.

Still more are shopping and wrapping presents in preparation for one of the largest single gift opening days of the year; Christmas day.

Gift giving in the holiday season has become a tradition for those with or without religious connection. It seems that retailers start this seasonal “rush to buy”,  earlier every year.  Many  use traditional party activities to distribute these gifts.

All based upon a Tradition of giving…

Even with the recent popularity of virtual gifts, the traditional gift is still a REAL one. The gift card, which has become extremely popular, even carries the promise of something real, rather than a silly image on a computer screen.

Gifts have become an important part of the traditions which support our family and friends during various life milestones or seasons. We take the gift selection, presentation and delivery very serious, because it is part of our traditions.

“Giving gifts to family and friends is a way to show our love for them. Our gifts don’t have to be lavish or expensive. In fact, the best gifts are often simple and inexpensive.” Suggests Writer and Editor Lillie Ammann.

Billions of dollars churn through the world economy as we both give and receive these real expressions of support. We are also aware that this spending is not limited to the final quarter of the year, as the gifting tradition includes many holidays, birthdays, weddings, baby births and more.

The tradition of opening, touching and experiencing a real gift can never be replaced by a virtual item from any social game. Nor will the virtual gift ever find its place within any popular traditions.

PartyWeDo is leading the movement to help social networks facilitate the tradition of sharing real gifts with family and friends. The online party blends a virtual connection for dispersed families, with the convenience of eCommerce and efficient shipping.

This fun gift sharing system will never completely replace the warmth and reward of presenting a gift in person, but it will allow some of the tradition to extend to those who can’t be home for the holidays.

May your season be bright and your hearts full of the tradition of giving…

Thanks to Refinery 29 for the image

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Gift exchange parties are full of hot air…

Especially parties that carry the Dirty Santa or Dirty Thieving Santa moniker.
You see, these are the gag-gift cousins of the tamer and more common White Elephant Exchange or Yankee Swap.

The “dirty” implication is associated with the “stealing” portion of these gift exchange events. Gifts are opened by random players and then subsequent players can swap or “steal” from those who have gone before.

The gifts that create the most banter are usually the weird gifts that can be associated with something funny. Gifts that can prompt a conversation will make the party more lively and will pull more guest into the fun.

Many Dirty Santa, Yankee Swap and White Elephant parties are hosted with a theme of some sort.  This way, the conversation can share a common subject line and sets the scene for creative conversation.

Lets assume that you have a fun group of friends and it is time to share gifts among them; It could be Christmas, Valentines Day or St. Patty’s day… Just pick an unusual theme and then let them shop creatively for gifts that would releate.

For example:  Choose the theme   “HOT AIR” and send out the party invitations…

We entered the AlbinoPhant Markets and found a few items that could be associated with HOT AIR…

As you can see, the shopping could be as fun as the actual game, with players planning their explanations as to how the gift  relates to HOT AIR.  Then, these explanations, during the game, will build the banter and the fun conversation into the party.  
It is the conversation, that is built around creative shopping, that makes the Dirty Santa and the White Elephant exchange social explosions.

Now, be creative and bold… Host a gift exchange party with a unique theme and watch what Hot Air blows your way!

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

With the launch of AlbinoPhant only days away, we are starting to get in the artwork for the white elephant gift exchange on Facebook.

This application is a bit more complex than most of the simple social games that are found in Facebook. AlbinoPhant parties involve the sharing of real gifts in a long-term party and therefore integrate eCommerce shopping and secure payment systems into the process.

We want players to realize that after they purchase a gift in one of the AlbinoPhant markets, they wait while others do the same thing. So we felt that a cute and artistic message might make players feel at ease while they wait for the party to begin.

We hired a talented designer from Tuscon, Arizona by the name of Jay Pierstorff. He has created several creative and cleaver images to help players understand the steps in the game play process.

So when a player has used PayPal to purchase their selected gift for the party, and after they virtually wrapped it in some fancy or interesting box, the Armed-Elephant will store it safely in the AlbinoPhant Palace.
The virtual gift box and the image of the gift will be used on the gameplay page during the party. The real gift will actually remain in the control of Amazon, until we know who gets the gift after all the stealing and swapping are finished in the party.

The AlbinoPhant management system will see that all the gifts are sorted out and that all the players get the correct gifts delivered after the game ends.

At the end of the party another fun artistic message will be displayed to remind players that they should be looking for a shipping company to show up with the gift that they won in the party.

We know that family and friends will find AlbinoPhant a fun and easy way to connect and share real gifts together this holiday season.. These humorous images of elephants should assist in making the experience all the more fun.

Your are going to love this party!!!

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King Thibaw
The Royal Thibaw, Golden-footed Lord of the White Elephant, Master of a Thousand Gold Umbrellas, Owner of the Royal Peacocks, Lord of the Sea and of the World, Whose face is like the Sun.

Ok, I am the first to admit that some of the gifts that are shared in a white elephant/Yankee Swap can be pretty useless…

A middle aged guy will never need a My Little Pony saddle collection. But, that is what he takes home after his 18 piece tool pouch was stolen by cousin John. (He’s not bitter!)

Gift sharing and stealing are what make the gift exchange party such a great social event. You never know how it all will turn out, so you could leave with a keepsake or you could just keep wishing until next year…

Some gifts are just begging to be re-gifted…

Jennifer, the ThriftyMommy blogger suggested a great idea for that stable collection sitting in a box in the garage… Have a re-gifting party after the holidays. She writes: “Plan your party for mid-January so everyone can relax a little after the holidays before attending yet another seasonal party” She then suggests that this gift exchange could be handled like a white elephant gift exchange or Yankee Swap, or even a open gift barter party.

We join in white elephant parties mainly for  socializing during the holidays, so the gifts are just a small part of the great experience.  So, why not bring out those unneeded gifts and do it all over again in a re-gift Yankee Swap?  This  and other re-gifting suggestions are included in a book on saving money called, Penny Saving Household Helper.

As a sponsor of online white elephant parties, AlbinoPhant  suggests that you should do the right thing and pass along an unneeded gift to someone who will find it useful.  We further suggest that you make the re-gifting event into a party as well… What is more social than a party?

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Princess Phant
Daughter of the King of Burma
Caretaker of the AlbinoPhant Parties

Let the Gift Thievery Begin…

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Unique and Fun White Elephant Gift Ideas
The best white elephant gift parties and Yankee Swaps, start with interesting or entertaining gifts.  We have worked with Amazon to provide you with some great gift markets in which to shop for your AlbinoPhant Party. You will find gifts in markets with level pricing, from $15 dollars to $50 dollars, spaced at $5 dollar increments.

Before you shop for your own party, take a look at some of the great gifts that we have put in the AlbinoPhant markets.  There are several hundred Amazon gifts to choose from,  for your own party adventure.

When you join a party you should select a gift that brings out the fun conversation in the online white elephant exchange…  So we  pulled out 17 gift ideas that we believe you could make some great conversation around.

What story could you start with a Hide-A-Squirrel?  Could you find a way to talk about a Backseat Organizer? What about posting a video about Pinocchio and telling lies…  Or, put someone in “Time-out” with a new Pad!

Read the rest of this entry »

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

The best white elephant parties have the gifts become the topic of fun conversations. Unique and fun gifts are why these gift exchange events are such popular social activities.

We not only use the gift itself to build the banter, but we also play off the title of the gift, the uses for the gift and even the brand name. Any one of these will assist in growing the conversation with other participants.

Part of the magic of this party is that everyone’s creative thought increases as each gift is opened. Then, each thought turns the conversation in another direction and toward the next subject for discussion. Clever conversationalists build upon the personalities of the other players, the gifts, the stealing and the banter to turn the event into a social explosion.

The online version of the white elephant party uses gifts in exactly the same way as the traditional gift exchange does – As conversation starters. Therefore selecting the right gift to reveal on the gameplay page is very important. Many take great care to find a white elephant gift that starts a great conversation.

We went into the AlbinoPhant $25 dollar market and pulled out some examples of ten great white elephant gifts that should start the banter building … (in no particular ranking order)

You can imagine how the conversation can begin around a bath tub thermometer, or a pig bongo buddy or a shear sarong…

The white elephant party can take many twists and turns as gifts like these are opened, discussed and then re-discussed, during the party.

As you plan for your holiday events this year, you should include your family and friends in a gift exchange. Take some time to shop for a gift that will be sure to add to the fun of the party…

What could be more social than a fun white elephant gift exchange and great gifts?

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King Thibaw
The Royal Thibaw, Golden-footed Lord of the White Elephant, Master of a Thousand Gold Umbrellas, Owner of the Royal Peacocks, Lord of the Sea and of the World, Whose face is like the Sun.