Posts Tagged ‘Christmas and holiday season’

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.

White Elephant Gift Party Rules

The most complete list of gift exchange rules anywhere!

The white elephant and secret Santa gift exchanges are the most popular gift swapping parties for groups during the holidays. Similar group gift 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 gifts 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.

Your Going to LOVE this 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 of each gift is an important part of the fun. Some gift exchange games like the White Elephant Secret Shopper game use the secret identity of each gift 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 gift delivery to the party host.

It is the responsibility of the party host to collect and administer the gifts 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 gifts and to keep track of how many gifts 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 gift 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 gifts so that people don’t become to extravagant or go too cheap. Most gift exchange party gifts 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 gift pricing is not so much of an issue, because the bride or birthday person is getting all the gifts 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 links to get your creative juices flowing from the AlbinoPhant marketplace)

15 Dollar Gifts

20 Dollar Gifts
25 Dollar Gifts
30 Dollar Gifts

35 Dollar Gifts

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 gifts. 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.

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 gifts brought to the game. In the Online White Elephant Party the players are selected with a computer-controlled randomizer software program.

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.

Gifts 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.

Our family has enjoyed white elephant parties for many years as a way to save money on gift giving. 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.

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.

We encourage you to share these ideas with family and friends by linking to this page or downloading and printing the rules for your event. Here is some HTML code that you can use for linking to our site:

We would appreciate if you would use the words:

when doing a link to our site

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

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.

Rattle loose a great white elephant gift

For  about $15 dollars this white elephant gift will be a find great appeal in your next white elephant gift exchange. It is a combination set of wrist rattles and foot covers for babies.  Baby items are great conversation starters in these group gift party settings.

The rules of the white elephant gift exchange require that players open wrapped gifts and then allow others to make comments and possibly steal the gift away.  Traditionally the gift that gets stolen the most also receives the most comments. This rattle and foot cover systems definitely meets the conversation starter status needed for a popular white elephant gift.

The funniest part of this gift is its name:

Foot Finders

This gift has worked very well in the online version of the white elephant game because the complete description is displayed on the playing page when the gift is revealed. With the additional information on the product the players can take the conversation if several directions.  I could see one of my son’s attempting to gross everyone out with an image of an ugly toe that would need a toe-cover.

Even in a standard offline white elephant gift party or a Yankee Swap this set would rattle some conversation out of even the most stoic participant. .

You are going to love this party!

This white elephant gift idea is 100% MamaC endorsed!

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!

The Party Money Tree

Americans find a way to enjoy the company of family and friends during the holidays. They share gifts and the go to parties to be with, and to support each other socially.

But is there any money to be made servicing the party goers? Do Americans spend their money to attend parties?

We and American Express agree that the money is there…

And if a research study by the American Express company is any indication, the party spending is very big.

The December American Express Spending & Saving Tracker 2009 reports that, “In addition to spending money on gifts, consumers also plan to spend money on parties related to Christmas as well as New Year’s Eve. More than to-thirds (69%)  plan to celebrate the holidays with family and friends, and 90% of them plan to make purchases related to festivities.

If this study is correct, then about 207,000,000 people will join in some sort of party with family and friends during the holidays. And further math would suggest that 186 million will spend money for something to bring to the party.

There is a lot of Partying going on! And a bunch of money is being spent as well….

Both brick and mortar and online e-tailers benefit from the sales to these festivity participants.  But the online merchants seem to be smiling the brightest this holiday season.  It is a fact that many retailers make or break their year based upon the sales results between Thanksgiving and New Years.  It appears that parties play a big role in fueling their sales.

This same tracking survey showed that 79% of consumers will use the internet as a tool for holiday shopping, with 45% planning to make a purchase online.

So,  it appears that without the party, the holidays may not be all that fun…  at least financially and socially.

The following is a list of popular parties from a Party Planner site.

All of these events pluck some money from the Party Money Tree…

• Anniversary party
• Bar/bat mitzvah
• Birthday party
• Bon voyage party
• Children’s party



• Cocktail party
• Dinner party
• Engagement party
• Family reunions
• First communion and confirmation party
• Fundraisers
• Graduation party
• Holiday party
• Open-house party
• Retirement party
• Social events for business
• Theme party
• Wedding showers

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

Bruce and Sarah Christensen are new Facebook developers, and they have delivered an online version of the white elephant gift exchange or Yankee Swap for families and friends this holiday season.

The white elephant party is called AlbinoPhant, and the Christensen’s have been testing this online game with their grown children for the past 3-years.

“When our youngest got married and left the nest, we started sharing our gifts through playing this game, and we loved the party atmosphere and fun conversations this allowed us” stated Sarah, the mother of five and grand mother of seven.

The AlbinoPhant party is a mimic of the traditional White Elephant gift swaps that are common among social groups during the holidays. The Facebook game provides real shopping markets from Amazon for selecting and purchasing a gift for the event. Players virtually wrap the image of the selected gift and then the party is ready to start.

“The game is just like the real party in many ways. The gifts are opened on the web page, there is gift stealing among the players and all the fun conversation that a group shares in a standard party”, explained Bruce Christensen.

Like a regular gift exchange, the AlbinoPhant party selects players at random to open gifts and then displays them on a common playing page. There is a comment box which allows players to share banter and poke fun at each other during the activity. There is the option to add YouTube videos and other images into the conversation. All of this is accessed by individuals as they play on their computers, from anywhere in the country.

Sarah continued, “Our family is scattered from New Hampshire to California, so this online party saves all of us the travel cost to attend family events, while still allowing real fun and personal connection with each other”.

The AlbinoPhant party is a Facebook application and takes full advantage of the social networking tools available. The host uses Facebook’s network to send the invitations and then the Facebook sharing system allows party conversations to spill out onto the web.

“We built the application to be as close to the traditional party as possible, so that families and friends would feel comfortable with the game. We use trusted brands, like Amazon and PayPal, and when the party is completed gifts are delivered using standard shipping companies”, added Bruce

This online party is a real gift exchange, so players use ecommerce to purchase the presents for the party. Then after the party is finished, these real gifts are sent out to each player’s doorstep. This party breaks new ground for Facebook, where virtual gifts have been the norm, and adds a new partnership between online retailers and social networks.
AlbinoPhant is now available thru the internet for family and friends to share gifts, steal gifts and banter together just like they have done for years, and McMinnville is this white elephant’s delivery room.

The Facebook application link is: http://apps.facebook.com/albinophant/

The social networks can now be used for friendly larceny, with the launch of an online white elephant gift exchange party called AlbinoPhant.

This Facebook application allows family and friends the opportunity to party together in a virtual gift exchange, just like they would if gathered together in one location. They exchange real gifts, share friendly banter and enjoy the holiday spirit, through the online party.

Gift exchange parties are social events that focus on sharing gifts with family and friends and then “stealing” gifts from one another in an organized party game.

www.albinophant.com brings people together to participate in the party on a common game-play page, where wrapped gifts are displayed, opened, stolen and where comments are shared. This application facilitates gift giving among those who would be sharing gifts with each other anyway. AlbinoPhant just provides a fun, conversational and social way to pass out the gifts.

Traditional white elephant parties build lively conversation and great stories around the gifts as they are opened. With the enhanced sharing tools on the web, the online version allows more expressive conversation than ever before. The AlbinoPhant comment stream allows party participants the opportunity to post YouTube videos and images to assist in making the exchange party a real fun game. There are even opportunities to share some of the conversation outside of the party in other social networks, allowing the party atmosphere to spill over in other corners of the web.

The online white elephant party uses a combination of eCommerce and social networking tools to build the party system. AlbinoPhant is a gift purchasing and sharing facilitator, displaying hundreds of Amazon items in level pricing markets for convenient shopping. The host and each party participant use these single pricing markets ($15 to $50) to select gifts for the party. This leveling feature is used to keep the gift spending closer to equal among all of the players, reducing the “big-spender/cheap-skate” issues.

When all of the gifts are virtually wrapped, opened, discussed, stolen and re-stolen, the game ends. The application’s management system then sorts out who gets which real gift and sees that each present is delivered to the correct address.

The online gift exchange is a labor of love by the Christensen family, who are new to Facebook application development. The Christensen’s have tested the online gift swap party with their scattered family members for several years. They hired a team of Facebook developers and other web professionals to take their simple family party exchange and turn it into a fully operational Facebook application. Now they are eager to share this fun exchange, AlbinoPhant, with others.

This holiday season the networks will play host to thousands of gift thieves and promote friendly banter to liven up holiday parties. What is more social than a lively party?

To see press release go to http://myprgenie.com/3333

A new Facebook application moves the White Elephant Exchange Party online, with gift sharing and conversation for family and friends this holiday season.

Albinophant is a mimic of the traditional Yankee Swap or White Elephant parties used in social circles in the US and Canada. With this online version, players purchase real gifts, share them, steal gifts from one another, and then the present for each individual is shipped to their door by conventional methods.

The party is hosted on Facebook so friends can easily join and invite others into the gift exchange within the social network platform. Each player uses custom ecommerce markets to shop for a gift, then they virtually wrap their present in preparation for the party to begin.

There is a common game play page in the AlbinoPhant application that acts as the virtual living room where all players gather for the fun. The game play page has a comment area where players banter, share videos and images, all while opening and stealing presents from each other.

The application is remarkably similar to the actions that millions are familiar with in the traditional White Elephant exchanges. But there are extra enhancements that are not possible with the regular event. Players can actually share a part of the party experience on Facebook, with friends not in the party, which expands the fun. In addition, posting YouTube videos in the party allows players to embellish their comments to other players. There is also a gift rating system and player awards built into the actions of the online party.

Hosting a party is simply a matter of joining the application, selecting a time to start and then scouring Facebook for those you want to invite. Explaining the rules is easy and the game allows players from any part of the US to join and share in the fun.

This year the Elephant in the Room has become active and is a party animal on Facebook. So invite your family and friends to join in an online fun party this holiday season.

The Christmas season is perfect for a hot cup of soup on a chilly evening. What would warm the spirit even more would be sharing soup and conversation with family and friends.

Caroline, the author of Whipped, hosts a soup swap every year and,  in her own words describes: “…an event that embodied all of my favorite things: gathering with friends, eating together, talking about food and sharing food.”

This got us to thinking about how soup could be used as a part of a white elephant or Yankee Swap party. Here is an idea that we came up with… But you could expand this in many directions.

1. Develop an invitation list from those whom like to cook and those who like to visit.
2. Tell everyone that this is a themed gift exchange event around the word SOUP.
3. Ask everyone to bring a quart of their favorite soup for a group tasting.
4. Let everyone know that they don’t need to use soup as the gift, just have the gifts be soup related.  This is where the creativity of your friends will shine!
5. Ask all attendees to bring some 3-cup containers of soup for general swapping among the attendees. Have them include the recipe on a printed card.

Now you can fill the evening with several social experiences.. Soup tasting, a white elephant gift exchange and a swap of soups.

NOTE: Caroline added a few other helpful ideas for hosting a Soup Exchange, so you should read her tips section.

When it is all said and done, your holiday soup exchange will probably become a holiday favorite and warm the hearts of family and friends on even the coldest night.