Posts Tagged ‘christmas party’

White elephant gifts that get “handled”

The white elephant gift exchange party is a social gift sharing event used extensively during the holiday season. Many groups play the standard version of the game, with the standard white elephant gift exchange rules.

Our recreational specialists strive to provide you with some interesting new twists to this traditional gift party, so we have designed the online white elephant gift party for those who have distance to contend with. But if you live close to friends and family you might want to try the Handel’s Gift Can-Share-Go this season.

The Party Rules

The party room is set-up just like the regular white elephant gift exchange or Yankee Swap party, with seating so that all players can have access to a gift pile.

Everyone purchases a fun or unique white elephant gift for the exchange and wraps it so that it is disguised. Hosts are encouraged to set a spending limit for the invitees so that all the gifts will be on an even par.

The Handel’s Gift Can-Share-Go has one unique rule that other white elephant exchanges usually don’t include. Each unique white elephant gift must be “Handled” as many times as possible before the game is over.

You will still need a random name draw to pick the playing order, just like other white elephant games.

The host should purchase some colored dots. These dots are placed on each open gift so that you can track how many times the gift has been “Handled”. Each time an open gift is touched by another player, it is given a dot.

The traditional white elephant “rule of three” does not apply in this gift exchange game. Instead the idea is to see which gifts get “Handled” the most. The thinking is that the most popular gift will get passed around more than any others. More handling yields more dots on the gift.

Step #1 Pull the first name from the hat and this person selects one unopened gift. Place a colored dot on the white elephant gift to signify that it has been ”Handled” once. The player’s name is returned to the hat for future name drawing.

Step #2 This first player has the option of keeping the gift or “Sharing” it with another player. Sharing simple requires passing it off to any other player. Sharing a gift requires that another dot be placed on the opened gift.

Step#3 If the player Shares the white elephant gift they must wait for another gift opening opportunity from the random drawing to make a play for a gift.

Step#4 The next name is drawn at random. Player 2 can steal a gift or open a wrapped gift from the pile. If the random name-draw lands on a player with an open gift, then they have the option to “Share” with any player who is empty handed, or Swap with any player who is handling another gift.

Step #5 If a player has a gift stolen, they have the option to open a wrapped gift or steal any open gift. The stealing rule is just like regular white elephant gift exchanges: No Direct Steal-Backs!

Step #6 Play continues with names drawn at random and gifts Handled, Shared, Stolen, and dotted. The game ends when all the white elephant gifts are opened..

Your going to love this white elephant party!

 

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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