Posts Tagged ‘Gift exchange’

Our oldest daughter, Jade, tried an experiment in memory jogging with our family this week.  I believe that it illustrates how the flood-gate of great memories is opened with social web tools.

She had heard that one niece (Maren) had been exposed to some older Muppet Show episodes at her parents home in Utah.  Jade used a powerful search engine to find this:

(I will bet that many of you will now have this song in your head for several hours… I am singing it in my head as I type…)

Back to the story:

Jade then captured the link and copied into a Facebook message to her brother Barett (the father of Maren). From there, the rest of the family was exposed to a flood of memories. All of this because of a video and a friend network.

This posting, with its fun images and song, opened the gates and out gushed comments from several others in the family.

This flood of memories flowed out of the minds of any of those who watched a silly song about cats…  And the conversation grew!

This is a perfect illustration of why we made sure that the AlbinoPhant, online white elephant gift party had the capability of sharing videos and images among the players.  These tools of the web are so powerful in engaging a group, and breaking the dam that holds back great memories.

The fact that we were all exposed to a couple of minutes of Muppets at our individual homes is impressive. But the resulting conversation on Facebook , from all corners of the country, is a testament to the value of social applications on the internet.

Sooooo, The Cat came back, she didn’t want to roam…  DaDaDa..
…and with this feline film came a flood of memories and conversation.

These are the reasons that our family is sharing AlbinoPhant with you – So that your memories come back and have a fun place to roam!

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Dear Princess Phant,

What are some clever ways to re-gift a white elephant gift?

from: Gift Exchange Fan

Dear Gift Exchange Fan,

Regifting is generally acceptable at gift exchange parties when you can answer “yes” to the following questions:

* Is the item in good, “nearly new” condition?
* Has the host of the party stated that regifting is acceptable?
* Do you think that the original cost of the gift fits within the party’s stated price bracket?

If so, then follow the rules of regifting: never regift one-of-a-kind and/or handmade items! There’s a very good chance that you’ll hurt someone’s feelings if they ever find out you gave away a gift that they made specially for you. And unique items like signed books are out, too! Clever regifters will choose appropriate items to pass on at a white elephant exchange party. Unused household items, inexpensive but nice jewelry, and unopened bottles of wine are good examples. Just try to be sensitive – don’t regift something where there’s a chance that the person who gave you the gift will find out, or worse, actually receive it back again!

One really neat regifting idea is to make it the theme of the whole gift exchange party. Instead of buying actual gifts, everyone should bring along a gift voucher for a different shop. At the start of the game, have everyone draw one name from a hat: the name they draw will be the player for who they have to buy a gift… using whatever gift voucher they end up with after the game! This is a really clever twist – you play not for the gift voucher you want, but for one that you think your selected player might like. And then after the game, you go shopping for them and so regift your gift! It’s a nice touch for groups who want to put an emphasis on sharing and giving during the holiday season.

There’s also the option of regifting white elephant gifts to charity once you’ve had the fun of playing the game.

I hope this was helpful!

Royal regards,

Princess Phant

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

Who plays this party game anyway?

Where was your first white elephant party? Did the organizers call it a gift exchange, or Yankee Swap, or something different? How many people were there? What rules did you use? There are so many different versions of the traditional white elephant game, and the flexibility is all part of the fun. That’s why it’s so popular, right across the US and Canada, with people in all age groups. It’s the one party where you’ll find grandparents, kids, teenagers and business people all grouped together and all having a great time!

Although the tradition of giving white elephants is obviously much more serious and respectful in my home country than it is here, I do confess that I, Princess Phant, find your way to be a lot more fun. Don’t tell my father, King Thibaw! He’s very serious about his white elephants.

From what I can gather, all sorts of groups of people hold and attend gift exchange parties, and they do it in a variety of different ways. Maybe you’ve been to one at church, for example, at the annual Christmas get-together – which would probably be a rather different experience from playing Yankee Swap at the office Christmas party! Alternatively, maybe it’s a long-running family tradition amongst you and your loved ones. A way to ensure that everyone gets together during the holidays or at the reunion to share gifts, laughter, conversation, banter, and a memorable time.

And don’t forget that at AlbinoPhant, you can play all year round, and it doesn’t even matter if you and your guests are not in the same room – or even in the same state! It’s all done online, which means you can still enjoy that fun party atmosphere and the exchange of real gifts, but from the comfort of your own chair and at times that are convenient for you. White elephant parties just got a whole lot better! So whatever your reason, and whoever your guests, check out AlbinoPhant and get that party started…

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