Posts Tagged ‘holiday party’

Easter gifts in a unique exchange party

White Elephant Egg Hunt

I bet  that you have never seen a white elephant or an actual white elephant egg – have you?  These albino elephants are so rare and valuable that only kings can own them once they are found. So imagine the rarity of an actual white elephant egg!

Now you can have a Royal white elephant egg hunt with your family and friends. Like any other white elephant exchange, this is an opportunity to share fun gifts and great conversation with those you love.  But you will need to substitute something different for the very rare albino elephant eggs – We suggest the common cantaloupe!

Once you have your substitute elephant eggs gathered from the local grocer, you are ready to prepare them for the gift exchange party. Use a marking pen to number each “egg” so that there is one egg for every player.  We suggest that you use a food-safe marker, but the skin of a cantaloupe is thick like a…..Elephant’s hide, so you could probably get by with another style of marker if you use it on the day of the event.

Set-up like any white elephant gift exchange

You will set-up this  party using the standard rules for white elephant gift exchange and then extend invitations. You can suggest that they bring gifts that will add to the fun of the event and even set a price limit if you would like.  Easter is a great time to host this party so you could suggest Easter gifts or some Easter themed gift purchasing requirement.

On the day of the event you will need to hide the eggs, just like you would for an Easter egg hunt.  This is just a bit different because these eggs are white elephant sized, so you might want to let the grass grow a bit taller! You should get a bit of entertainment from this effort…

The party game starts with the white elephant egg hunt. Tell the players that the numbers will be their gift selection order in the gift exchange portion of the game. This will allow for some strategy to play-out as people find elephant eggs and then decide to keep or leave them for the next guy. (Like strategy every helped anyone in a white elephant gift exchange!)

Baby Elephant Eggs?

After all the eggs have been claimed they can be gathered into the kitchen for processing into the “baby elephant eggs” with a Double Melon Baller and Mini Scoop.  Just remember to record who had what number so you can use it in the exchange portion of the party. Use the newly created fruit treats as a part of your refreshments.

Now you are ready to do the gift exchange like you would with any traditional white elephant gift party.  In stead of drawing names in a random manner you will use the order from the white elephant eggs.

Other Ideas…

You could expand the fun with an Easter trivia contest during the mellon balling fun, or do a left-right game with the melons prior to finalizing the game selection order.  → Printable Easter Ideas

Now you know that the white elephant gift exchange is not just for the Christmas season, but can be a great way to share gifts and fun at almost any holiday.  Take the time to plan a Royal White Elephant Egg Hunt and Gift Exchange this Easter – You are going to love this Party!

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Comfort from the white elephant exchange

Put the words wedge, pregnancy and “Boppy” together in a group and someone will have something cleaver to say.

Cleaver banter is what makes the white elephant gift exchange a popular holiday event, and when friends and family members see this white elephant gift coming out of the box, they all will tease the new owner.

The fun will spin out of control from there!

You are going to love this Party Gift!

I selected this gift for the online white elephant gift exchange because I can see how much fun it would yield in the party.

Google “Boppy” and see if you could find something interesting to talk about….

I found this gift in the $15 dollar white elephant gift idea marketplace here in AlbinoPhant.

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MamaC
Head Recreationalist for PartyWeDo

 

A nose for cool white elephant gifts

The white elephant gift exchange party is well known for the wacky and fun conversation that begins when the gifts are opened.

This white elephant gift should get the group a-buzz with funny comments and banter.

This nose trimmer is even lighted!

I found this in the $15 Online white elephant gift marketplace…

In the AlbinoPhant game any player in the online party can add images to the comment stream on the playing page. Here is an example of a fun image that could enhance the conversation.

A white elephant gift idea, MamaC recommended!

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MamaC
Head Recreationalist for PartyWeDo

The Yankee Swap rules build group fun

The white elephant gift exchange is also known as the Yankee Swap in some areas of the country. Both are very engaging social party activities that allow fun gift sharing among friends and family.

Yankee Swap Video

Watch this time elapse video of a group gift exchange party. Thisvideo demonstrates the white elephant gift sharing action that takes place within the party game.

We counted about 25 people in this gift exchange video, that looks like it was hosted in a typical living room. The Yankee Swap rules are the same as the white elephant git exchange, so gifts are opened, stolen and conversation is created. You can get a feel for the fun in the party by watching this in quick-time view.

What is interesting is the social dynamics created as a result of the party. If you watch the last few seconds of the video you will see how conversations and groupings continued even after the clean-up was finished.

Group white elephant gift parties are greatly enhanced by using an engaging game like the Yankee Swap. It is no wonder that this game or its cousin the white elephant gift exchange are the most popular group parties during the holidays.

swap 2010 time lapse from Roy Hodgman on Vimeo.

Using this gift exchange activity will allow your group to share unique and zany gifts without breaking the bank. It is these fun gifts that really add to the conversation and social engagement that will make your party even more memorable.

Our family has enjoyed this style of gift exchange for many years so we have created an online version of this party game. Much of the same dynamics can be mimicked in the AlbinoPhant white elephant party.

Your going to love this party!

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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/

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

White Elephant Gift Exchange parties or Yankee Swaps are the most popular gift-giving parties during the holidays. Millions gather in family rooms and church cultural halls to share gifts, steal from one another and enjoy the social banter during this group game.

Today, AlbinoPhant launches on Facebook as the online mimic of this traditional favorite for family and friends. AlbinoPhant is a partnership between the computer mouse and a well known white elephant party game. This online game allows family and friends from anywhere in the country to party together without leaving home.

The game application combines the massive audience on social networks with the convenience of online shopping from Amazon, into a party atmosphere. Friends and family share gifts with each other while AlbinoPhant gives them a fun way to pass out the presents.

Unlike other simple game applications on Facebook this party shares real gifts, not the virtual gifts that are so commonplace now. All players purchase a gift from special markets, and they virtually wrap their gift and get ready for the party. When all the players have their gifts purchased and wrapped, the game begins

All of the activities develop and are displayed on a common game-play page in the party. Players will find virtually wrapped gifts in the middle of the party room. They will see a display of the other players who are attending. There is a random player selection system and gift rating buttons. And of course, there is gift opening and gift stealing functions to build upon the fun.

Every good party is full of conversation, so the AlbinoPhant experience includes a comment box that allows many fun enhancement opportunities. In addition to the words that flow into the comment stream, there is the capability to include YouTube videos and images to assist players in creating a multimedia conversation.

The white elephant party ends when all the presents have been opened, stolen, rated and discussed. There are awards presented, and finally each gift is ordered and shipped to each of the player’s by conventional methods. There is no clean-up to do and everyone leaves with some great social memories.

This season you can combine your mouse with AlbinoPhant and bring your friends and family into one big party.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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.

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

McMinnville — 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

AlbinoPhant 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?

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

In just a few weeks Bruce and Sarah Christensen will be owners of a real Facebook application.  If anything good comes out of this endeavor, much of it will be due to the kindness of strangers.

And through this process, strangers are becoming friends.

There are thousands of applications on social networking sites, owned by people from a variety of backgrounds.

But, I would guess that not many are run by members of the grandparent generation. Further review would find an even smaller list if it included those who have very little technical background.

Without the assistance of many kind strangers, the online white elephant gift application would never have been possible. Therefore, this kindness deserves to take a front row seat at the party.

The magic of kindness is what is remarkable about the new Social Web. Helpful information from expert bloggers and the sharing attitude of technical thought-leaders have allowed even technical outliers to join this “new media” party.

And it was a party that led to this partnership between kind people and willing entrepreneurs in the first place.

The party started with the Christensen family and grew into what you will see this holiday season on Facebook.  But, just because a family can play together, does not mean they can produce an actual Facebook application. It takes skill to make this happen, and Bruce and Sarah do not have all the skills necessary to pull it off.

The Christensen’s skills are; the ability to recognize a need for family connection parties, and some level of creativity. Those skills can only take the project so far. From that foundation must grow a workable application or the party will become a dud. If left to our own devices, I am sure that we would have created an actual white elephant.

That is were the strangers have picked up the ball and have moved the party forward.

I have been so impressed with the kindness and helpfulness that I have found from the social networking and tech community. It has truly been a great exchange of ideas and technical expertise. So it is fitting that this effort is producing an online gift exchange party.

I want to publicly acknowledge all who have assisted in this ongoing process.

Over the next few weeks I will share some of the stories of kindness here on the blog.
But, I wonder who has been kind to you and blessed your individual projects.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists