Posts Tagged ‘party games’

White Elephant Gift Party Rules

The most complete list of gift exchange rules anywhere!

The white elephant and secret Santa exchanges are the most popular gift swapping parties for groups during the holidays. Similar group 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 presents 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 a White Elephant 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 secret is an important part of the fun. Some gift exchange games like the White Elephant Secret Shopper game use the secret identity of each 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 present delivery to the party host.

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

↓

15 Dollar White Elephant Gifts

20 Dollar White Elephant Gifts

25 Dollar White Elephant Gifts

30 Dollar White Elephant Gifts

35 Dollar White Elephant  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 items. 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.

White elephant game variations…

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

Standard Game Play

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.

All game play items 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.

The Christensen Family Tradition is Shared

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

…MORE IDEAS WANTED…

 

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.

…SHARE THE FUN…

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

…WHITE ELEPHANT PARTY INVITATIONS…

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.

 

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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 auction and white elephant exchange for your next gathering and be amazed at the fun and conversation that you will start. Remember that the most important component of the white elephant party is the gifts. Suggest that your guest find the most unique, zany and fun white elephant gifts so that the conversation will be lively and the bidding will be strong.

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 items 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 item
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 item 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 item into the auction bidding. For example a bid could be: I will give $100 dollars and this great ???? for your ????. If the winning bidder has a gift they will exchange the item 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 item.
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 item.

#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!

———————————————————-

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.

———————————————————-

MamaC
Head Recreationalist for PartyWeDo

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!

 

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Share

For so many years the board game was the activity of choice when a group gathered for some fun. And then we adapted party games for engaging members of a group during important life celebrations. These games where the activities that friends used to enjoy time and conversation when they got together.

It comes as little surprise that even today, games are played among friends. Yet we need a survey to discover the obvious. The report titled: Spending and Usage Patterns of the Social Gaming Audience, found that we still play with those we know.

Even though the internet has blessed us with casual games and social games and multi-player games of all types, we still like to play with our friends, co-workers and classmates.

With mass audience opportunities in every corner of the web, we still want to join our private group to enjoy time and conversation together as we play a game.

Maybe the future of gaming will come in the form of more private affairs, with the opportunity to share small portions of the activity with the broader internet.

Even with all of our advanced technology, we still look for solutions like the board game or party game to mimic what it was like to be in the family room with our friends buying hotels for Park Place.

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Share

You can’t have a great party unless there is some sort of group activity that breaks the ice and spools-up the fun. Usually these activity involve a game that gets everyone talking and escalates the engagement…

There is a growing number of thought leaders who are suggesting that fun and games will put a happy face on the world. Chris Brogan suggests that we take some time and watch a video presentation by Jane McGonigal, a game expert.

Ms McGonigal’s thoughts seem to endorse the work that we are doing to provide family and friends an opportunity to play games together and then share real gifts during important life events.

She shared some wonderful ideas on how to change the world by playing games. She suggests that we have a highly trained and skilled group of problem solvers, involved in game play. She claims that if we channel their efforts in one direction, we could see remarkable results for the people of the earth.

We are training ourselves to solve world problems with games…

The average 21 year-old will have spent 10,000 hours playing games, or about the same time they will have spent in their school studies. There are 500 million people on the planet that spend at least 1-hour per day in games. So the training system seem to be in place to fix many problems.

Here is a real world problem that affects millions of dispersed families: Gifts arrive by a delivery service in a rather dull manner and without any emotion…. just a delivery guy and a brown box…

What would a gamer suggest to solve this problem?

You are correct… A GAME!

The gamer solution would be to add in some fun memories that could be triggered when the box arrives at the door and find a way to bring back the excitement of sharing gifts into a virtual white elephant gift game.

The McGonigal video tells us that “games create a supportive structure that helps bring our best self forward” and supporting research suggests that “we like people better after we play a game with them… Even if they treat us badly.. it builds trust, bonds and cooperation”. Games within a close group of family or friends only increases the odds of a good result.

It makes perfect sense that we could cooperate and solve many pressing world issues, if we took a fun and games approach to these problems.

The gaming industry is a hot investment right now, with game developers receiving big investment deals, and major entertainment companies entering the gaming space. This should only add to the “game as a problem solver” opportunities on the internet.

The world of fun and games is expanding and we are thrilled to see this playing out in front of us every day…

We have designed AlbinoPhant to be a white elephant game that can be played online. So all of this notoriety for fun and games is basically and endorsement for the online white elephant gift exchange.

Thanks to Kaleidoscopeylife for the image

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Even online white elephant games

Share

The game market has fractured into several niches over the years. Gaming includes everything from board games played around a table to social games that only live on Facebook. It has been interesting to watch the gaming space evolve and expand with the assistance of the internet. Today, there is an online version of almost every game known to man including white elephant gift games

Companies like Zynga have millions of players using social networks to play games that involve farms, fish and you name it… These are called social games.

EA made it’s fortune producing and distributing video games for the X-box/Playstation crowd and now is moving into net-based games.

Hasbro has ruled the board game category for years and is now into online gaming. Television game shows continue to draw good ratings, with some game shows, like Family Feud, making the transition to the web as well.

The point is that there are many ways to play games, and millions find time to enjoy a game on the internet regularly. Game play is a big and diverse business!

Now a new niche is beginning to emerge on the web: The Party Game..

These are the party activities that we have learned at countless birthday parties, bridal showers or company parties. They are being developed as mimics of these familiar party games and used to support online parties for the important life events.

It seems logical that if every other genre of game has made a move to the online world, that Party Games will be in the space eventually as well.

Our family has even played and shared white elephant gifts in an online game.

What Party Games do you enjoy? Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Spin the Bottle, Yankee Swap or maybe Truth or Dare?

 

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

The holidays have ended and most of the predictions have been published. We now start the process of measuring the results and doing comparisons. We list the winners and the losers, the business gains or losses, and start analyzing what caused it all to turn out the way it did.

There is one measurement that I have been interested in this year:

How did Facebook do?
Particularly; how did this social network do in the most social period of the year; Christmas?

Well, according to Allfacebook, the season was bright for Facebook this Christmas. Not only did they end the year with great user growth, but they claimed the title of the most visited site on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and beat the mighty Google…

Why did a network that connects people from remote locations do so well on these two days?  I believe that there is connection between the holiday based upon sharing and our human tendency to reach out to those we love during important life events.

Millions entered Facebook on those two days because they wanted to share in the lives of friends and family. They craved an opportunity to reclaim an old memory or to add a new one. They believed that others would be there, and they joined them in a virtual gathering place, as a substitute for real human contact.  If you can’t be together in person, then a virtual meet-up is a viable substitute.

This technology is a gift, and it is understandable that on the two most gift-focused days of the year, we would open this network and share in the experience with others.

I have long believed that Facebook is similar to a traditional Christmas party, where the host has a huge address book and owns an enormous hall for gathering people together. Once invited to this party, a guest finds a group of friends, family or acquaintances and begins one of many conversations.

There are loosely organized activities that facilitate interaction between the participants. There are tables set-up around the hall displaying various board games that appeal to many interests. There are name tags and scrapbooks to assist in doing introductions or starting discussions.

This huge Christmas party has a grasious host who allows almost anyone to enter the hall and enjoy the event.

There is one thing missing from the party…

It is the thing that drives retail sales in the 4th quarter of every year. It is what we measure much of US retail sales against.

It is the gifts….

Facebook has the party atmosphere and facilities set-up pretty well, but the gifts are missing.

It could be argued that they have a huge gift system, and they do… But they are virtual gifts… They aren’t real.

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the real world gathers in homes and halls to share real gifts to demonstrate real support and love. Real Christmas parties involve gifts that can be  felt, both physically and emotionally.

Facebook did win the key-stroke measurement contest on Christmas Eve and Day,  but they missed the opportunity to pass out of the presents.

How could that be fixed?

Thanks to The List for the image

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

I just completed a quick educational study in social gaming scams. I still don’t understand all the many nuances of the scheme, but it doesn’t sound right to me.

At one time, I wanted our online party application to be considered a social game, but now I am rethinking the association.

From now on, AlbinoPhant is not a social game, but is a Gift Sales Facilitator.

This title is not nearly as catchy as social game, yet it does describes what we do… Maybe we should have an acronym in the title, like GSF party game…

The fact is that we have a great deal of social features in our party game. So we could be considered a social game. There are multiple players joining in a game, and there is a comment stream with shared videos and images on the game play page….   But, we are NOT a game using offer-scams. We are a party game, with REAL gifts to offer. Yes, real gifts that are purchased in eCommerce and shipped directly to each players door.

The stories of these social game scam bother me, and I want no part of the association…

My first introduction to this issue was in an Andrew Chen blog post titled: Are social gaming offers scamming users? A detailed analysis of Techcrunch’s Scamville article.
Andrew’s discussion led me to a link back to the originator of this apparent firestorm, Michael Arrington of Techcrunch. I read Michael’s post and concluded that for sure, don’t want to be called a social game.

This “offers” business seems like a grab for money in an industry that has challenges finding monetizing solutions. Frankly, I am sad to hear that gaming customers are being treated badly and that legitimate advertisers are being drug through the dirt by these negative associations.

So here is how a Gift Sales Facilitator/GSF party game works:

* First, you recognize that people are sharing gifts (real gifts not virtual mumbo jumbo) with each other during the holidays and at events all year long.

* Next, you find the most common party activity that groups use to socialize and share these gifts with each other.

* Finally, you build an application that facilitates the sale of the gifts, and provides a fun way to pass the gifts around in an online party game.

Mix those 3 components into a social network platform and you get a gift sales facilitator on Facebook…

I wish that I could have used the descriptive title of a Social Game. It might be easier to market than breaking new ground. But I choose to distance our White Elephant Party and future products from the mud-slinging, and just pioneer a new category:

I also realize that there is a bunch of money flowing through the Offers model.  But when I look at how many birthday, wedding, graduation and holiday gifts are purchase every year, I say…. Let me facilitate some of that honest and profitable action.

For now just call us a Gift Sales Facilitator or maybe a GSF party game.

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

If you’re hosting a white elephant gift exchange party, why not consider planning some extra games to make your event even more fun? Particularly if your guests don’t all know each other, or don’t see each other very often, some sort of ice-breaker game can be a really good way to get rid of any initial shyness or awkwardness. It will get your guests talking and laughing, and into the party mood.

A Yankee Swap or gift exchange party is about so much more than just the presents. More often than not, it’s an opportunity for friends and family to all get together in one room and share banter and laughter, and the best way for that to happen is to ensure that all your guests feel relaxed, comfortable… oh, and know each others names!

You could try out a traditional getting-to-know-you game, if your guests aren’t already familiar with who’s who at your white elephant party. A simple one is to make all the introductions and then play the “Blanket Game” or a variation of it. A blanket is held up between two randomly selected guests, and when the blanket drops, the first person to correctly identify the other wins. You can be sure your guests will be on first name terms in no time!

Or, for a bit more fun and the opportunity for you all to find out interesting and funny things about each other, you could play the Autograph Bingo game, where everyone is given a bingo card listing several different and interesting facts, and has to go around the room trying to find people matching those facts. It’s a great way to get people to mingle, and leads to hilarity as everyone finds out funny facts about everyone else!

There are lots of ice-breaker games out there. With a little planning, you can ensure that your white elephant event gets off to a great start, so that by the time you’re ready to play the gift exchange, all your guests will already be in the swing of things! Have fun!

———————————————————-

PartyWeDo
We are passionate about white elephant gifts and white elephant gift exchange parties. We will do all that we can to make your experience with AlbinoPhant better than you can imagine.