Posts Tagged ‘yankee swap party’

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.

…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…

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:

http://albinophantblog.com/White-elephant-gift-exchange/white-elephant-gift-exchange-rules-compared/

We would appreciate if you would use the words:

“white elephant gift exchange rules”

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!

…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.

 

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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Amazon runs huge product warehouses. In fact, there are now 24 of these massive distribution centers world-wide, stocking everything from CDs to bicycle tires.

The online retailer moves 3-times as much product through these warehouses than it’s next closes competitor.

Over 40% of the products that move through the supply system are sold by merchants other than Amazon itself. There are over 1.3 million suppliers who provide the products that are for sale on Amazon.com and through these other merchants.

When consumers  rank the trusted technology companies for privacy, they usually put Amazon in the top 5.

In 2009 PartyWeDo was looking for an e-commerce partner for the gift party application, AlbinoPhant. The natural choice was Amazon.

Amazon works great for a gift merchandising application because of their massive selection and top-notch customer service.

The gift exchange system uses a level pricing system for each custom AlbinoPhant marketplace. Each host selects the level at which their invitees will spend for the gift and the AlbinoPhant software sorts through the Amazon Warehouse to display products in that pricing category.

PartyWeDo hired the Utah based e-commerce software firm Gyrofly, to build the special interface that would allow each party guest to pay one price and cover the cost of the gift, the shipping and the fun.

The resulting markets are filled with thousands of gifts that can be used to share in the fun of a Yankee Swap or White Elephant Gift Exchange.

When any gift is selected from one of the AlinoPhant markets, it is identified by a unique number. This number allows us to use the image of the gift during the game play period and also ship the correct item from the Amazon warehouse to the correct players doorstep.

This system allows the virtual world of the internet to marry seamlessly with the real world of gift shopping and delivery.

All of these marvelous technologies and efficient shipping systems allow family and friends to purchase gifts, share them online and then receive a present at their home.

Thank you Amazon, for joining the party!

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

The Christensen’s of McMinnville are not going to get arrested for helping friends and neighbors steal gifts from each other this year. Their family has been stealing from each other in an online white elephant gift party for the last 3-years. Now they are sharing the fun on Facebook, so everyone can start gift swapping this season.

You have probably played one of the White Elephant Gift Exchange, or Yankee Swap games during the holidays in the past. It is the gift party where everyone brings a fun wrapped gift, they put the gifts in a pile and then they take turns opening, stealing and bantering together.

The Christensen’s have figured out a way to mimic this same activity in social online networks, like Facebook. They call their online white elephant party, AlbinoPhant, a party application, hosted on Facebook. The unique thing about AlbinoPhant is that you use real gift images in the game and then those real gifts are delivered to your door after the completion of a party.

AlbinoPhant is just like the traditional gift swap party, and can be played from any Internet connection. This means that family members from all across the country can join the party without leaving their homes. This will be helpful for tight family budgets this year.

White elephant parties allow families to stay connected and share gifts with each other in a lively atmosphere of fun and games. With the enhanced sharing tools on the web, the online version allows more expressive conversation than ever before. A steady stream of AlbinoPhant comments allows party participants the opportunity to post YouTube videos and images to assist in participating in the fun. 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 to other corners of the web.

The online gift exchange is a labor of love by the Christensen family. Sarah Christensen, a mother of five and grandmother of seven, shares her love of the game by commenting, “When our youngest left home three years ago, we missed our family gift exchange party so much we started doing our party online.” And Bruce Christensen added this comment, “We visited more in 19-days while we were playing, than we do all year, because of this party”.

The Christensen’s hired a team of Facebook developers and other web professionals to take their simple family party and turn it into a fully operational Facebook application. Their entire family loves this game and is thrilled to share it with others.

Their family won’t find themselves in jail this Christmas, but they are excited to be spreading gift thievery and lively banter well beyond Oregon this holiday season by playing AlbinoPhant.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

With the launch of AlbinoPhant only days away, we are starting to get in the artwork for the white elephant gift exchange on Facebook.

This application is a bit more complex than most of the simple social games that are found in Facebook. AlbinoPhant parties involve the sharing of real gifts in a long-term party and therefore integrate eCommerce shopping and secure payment systems into the process.

We want players to realize that after they purchase a gift in one of the AlbinoPhant markets, they wait while others do the same thing. So we felt that a cute and artistic message might make players feel at ease while they wait for the party to begin.

We hired a talented designer from Tuscon, Arizona by the name of Jay Pierstorff. He has created several creative and cleaver images to help players understand the steps in the game play process.

So when a player has used PayPal to purchase their selected gift for the party, and after they virtually wrapped it in some fancy or interesting box, the Armed-Elephant will store it safely in the AlbinoPhant Palace.
The virtual gift box and the image of the gift will be used on the gameplay page during the party. The real gift will actually remain in the control of Amazon, until we know who gets the gift after all the stealing and swapping are finished in the party.

The AlbinoPhant management system will see that all the gifts are sorted out and that all the players get the correct gifts delivered after the game ends.

At the end of the party another fun artistic message will be displayed to remind players that they should be looking for a shipping company to show up with the gift that they won in the party.

We know that family and friends will find AlbinoPhant a fun and easy way to connect and share real gifts together this holiday season.. These humorous images of elephants should assist in making the experience all the more fun.

Your are going to love this party!!!

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King Thibaw
The Royal Thibaw, Golden-footed Lord of the White Elephant, Master of a Thousand Gold Umbrellas, Owner of the Royal Peacocks, Lord of the Sea and of the World, Whose face is like the Sun.

Let the Gift Thievery Begin…

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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

White Elephant gift exchange parties have become great social explosions of fun. The conversation is great, and the sharing of gifts  just adds another level to the banter.
To add a little variety to your next Yankee Swap or Chinese Exchange we recommend inserting another activity into the mix.  Try a Skit…. There is a great website that catalogs skits with the passion that we approach the online white elephant party.
One of the skits that they share is called How to Wash an Elephant, and it can become a great addition to your gift exchange. So here are the instructions from WeKnowSkits.com. We have turned the script Red so it will be easier to read.
Before introducing this stunt, choose three people to leave the room. They should not overhear the narrator. Narrator explains to audience that the stunt is called “How to Wash an Elephant”, a classic example in communications. He tells the following story and he pantomimes the motions as he goes.

Narrator: One morning, Farmer Friendly went out to the barn to begin his chores (pantomime walking). He threw open the barn door, and to his surprise, he found an elephant in his barn (pantomime throwing open door, surprise). The farmer didn’t know what to do with the elephant so he decided that the first thing to do was to wash it. He led the elephant from the barn (pick up the elephant’s trunk and walking with it over your shoulder, open and close barn door). He left the elephant near the pump, got a bucket and scrub brush and pumped the bucket full of water (pantomime the actions). Now he was ready to begin. First he scrubbed the left side (lift up elephant’s ear and wash that). Then he was ready for the stomach (lie down on floor; wriggle under elephant and scrub underside). Next, the right side (repeat actions as for left side). Then he scrubbed the elephant’s face (pantomime scrubbing between eyes and down length of trunk). Almost done (walk to rear of the elephant, gingerly lift up tail and quickly scrub there). There, that’s done! (Pantomime throwing out rest of water, putting the brush in bucket and setting bucket beside pump). Then he took the elephant by his trunk and lead him back to the barn. (open door, lead him in, go out and shut door behind.)
Narrator then tells audience he will call people back in, one by one, and he pantomimes the stunt, without benefit of narrative. Then the  first person will do what he remembers for the second person, and so on.  Each will, of course, have no idea what the motions mean, so it can be very funny. By the time the actions are pantomimed for the third person, it will be distorted and bear little resemblance to the original version.

After all three have tried their luck, the narrator then explains the story and tells them what they were doing.
Now, we encourage you to add a  skit into your next Yankee Swap or White Elephant or Chinese Gift Exchange.

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King Thibaw
The Royal Thibaw, Golden-footed Lord of the White Elephant, Master of a Thousand Gold Umbrellas, Owner of the Royal Peacocks, Lord of the Sea and of the World, Whose face is like the Sun.