Christmas Traditions : White Elephant Gift Exchange
Need to liven up your holiday gathering? It’s not too late to turn it into a White Elephant gift exchange! A White Elephant exchange is sure to liven up your event: Imagine the room filled with giggles, belly laughs, and maybe even a few snorts. The sheer unpredictability of who ends up with what creates an atmosphere of joy and amusement! It's the perfect activity for family gatherings, office parties, or a festive get-together with friends. It breaks the ice, creates bonds, and gives everyone a shared experience to reminisce about later.
The rules are simple:
Each player brings a wrapped gift to toss into the common pool. The party host can provide gift guidelines (including monetary suggestions), or it can be a free-for-all! Will it be quirky, useful, or just downright puzzling? The mystery unfolds!
Every participant draws a number. Make sure to have the correct amount of numbers to choose from (the number of gifts in the pool) to make everything run smoothly.
Gather everyone so they can see the gift pile. Player one steps into the spotlight, chooses a present and unveils the mystery within.
Here's where the real drama unfolds. The subsequent players can either pluck an unwrapped gem from the pool or snatch someone else's treasure. Anyone who gets their gift stolen can do the same - pick a new gift from the pile, or steal from someone else.
To keep things moving along, here are some helpful ground rules: A gift can only be stolen once per turn - so anyone who has a present stolen from them has to wait to try to get it back; After 3 steals, a gift is frozen, meaning the player who has it gets to keep it. Lucky #3!
After all players have taken their turn, the first player gets a chance to swap the gift they are holding for any other unfrozen gift. Anyone whose gift is stolen can steal from anyone else (unless it’s lucky #3). When someone decides to stick with the gift they already have instead of swap, the White Elephant circus concludes!
With a quick google, you can find many other festive spins on the general rules above. The party we went to this weekend added a rock-paper-scissors contest for anyone wanting to steal a gift - so fun! Whatever rules you choose to follow, the goal is simple – spread the holiday cheer with belly laughs and infectious giggles. Remember, it's not about the gift; it's about the memories made! White Elephant embodies the 'no stress, just fun' philosophy. There's no pressure to find the 'perfect' gift, and imperfections are celebrated. It's a refreshing departure from the holiday hustle. Enjoy!
