A white elephant gift exchange is a fun way to have fun with your work colleagues."White elephants" are usually undesirable but one can't turn them down: tacky, nearly useless, silly or weird.The goal in gift exchanges is to have fun.Most of the time, it's best to give everyone a chance to get a new gift.There are different ways to run a white elephant gift exchange.You are re-gifting an unwanted item if the item is previously owned by you.Others buy a new item for the party.There is a goal to choose wacky, funny or entertaining gifts.A mix of wacky gifts and generic ones is encouraged by some.There are many variations and different names for this game.Not all gifts need to be regifted.The basic game is called "Yankee swap" in some regions and is often played with families.
Step 1: The gift rules for your group should be set.
Is this a re-gift party or is it a new purchase?How much is the limit?Is it a challenge or a theme?Make sure everyone understands the rules.Stick to strict rules.Not everyone has a regiftable present.People aren't good at picking out gifts.The focus of the game is to have fun.It's a good idea to be aware that very elaborate rules or themes can be fun for some but can also be an annoyance and stress for others.It is advisable to keep it simple.There are limits on how much people can spend on a gift.The vice president will not be the same as the junior secretary.Gifts on the same level of value are protected by price limits.You don't want one person to get a new video game console while another person gets a used pen protectors.
Step 2: There is a white elephant gift.
Wrap the gift yourself and bring it to the party stealthily.Feel free to have fun with it.It's possible to do a really silly wrapping job.Stick it in a plain mailing envelope, or use plain brown paper.Do something stupid.It's possible to wrap it with a different theme.Wrap it in birthday, baby, or graduation themes for a New Year's gift exchange.Feel free to do an excellent job if you enjoy wrapping.Go out of your way, do everything you can.
Step 3: There are some great "White Elephant Gift" ideas.
If you're having trouble coming up with a gift that is both off-the-wall and appropriate, consider these gift ideas.There are cheap, ugly statues.There is a shirt, sweater, tie, socks, or bow-tie.The worst workout videos are those with aerobic instructors.If the boss has a good sense of humor, you can get a framed picture of him.There is a CD of bad or weird music.
Step 4: There are other low-cost fun gift exchange gifts to find.
There is nothing wrong with a gift that is reasonable.It's okay to go with something you're pretty sure won't get thrown in the bin.Trying to find the perfect crazy gift can add too much stress to holiday shopping.Good quality tea or coffee gift set, measuring cups, spoons, oven mitts, Winter hat, scarf, or gloves are some of the more boring exchange gifts.
Step 5: It's a good idea to be secretive about your gift.
The idea is to not know who the gift is coming from.The gift should be placed along with the other gifts when you get to work.
Step 6: The numbers are written on small pieces of paper.
There are many people participating in the gift exchange.If there are 15 people participating, write out the numbers 1 through 15 on small pieces of paper and throw them into a small bowl or bag.
Step 7: Have everyone draw a number.
The order in which they choose a gift will be shown by the number.
Step 8: Start with the person who drew #1.
The first person opens the gift box and chooses a gift.Their turn ends.At the end of the game, the first player will have the option to exchange gifts with another player.
Step 9: If the next person wants to steal a gift from the gift box, they can choose to do so.
A person who has their gift stolen can either steal a gift from someone else or choose a new one from the gift box.You can't take the gift that was taken from you.You have to wait at least one round before taking a gift that was once in your possession.A gift can't be taken more than once.
Step 10: In order of number, repeat.
The person with the highest number can either choose a gift from the gift box or steal it from someone else.People who have gifts stolen can choose a gift from the gift box or steal items that have not yet been taken.
Step 11: Agree on the number of variations the game should have.
There are many variations of the white elephant gift exchange.Before the game begins, look through a couple and decide which ones you want to implement.Where possible, Mark gifts.A gift can be male or female.The gift box can be wrapped up to look like presents."Recipient of this card chooses two presents, opens them both, and places one back into the gift box" is one of the rules contained in the instructions.People who make cards with instructions have to bring both a card and a gift, so be careful if you choose to work with these cards.There will not be enough gifts to go around if people don't bring gifts.If you choose to open the gifts at the end, it will be harder to implement the instructions on the cards.It's not possible to open two gifts and choose one at the same time.At the end, the first player may be given another player.The first player doesn't have the option of stealing, so they might be given it at the end.The first player has an advantage if presents remain open until the very end.
Step 12: It is possible to experiment with stealing.
There are many ways to steal in a white elephant gift exchange.It's a good idea to play around with a couple different variations.There is an item that has been stolen three times.When an item is changed hands three times, it can no longer be stolen and stays with the third person who stole it.To avoid confusion, be sure to keep track of the number of times an item is stolen on a notepad.A limit can be placed on the number of times a person is stolen from.If you set the limit at three, an item can be stolen many times if it's stolen from someone who hasn't reached his or her limit of three.There should be a limit on the number of steals.The player whose gift was just stolen must choose a gift from the gift box if you limit the stealing to three gifts per turn.