The holidays are fun times to throw white elephant parties. If you do not know what a white elephant party is, that is where each attendee brings a wrapped gift and the gifts are then exchanged at the party. The gift is unknown to the others. Only the person that brought the gift knows what the gift is. Here are tips on how to throw an effective and fun white elephant party.
Do not invite any people who do not bring gifts unless the white elephant gift exchange is only a small part of the party. If it is the main part of the party, somebody that does not bring a gift will not be included. It will make it a bad experience for that person and for the rest of the guests. Avoid this to the best of your abilities.
There are plenty of white elephant gift exchange games. There are plenty of stories on the Internet that have the words “left” and “right” in them many times. These are made so that people can stand in a circle and pass the gifts left or right as the words are said.
There’s also the pick a number and be allowed to steal game. When playing this game, it is important to set rules. It is definitely important to put an amount of times either a certain gift can be stolen or how many times a person may have a gift stolen. If these rules are not set, gifts may be stolen all the time. Also, it is important to make rules about how things will go after a gift is stolen. Does the person who had a gift stolen have to wait until the end and go through numbers again or does that person then choose a different gift the minute that it is stolen? Is that person allowed to steal, or does the gift have to come from the unwrapped gifts? If rules for the game are not set, it is going to be extremely confusing.
Set a Price Limit on Gifts
When you invite people to a white elephant party, set a price limit on the gifts that they bring. It may be a good idea to say things like, “You may go to the dollar store to get something nice, but do not spend more than $10 at a store like Wal-mart.
If the party is for people who are more upscale, you may want to increase the price range. If the party is for youth, you may want to make the price range something like $0.50 to $5.
If the entire point of the white elephant party is to have fun, then you may want to allow gag gifts. These will allow for plenty of laughs especially since people who would not want certain products may end up with them. Who wouldn’t laugh at a vegetarian getting a box of “roadkill helper?” How about a man getting women’s shaving gel?
However, if you do not want gag gifts, make sure that this is specified. Perhaps the gifts should be simple decorative items or candies. Guests need to know what gifts are appropriate and what gifts are not appropriate.
Have the Party Area Prepared Before Guests Arrive
Set up the area for the party before guests arrive. Make sure there is room on a table or on the floor for gifts and the gift exchange. This should be out of the way of any other activities that may be planned. Welcome guests, show them where to set the gifts, and let them talk for a few minutes before getting started.
You can easily give a white elephant party a theme. If you want a Halloween theme, decorate for Halloween. Ask guests to bring gifts that remind them of Halloween. Serve red Kool-Aid to drink. Serve “lady fingers” to eat. If you want to have a Christmas party, have Christmas decorations in the house. Put up the Christmas tree and place gifts under the tree. Have guest bring gifts that have Christmas themes or that they think other guests may find useful or want for Christmas.
Most of all, have fun. Do not force rules so much that the party become a chore. Let people laugh. Let them exchange gifts afterwards if they want. It is a party.
