Q. I want to do something cool like the socks exchange w/ my friends, what else can you give besides socks. Also any other cool ideas like that?
A. Recipe Exchange
Cookie Echange
Flip Flop Exchange
Graphic Tee Shirt Exchange
Christmas Gift Exchange Ideas
Stealing Gift Exchange pr White Elephant Exchange - Traditionally, a "White Elephant" is something lying around the house that you don't want (some horridly ugly item that someone gave you as a gift or some other item unwanted for some reason). I am of the belief that in most parts of the country, if you tell someone to bring a White Elephant gift it will almost certainly be a gag gift and not something genuinely useful or desirable.
The type of gift exchange that you have described, I have always heard referred to as a "Yankee Swap".
THE GIFTS:
1. This party's gift theme is XYZ.
2. The gift should be valued as close to $xx.00 as is reasonable.
3. The gift should be something someone would actually want or use. It should be in new or good condition.
4. The gift should be wrapped or in an envelope before arriving to the party. Gift bags are OK only if a wrapped item is inside.
5. Gift certificates are OK only if it is accompanied by some other item as part of the gift. For instance, a $xx Starbucks gift certificate, by itself, is not OK, but a $yy Starbucks gift certificate together with a coffee mug is OK.
6. As guests arrive to the party, the gifts should be placed in an area where few people can see who brought which gift. All efforts should be made to hide who brought which gift.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE GAME:
1. Each guest who wishes to participate must contribute a gift. Everyone sits or stands in roughly a circle around the pile of gifts.
2. Prepare slips of paper equal to the number of gifts with clearly written numbers. Be sure to distinguish 6 from 9, 1 from 7. Each participating guest draws a number and holds onto that slip of paper.
3. On the first turn, the guest with paper slip #1 chooses a gift, opens it, and all admire it.
4. On the second turn, the guest with paper slip #2 gets the choice of "stealing" any unwrapped gift (#1's) or choosing a wrapped one. If #2 steals #1's gift, then #1 must open a wrapped gift.
5. On the third turn, the guest with paper slip #3 gets the choice of "stealing" any unwrapped gift (#1's or #2's) or choosing a wrapped one.
The game continues based on the following:
1. If a gift is stolen from you, you can steal a gift (within limits, described below), or open a wrapped one.
2. The turn proceeds until a wrapped gift is chosen.
3. A gift cannot be immediately stolen back from the guest who just stole it.
4. The fourth "owner" of a gift gets to keep it. The gift is "dead" after it has been stolen three times.
5. "Owners" of "live" gifts must keep them visible and hold them up when requested.
6. The gift exchange ends when the last wrapped gift is opened. Usually, guests are encouraged to perpetuate the gift stealing as long as there are "live" gifts, but no one is obligated to do this.
Chinese Gift Exchange
Gift Exchange Left Right
Yankee Swap - Category: Humor & Fun
1) All gifts will be placed in one spot. Then, each participant randomly picks a number from a box that contains pieces of papers with numbers from 1 to the total number of participants.
2) The participant who picked the number 1 from the box first chooses and opens the gift he/she would like from the pool of gifts. The first participant should also show the gift to everyone, so that all everyone would have a chance to see what the gift is.
3) The participant who picked the number 2 from the box goes next and chooses the gift from the pool of gifts. Like the first participant, the second participant should also open and show the gift to everyone. However, the second participant has an option of either keeping the gift he/she just opened or exchanging (swap) it with the gift of the first participant.
4) Next, the third participant chooses, opens, and shows a gift from the pool. The third participant now has an option of either keeping the gift that he/she selected from the pool or exchanging it with any of the prior participant's gifts.
5) The swap goes on until the last participant had a chance to select and swap the gift with anyone prior to him/her. Then, the Yankee Swap ends by having the first participant, who chose the gift but did not have a chance to swap it with anyone, get the last chance to swap gifts with any one of the participants.
Group Christmas Games
Pollyanna Gift Exchange - Itâs a way to give gifts, as you say, to other members of a group, such as fellow workers in an office, other members of a club, or within a large family. The formal term at one time was Pollyanna gift exchange, which turns up a lot in newspapers from about 1947 on, but now seems to be virtually extinct. The idea is to limit present giving by ensuring that each person gives one gift to one other person in the group; often a ceiling is placed on the amount that can be spent on each gift. In some cases, each person provides a gift already wrapped so nobody knows what it is; the potential recipients draw lots to decide who gets which gift. Or people draw lots to determine who buys a gift for whom; sometimes recipients are asked to guess who bought it for them. Both the giver and the receiver may be called the pollyanna. Though the term isnât known in Britain, the idea behind it is, as I assume it is elsewhere.
Secret Santa Gift Exchange
One of the most fun ideas for a Christmas gift exchange at an office party or at a home party is a game commonly called Chinese Christmas. I donât know how or where the name came from, because it has absolutely nothing to do with the Chinese. Not only that, many people find the reference to Chinese downright insulting.
Because of that, Iâm encouraging the use of other lesser-known names such as Yankee Swap, Gift War, Grinch Exchange, Dirty Santa, Rob Your Neighbor, White Elephant, Nasty Christmas, and Thieving Secret Santa. My personal favorite is Grinch Exchange.
I left âChinese Christmasâ in the title of the article because thatâs how people search for it. But please select a different name to use when you play this game⦠and encourage others to do the same.
How the game is playedâ¦
The game is fun, because each person gets to select a wrapped gift, unwrap it and then possibly lose it to someone else and have to select again. Being able to select from unwrapped gifts or âstealâ a gift someone is holding is what makes this game so much fun.
Here are the rules:
When planning the party, decide how much should be spent on the gifts. Twenty to thirty dollars is usually an agreeable price since each person is buying only one gift. The amount can be more or less. Itâs your groupâs call.
All gifts should be wrapped (and may I suggest you make yours look extra special). Put the gifts together under the tree, on a table, wherever convenient.
Each person selects a number from a basket or bowl to determine the order in which a person gets to select a gift. Number 1 goes first and gets to select and unwrap a gift. Everyone oohs and aahs or mentally thinks, âBoy, Iâm glad I didnât select that.â
Number 2 then selects. But she may take Number 1âs gift or she may select a gift from the pile. If she takes Number 1âs gift, Number 1 gets to select again from the pile. After she has finished her turn, Number 3 gets to select.
Once again, she may select any opened or unopened gift. Each time a gift is taken away from someone, that person gets to select again. She may select any gift except the one that was just taken away from her. She may however, have the opportunity to select it again later.
Some gifts are occasionally more popular and may get stolen several times. The fourth person to possess it gets to keep it. No more swiping the gift. The gift is frozen.
At the end of the game, Number 1 gets to select again, and take someone elseâs gift if she wants to, but she doesnât have to. She is actually forcing a trade. The only gifts she canât take are those that are frozen.
Donât be afraid to swipe a gift from someone. The more takeaways and turnovers there are, the more fun the game seems to be. Some of the best times have been when a particular gift gets swiped several times. There are always lots of laughs and sometimes gifts get swiped just for the fun of it. This is especially true when men are playing. They donât seem to care about the gifts as much as having fun stirring things up.
And after the game is over, if you and someone else wants to trade gifts, thatâs O.K. too.
Cookie Echange
Flip Flop Exchange
Graphic Tee Shirt Exchange
Christmas Gift Exchange Ideas
Stealing Gift Exchange pr White Elephant Exchange - Traditionally, a "White Elephant" is something lying around the house that you don't want (some horridly ugly item that someone gave you as a gift or some other item unwanted for some reason). I am of the belief that in most parts of the country, if you tell someone to bring a White Elephant gift it will almost certainly be a gag gift and not something genuinely useful or desirable.
The type of gift exchange that you have described, I have always heard referred to as a "Yankee Swap".
THE GIFTS:
1. This party's gift theme is XYZ.
2. The gift should be valued as close to $xx.00 as is reasonable.
3. The gift should be something someone would actually want or use. It should be in new or good condition.
4. The gift should be wrapped or in an envelope before arriving to the party. Gift bags are OK only if a wrapped item is inside.
5. Gift certificates are OK only if it is accompanied by some other item as part of the gift. For instance, a $xx Starbucks gift certificate, by itself, is not OK, but a $yy Starbucks gift certificate together with a coffee mug is OK.
6. As guests arrive to the party, the gifts should be placed in an area where few people can see who brought which gift. All efforts should be made to hide who brought which gift.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE GAME:
1. Each guest who wishes to participate must contribute a gift. Everyone sits or stands in roughly a circle around the pile of gifts.
2. Prepare slips of paper equal to the number of gifts with clearly written numbers. Be sure to distinguish 6 from 9, 1 from 7. Each participating guest draws a number and holds onto that slip of paper.
3. On the first turn, the guest with paper slip #1 chooses a gift, opens it, and all admire it.
4. On the second turn, the guest with paper slip #2 gets the choice of "stealing" any unwrapped gift (#1's) or choosing a wrapped one. If #2 steals #1's gift, then #1 must open a wrapped gift.
5. On the third turn, the guest with paper slip #3 gets the choice of "stealing" any unwrapped gift (#1's or #2's) or choosing a wrapped one.
The game continues based on the following:
1. If a gift is stolen from you, you can steal a gift (within limits, described below), or open a wrapped one.
2. The turn proceeds until a wrapped gift is chosen.
3. A gift cannot be immediately stolen back from the guest who just stole it.
4. The fourth "owner" of a gift gets to keep it. The gift is "dead" after it has been stolen three times.
5. "Owners" of "live" gifts must keep them visible and hold them up when requested.
6. The gift exchange ends when the last wrapped gift is opened. Usually, guests are encouraged to perpetuate the gift stealing as long as there are "live" gifts, but no one is obligated to do this.
Chinese Gift Exchange
Gift Exchange Left Right
Yankee Swap - Category: Humor & Fun
1) All gifts will be placed in one spot. Then, each participant randomly picks a number from a box that contains pieces of papers with numbers from 1 to the total number of participants.
2) The participant who picked the number 1 from the box first chooses and opens the gift he/she would like from the pool of gifts. The first participant should also show the gift to everyone, so that all everyone would have a chance to see what the gift is.
3) The participant who picked the number 2 from the box goes next and chooses the gift from the pool of gifts. Like the first participant, the second participant should also open and show the gift to everyone. However, the second participant has an option of either keeping the gift he/she just opened or exchanging (swap) it with the gift of the first participant.
4) Next, the third participant chooses, opens, and shows a gift from the pool. The third participant now has an option of either keeping the gift that he/she selected from the pool or exchanging it with any of the prior participant's gifts.
5) The swap goes on until the last participant had a chance to select and swap the gift with anyone prior to him/her. Then, the Yankee Swap ends by having the first participant, who chose the gift but did not have a chance to swap it with anyone, get the last chance to swap gifts with any one of the participants.
Group Christmas Games
Pollyanna Gift Exchange - Itâs a way to give gifts, as you say, to other members of a group, such as fellow workers in an office, other members of a club, or within a large family. The formal term at one time was Pollyanna gift exchange, which turns up a lot in newspapers from about 1947 on, but now seems to be virtually extinct. The idea is to limit present giving by ensuring that each person gives one gift to one other person in the group; often a ceiling is placed on the amount that can be spent on each gift. In some cases, each person provides a gift already wrapped so nobody knows what it is; the potential recipients draw lots to decide who gets which gift. Or people draw lots to determine who buys a gift for whom; sometimes recipients are asked to guess who bought it for them. Both the giver and the receiver may be called the pollyanna. Though the term isnât known in Britain, the idea behind it is, as I assume it is elsewhere.
Secret Santa Gift Exchange
One of the most fun ideas for a Christmas gift exchange at an office party or at a home party is a game commonly called Chinese Christmas. I donât know how or where the name came from, because it has absolutely nothing to do with the Chinese. Not only that, many people find the reference to Chinese downright insulting.
Because of that, Iâm encouraging the use of other lesser-known names such as Yankee Swap, Gift War, Grinch Exchange, Dirty Santa, Rob Your Neighbor, White Elephant, Nasty Christmas, and Thieving Secret Santa. My personal favorite is Grinch Exchange.
I left âChinese Christmasâ in the title of the article because thatâs how people search for it. But please select a different name to use when you play this game⦠and encourage others to do the same.
How the game is playedâ¦
The game is fun, because each person gets to select a wrapped gift, unwrap it and then possibly lose it to someone else and have to select again. Being able to select from unwrapped gifts or âstealâ a gift someone is holding is what makes this game so much fun.
Here are the rules:
When planning the party, decide how much should be spent on the gifts. Twenty to thirty dollars is usually an agreeable price since each person is buying only one gift. The amount can be more or less. Itâs your groupâs call.
All gifts should be wrapped (and may I suggest you make yours look extra special). Put the gifts together under the tree, on a table, wherever convenient.
Each person selects a number from a basket or bowl to determine the order in which a person gets to select a gift. Number 1 goes first and gets to select and unwrap a gift. Everyone oohs and aahs or mentally thinks, âBoy, Iâm glad I didnât select that.â
Number 2 then selects. But she may take Number 1âs gift or she may select a gift from the pile. If she takes Number 1âs gift, Number 1 gets to select again from the pile. After she has finished her turn, Number 3 gets to select.
Once again, she may select any opened or unopened gift. Each time a gift is taken away from someone, that person gets to select again. She may select any gift except the one that was just taken away from her. She may however, have the opportunity to select it again later.
Some gifts are occasionally more popular and may get stolen several times. The fourth person to possess it gets to keep it. No more swiping the gift. The gift is frozen.
At the end of the game, Number 1 gets to select again, and take someone elseâs gift if she wants to, but she doesnât have to. She is actually forcing a trade. The only gifts she canât take are those that are frozen.
Donât be afraid to swipe a gift from someone. The more takeaways and turnovers there are, the more fun the game seems to be. Some of the best times have been when a particular gift gets swiped several times. There are always lots of laughs and sometimes gifts get swiped just for the fun of it. This is especially true when men are playing. They donât seem to care about the gifts as much as having fun stirring things up.
And after the game is over, if you and someone else wants to trade gifts, thatâs O.K. too.
Any ideas for cheap gag gifts for a retirement party?
Q. I'm basically looking for items that you would associate with someone getting older, like denture cream. The items have to be small-ish, and under $10. I need about 15-20 items, or one for each guest to purchase.
Thanks!
Thanks!
A. I went to Party City to get supplies to make gifts for a baby shower and I was amazed at all the things they had for retirement parties.
Hats, t-shirts, bottle bottom glasses, dinnerware (plates, napkins, cups, etc.), balloons,
Also you can buy plastic dentures, those denture cleaning tablets, key chains, wall plaques, t-shirts, balloons, balloon holders, plastic visors, readers (glasses) and embossing pens at a dollar store.
If you find something cool use the gold or silver pens to write some "insulting" phrase on it. You can also emboss glitter onto any object that can withstand the heat gun (or your blowdryer). If you buy t-shirts from the dollar store or at Michael's, AC Moore etc, you can get t-shirt printer paper for about ten bucks and write up something specific to the individual(s), print it on a regular printer and iron it on. You get 8-10 sheets and if you only use half you will have 16-20 iron on sheets. They have iron on patches with expressions on them too. (old fart, he's my old fart, old farting together, lol).
The flip flops are great as are big hawaiian shirts, big baggy boxers or baggy pants with an elastic waste (long or short).
Also check out oriental trading. They are an inexpensive place to get different party theme items from.
Have fun with it.
Hats, t-shirts, bottle bottom glasses, dinnerware (plates, napkins, cups, etc.), balloons,
Also you can buy plastic dentures, those denture cleaning tablets, key chains, wall plaques, t-shirts, balloons, balloon holders, plastic visors, readers (glasses) and embossing pens at a dollar store.
If you find something cool use the gold or silver pens to write some "insulting" phrase on it. You can also emboss glitter onto any object that can withstand the heat gun (or your blowdryer). If you buy t-shirts from the dollar store or at Michael's, AC Moore etc, you can get t-shirt printer paper for about ten bucks and write up something specific to the individual(s), print it on a regular printer and iron it on. You get 8-10 sheets and if you only use half you will have 16-20 iron on sheets. They have iron on patches with expressions on them too. (old fart, he's my old fart, old farting together, lol).
The flip flops are great as are big hawaiian shirts, big baggy boxers or baggy pants with an elastic waste (long or short).
Also check out oriental trading. They are an inexpensive place to get different party theme items from.
Have fun with it.
I'm throwing a "Margaritaville" themed party and I need some easy decoration and food ideas?
Q. I'm having trouble thinking of ideas for this party, the only thing I have planned for sure is the drinks :) thats the easy part.
A. When you say Margaritaville , I'm thinking Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville restaurant. Which makes me think Tropical, Mexican like Cancun or Alcupulco. If you are doing that type you can acctually get an idea for the menu on the margaritaville website. I would look up the menu and then look up recipes that are simular to what they have. Or maybe you can do this....off the top of my head I would try Mexican themed or surfing theme. I have never been to the restaurant so it may help if you research first. Or you can just throw a mexican themed party.
One mexican themed decor idea is to use traditional tissue cut out stenciled garland, and bright colored lit up paper lanterns with alternating colored string of lights on the ceiling . Decorate the bar or the table you are using for the bar with colored lights to look like a cantina and a grass skirt if you want it to be looking tropical or cover with a mexican colored blanket. For inspiration look up pictures of restaurants or bars that would give you ideas.
If you want surfboard themed ,then cosider flip flops, mini surfboard, shells, and grass skirts on the table.
When I was in alcapulco they gave us a terracotta cup with a pink ribbon to wear on our necks for drinking tequilla, maybe you want to consider making or finding something like that.
Print up a margarittaville sign and hang it around the bar .
You can buy a lot of these deorations at orientaltrading.com . Don't forget to buy the decorations for the drinks to really make it stand out.
Another fun idea was to buy those light up pins with margaritas on it. Guest love to play with those lights.
Table centerpieces can be bright sunflowers in terracotta vases, or for a more different feel , assorted cactus's and agave plants and chili plants made into a mini landscape. But if it is more tropical Mexican consider Hibiscus.
Throw some mini pinatas throughout with small adult gifts like mini tequillas. Also, If you have the money you can get terracotta dishes or mexican themed plates.
Giveaways can range from basket with a cactus plant, or a personalized lable of their own tequilla. Or take a margarita glass and fill it with straw and 2 mini tequilla one light and one dark , lime, tequilla salt wrapped in cheeze cloth and tied with string, add a couple of drink decorations like umbrellas or fruit picks and wrap it in gift basket wrap with a ribbon.
Buffet Style: Make a table scape by placing the food on stands of various levels. Place candles of different heights around the table. Floating candles and flowers are great in a large bowl or on a pool. If you are using cactus then carry out the colors and themed to the buffet.
Don't forget important decor such as mood lighting, dancing area if any, music. You want people to imagine that they are someplace else, but of course that all depends on the size of the party.
But of course it all depends on the scale of your party, and whether it is outdoors or indoors.
Anyway this is just off the top of my head. It really depends on size, style , of the party as well as whether it is indoors , or outdoors.
One mexican themed decor idea is to use traditional tissue cut out stenciled garland, and bright colored lit up paper lanterns with alternating colored string of lights on the ceiling . Decorate the bar or the table you are using for the bar with colored lights to look like a cantina and a grass skirt if you want it to be looking tropical or cover with a mexican colored blanket. For inspiration look up pictures of restaurants or bars that would give you ideas.
If you want surfboard themed ,then cosider flip flops, mini surfboard, shells, and grass skirts on the table.
When I was in alcapulco they gave us a terracotta cup with a pink ribbon to wear on our necks for drinking tequilla, maybe you want to consider making or finding something like that.
Print up a margarittaville sign and hang it around the bar .
You can buy a lot of these deorations at orientaltrading.com . Don't forget to buy the decorations for the drinks to really make it stand out.
Another fun idea was to buy those light up pins with margaritas on it. Guest love to play with those lights.
Table centerpieces can be bright sunflowers in terracotta vases, or for a more different feel , assorted cactus's and agave plants and chili plants made into a mini landscape. But if it is more tropical Mexican consider Hibiscus.
Throw some mini pinatas throughout with small adult gifts like mini tequillas. Also, If you have the money you can get terracotta dishes or mexican themed plates.
Giveaways can range from basket with a cactus plant, or a personalized lable of their own tequilla. Or take a margarita glass and fill it with straw and 2 mini tequilla one light and one dark , lime, tequilla salt wrapped in cheeze cloth and tied with string, add a couple of drink decorations like umbrellas or fruit picks and wrap it in gift basket wrap with a ribbon.
Buffet Style: Make a table scape by placing the food on stands of various levels. Place candles of different heights around the table. Floating candles and flowers are great in a large bowl or on a pool. If you are using cactus then carry out the colors and themed to the buffet.
Don't forget important decor such as mood lighting, dancing area if any, music. You want people to imagine that they are someplace else, but of course that all depends on the size of the party.
But of course it all depends on the scale of your party, and whether it is outdoors or indoors.
Anyway this is just off the top of my head. It really depends on size, style , of the party as well as whether it is indoors , or outdoors.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
No comments:
Post a Comment