1st Annual White Elephant Party

Gifts galore
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

We hosted our first annual white elephant party a few weeks ago. It was alot more fun than I thought it would be. Thank goodness one of the attendees knew the rules. Even though we limited it to 3 steals per gift, the game was looooonnngggg with 20+ players. Next time, we need an egg timer to encourage people to select the gift quickly (see my roomie surrounded by gifts in the picture). Some of the gifts were hilarious, some were practical. I am more than satisfied with my Starbucks gift card, especially after my first unfortunate pick (Poker daily calendar). Whoever brought the Poker daily calendar will not be invited to my party next year...

If you haven't had the chance to experience the fun, CLICK HERE for the rules. We limited the gift to $10-20 value, but it can be something re-gifted as long as it hasn't been used yet. This is a good chance to recycle that thing that your aunt gave you last year. A friend suggested we have a theme for next year, i.e. alcohol. In that case, everyone must show up on time and early, so that we can enjoy the gifts for the rest of the night. The white elephant parties get crazier every year especially when someone brings the same gift back. My friend said the "talking fish" always comes back at her work party. I wonder what will come back next year. More pics to come, stay tuned...

[Tags: white, elephant, party, gift, exchange, christmas, xmas, holiday]