Taking a Spin on a White Elephant Gift Exchange

The white elephant gift is the classic gift exchange for work parties and large groups. This type of game tends to work well in situations where people are familiar with each other, yet are not extremely close. The white elephant gifts are basic and unisex. On the opposite end is the family gift exchanges. Those are the kinds of exchanges where one is buying hundreds of dollars worth of gifts for each and every person in their family. As families grow and get older, gift giving can become a chore. There are calculations going on in their head to make sure that everyone's gift is of equal value. Did everyone get the same number of gifts? Many people do not need or want a lot of gifts. Opening endless piles of presents is great for children, but families might want to try a white elephant gift exchange this year.

The usual white elephant gifts have a cap on how much you can spend. They tend to be generic so that everyone can have something they will enjoy and use. These also tend to be the gifts that are re-gifted or given to good will a couple months down the road. The idea of a white elephant is good, but the challenge is finding gifts that people will genuinely enjoy. Yet who doesn't love a gift card? Gift cards make the best white elephant gifts. Everyone can benefit from them. Now the challenge is adding fun to the game.

A great way to make the white elephant gift exchange entertaining is to buy another gift that is worth no more than 5 dollars. It can be the most outrageous, outlandish, cheesy gift that you can find. The stranger it is the better the game will be. The nice thing is you can shop all year for this gift. When you are out and about and find the perfect tacky gift that is on the clearance rack waiting to be thrown out, you can save it from it's fate.

Now it is time for the exchange. In order to make it even more memorable and enjoyable, the only gift people will open will be the tacky gift. Participants have to choose the gift card based on the gift itself. They will not know which gift card they are receiving until the very end. As tacky gifts are opened, and laughter is filling the room, the others can choose to steal a gift previously opened or choose from the pile. When all participants have a tacky gift in their possession, they can then proceed to find out what gift certificate they received along with the gift.

Although the 5 dollar gift that people got along with their gift card may not be something they would want, use or even like, it will probably be kept forever as a reminder of the fun of the white elephant exchange. It may even become a part of future holiday decorations.

White elephant gift exchanges can add fun and laughter to your family gathering while decreasing the stress of the holidays.