Holiday gift exchange

[CJMickeyMouse]

We are hosting our family Christmas this year.... so 20+ people. I am looking for rules for a holiday gift exchange where everyone brings a $5-10 gift and one person chooses.... then there are chances for their gift to be taken, etc.

I have never actually participated in one of these, so I don't know what rules need to apply to make the game fun.....

Please share your experiences!!!!

Thanks!

 

[MerryPoppins]

Our rules are:

There are several ways to begin. Our favorite is to have little slips of paper. Have one for everyone playing the game. Number the slips and mix them up. Then you draw your numbers and go in that order. When it's your turn you either choose something new to unwrap or steal. If you are doing multiple gifts, you just go back to number 1 after the first round.

As gifts are being chosen, if you touch a package you have to take it. No poking and shaking allowed.

Stealing instead of opening a new gift is allowed, but after a gift is "owned" 3 times it is dead. This is to keep the game from lasting all night. It also brings into play some strategy. For example, one of my kids might steal something they know I am wanting, just so it will die and our family will end up with it.

We have more than just the nice gifts. There are some silly ones. For example, we have a block of lard that makes the rounds and spends the rest of the year in someone's freezer. We also have a HUGE bottle of ancient cologne that shows up every year. These get mixed in with candy bars and Christmas pins and ice scrapers. We do the silly gifts first and end up with the nice ones. That way no one steals all the good gifts.

 

[christinou]

THe way we do it, is draw numbers, the person with number 1 pick the first gift, number 2 can pick the next one, and pick the one that #1 picked or pick a new one, if he picks the present that #1 had, then #1 picks new present from the pile, and you go ahead until the last person. The last person then can pick the last present, or from anyone else.....
I hope that this makes sense, it is a lot of fun...

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Thanks for the input, guys!!!

So, if someone's open gift is "stolen" then do they steal from someone else, or get to choose another wrapped present?

edited to add....

DUH! Christinou already answered my question!

 

[MerryPoppins]

We always play that if your gift is stolen you can steal (but not the gift that was just taken from you) or you can open a new gift. Then play resumes with the next number. Of course if you steal then that person gets to go next, so sometimes it gets a little confusing.