Pagzz

Help - please. I am supposed to facilitate a white elephant gift exchange at guild. I don't think it should last more than 30 - 40 minutes (though it doesn't have to take that long) as there are other things on the agenda. I don't mind speaking to the group but I am not a natural / entertaining speaker. I also don't know how many people are participating but there probably will be up to 60 people at the meeting.

I would appreciate any thoughts and suggestions.

Paggz

ManiacQuilter2

Usually, gifts are dropped off before the meeting begins to give the person running the git exchange the time during the general meeting to get all the gifts organized. You will have to speak to your group on how you are going to run this exchange. Good Luck.

dunster

You could ask that all the gifts be brought in brown paper bags, to eliminate the time it takes to unwrap the gifts (and to save the members the time and expense of wrapping them). You can either give the gifts out randomly (perhaps picking a gift up and then drawing a name or number out of a hat) or you could draw each member's name in turn and let that person select a gift. You also have the option of playing "bad Santa" and let each person "steal" a gift from one of the previous 3 people. When you're playing with white elephants or gifts of limited value this could be hilarious, but some people don't care for it. (You can look up the rules online.)

Onebyone

Gifts should be in a bag or wrapped. Each gift has a number. Everyone gets to draw a number and then select the bag with the number.

katybob

My guild had its Christmas potluck party last Friday and we played a fun game to exchange gifts. We each brought a quilting-related gift that cost $5 or less wrapped or in a gift bag. We stood in a very big circle (there are a lot of us) and a Christmas-y poem was read aloud that was chock-full of the words "left" and "right". Each time "left" or "right" was mentioned, we passed our gifts in that direction and when the poem was finished, we kept the gift we were holding. It was a lot of fun and a lot of laughs. It's not a new game and I'm sure it has a name, but I don't know it. Maybe Mr. Google can help with that.

thimblebug6000

katybob, yes we've played that game too. At the time I think it was called Mr. Wright....

google has this version:
http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/...mrs-right.html

Wow, this site has lots of choices for a Xmas one: http://www.juliabettencourt.com/prin...ssinggames.pdf

Pagzz

Thanks everyone for the ideas!

quiltingshorttimer

Our Guild just did this with "sewer's items" of no more than $12 (about 4 FQ price)---we all set gifts on a table and after potluck, one of the ladies got us to all get into a circle around the room and did a version of the Right/Center/Left game but instead of dice, she read the story of Jesus birth and when she said right, all passed gift in hand to right; when she said left, all passed gift in hand to left. Took about 30 minutes and was really fun and very Christmas.

NJ Quilter

Not a quilting guild but another organization where we exchange gifts...those participating bring a wrapped gift. If you bring a gift you get a ticket...we use 50/50 type. At the appropriate time, numbers are drawn and you get whatever gift as long as it was not the one you brought. Easy peasy.

coopah

Our guild just had everyone who brought one, go up and get one. I didn't participate, so don't know what it was like over at the exchange table. Sure made it fast, if that's what you're looking for.