...but I just found out I need to make a trip to the dollar store for two more "dollar gifts" - turns out we're playing the "dollar" game at my MIL's get together too.
We have this tradition started by my BIL of playing this fun game at Christmas - I think there is an official name for it - maybe someone knows what this game is really called? Everyone brings a gift worth a dollar (if you're really savvy you can look for something on sale marked down to a dollar!). Then everyone picks numbers from a hat - the numbers are from 1 to however many people there are. The numbers determine the order you go in.
All the gifts are put in the middle and the person who has number one goes first and chooses a gift. They open it and show everyone. The second person can either take the gift from the first person, or open a new gift. Each successive turn, the person can choose to "steal" another's gift, or open a new one. However, a gift can only be "stolen" three times, so if a person steals it and it's the third time it was stolen, they get to keep that gift and no one else can take it.
The gifts can be cool, stupid or funny. One year my SIL ended up with a 10lb hunk of coal. I think she put it in her front garden - she actually wanted it! :-) Another year we had this bass fish figurine thing (pictured above) that everyone wanted, but *I* was lucky enough to score - amazingly, the next year I found another at the dollar store to bring to the game! Sometimes DH and I even team up to help the other get the item they want. Another year I ended up with a duck mug. Usually someone puts in a lottery ticket as one of the gifts - that one is usually stolen three times.
Anyone know what the name of this game is??
The end.
Funny. We had the frog toothbrush holder in our similar family game and nobody wanted it. We also usually pass around (1) calendars from over ten years ago and (2) an inflatable olive. -- sempurr
ReplyDeleteWe call the game a White Elephant with a $1.00 limit.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we play it for a Christmas ornament and so on.
So much fun. :)
I was watching reruns of Top Chef awhile ago, and they called the game Dirty Santa. Each chef picked a number for the order they needed to go in, and inside each gift was an ingredient...so the last person got to pick anyone else's ingredient or choose the last package...it actually sounds like a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteThe idea of having an inexpensive gift, or "gifting" something that you've had lying around the house...or regifting an inflatable olive (I LOVE THAT) is the White Elephant portion...and the stealing someone else's gift part is the Dirty Santa part of the game. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know what it's called but I have played it and it IS a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful holiday!
I remember my mom and her brothers and sister playing this at Christmas when we were kids. The sad thing is while it was immensely funny, it was always alcohol that was stolen 3 times in their games. They didn't have the dollar limit, i think theirs was $20 but there was always at least one person who brought Crown Royal. For the longest I thought my whole family were a bunch of creeps fighting over the booze lol.
ReplyDeleteI went to a camping get-together in Maine and we were all asked to bring a souvenier from our home area. Then we did that same game, and the hostess called it a "Yankee Swap." We had campers from all over New England and NY and a couple guests from the south. I ended up with a t-shirt from a restaurant in Alabama. Great fun!
ReplyDeleteMy Mom does that at her work- they call it a White Elephant exchange, however I am not sure how many times items are stolen and the exact rules. But it is a highly anticipated event and I want to do it but I work at home....
ReplyDelete