Re-Gifting: Making Family Gifting Fun and Cheap

 White Elephant gift-giving, or re-gifting, is a fun way to turn a family holiday gathering into a hilarious time.  Make your family time interesting during Christmas season, giving cheap or inexpensive gifts in a way that is gauranteed to cause laughs.  Use this approach in a work setting, or with a social club, and take financial stress out of the occasion for your members or workers, while providing a great way to get rid of some unwanted item.

White elephant gift activities are more fun with more people, and if you have a large extended family, it will really get interesting as individuals get competitive over a particular item.  Set out guidelines in advance, including the basics in your party invitation.  Elaborate at gifting time, if necessary.  Set limits on expenditures, as the goal is INEXPENSIVE fun!

Determine with those planning the party, what kind of expense limits you want. $5 is a good guideline, but really, there is more fun in having individuals bring some off the wall item. I've been in both spots, one time not able to decide on anything in the house that would really suit the occasion, and on others, finding there was something perfect for the occasion. The nice thing is not feeling pressure to spend some high $ amount on a gift.

Explain the rules at the outset. My extended family has everyone sit in a circle, with the gift table at the front. The first person selects a gift, and unwraps it. The next person in order can steal that gift, or select another from the table, unwrapping. This continues on. Anytime a gift is stolen, the person who has lost their gift has the option of selecting a new gift from the table, or stealing a gift from someone else; they can not steal back the gift that was just taken. A gift may not be stolen more than three times. The third time a certain gift is stolen, it stays with that individual.

This can set up for some intriguing interaction, as spouses my work together in order to strategically steal a gift. This happened to me one year, as I stole a gift from my Mom, who stole my Dad's gift, so he could steal mine! I didn't think it through very well!

Another year, my husband conspired with my cousin's wife, and stole his audio receiver system, to his wife's delight! It turned out to be a great accent for the television area of the house!

Re-gifting parties can be loads of fun, and in tough economic times, a great way to save money on holiday giving, without losing the value of family interaction.

 Small children can get a little bored with the adult relatives doing their re-gifting and stealing and such.  It's possible to set up an activity area for the kids, or a kid-themed gifting activity.  Regardless, be cognizant of the fact that little ones will need something to do during your fun.  Teenagers are great for inclusion in such an activity.