The white elephant tradition your family won’t forget
Key ingredient: laughter
The white elephant tradition your family won’t forget
Key ingredient: laughter
BY JORDAN CROOK
Daughter, sister, writer, project manager
Get ready to thank Uncle Kenny because you’ve probably never seen this take on a white elephant gift exchange before. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll never play it the same way again.
Recipe: The Dice Game
WHAT YOU NEED
Time: Low Medium High
Budget: $ $$ $$$
- A pair of dice
- Bowls or deep plates to hold the thrown dice
- Cash to donate to the charity (we do $20 a head, but you can do more or less)
DIRECTIONS
- Bring a wrapped white elephant gift that costs $5 or less.
- Sit in a circle with the bowls filled with the dice in the middle.
- Roll the dice when they come to you.
- If you get doubles, select a white elephant gift. Go until all gifts are unwrapped.
- Everyone gets a turn hyping their gift like a professional infomercial pitchman.
- Set a timer for 20 minutes.
- Send the dice around. If you roll doubles, you can steal anyone’s gift. You give them your own in return. They cannot refuse you!
- Now collect the charity funds from everyone, and write each person’s name on a slip of paper.
- Draw names. The person whose name is drawn picks the charity the money goes to and tells everyone about it.
Recipe: A Crafty Christmas
WHAT YOU NEED
Time: Low Medium High
Budget: $ $$ $$$
- A pair of dice
- Bowls or deep plates to hold the thrown dice
- Cash to donate to the charity (we do $20 a head, but you can do more or less)
DIRECTIONS
- Bring a wrapped white elephant gift that costs $5 or less.
- Sit in a circle with the bowls filled with the dice in the middle.
- Roll the dice when they come to you.
- If you get doubles, select a white elephant gift. Go until all gifts are unwrapped.
- Everyone gets a turn hyping their gift like a professional infomercial pitchman.
- Set a timer for 20 minutes.
- Send the dice around. If you roll doubles, you can steal anyone’s gift. You give them your own in return. They cannot refuse you!
- Now collect the charity funds from everyone, and write each person’s name on a slip of paper.
- Draw names. The person whose name is drawn picks the charity the money goes to and tells everyone about it.
Make unforgettable memories with your family this Christmas with these 12 ideas!
DIY, Family Activities, Prayer, and more.
Make unforgettable memories with your family this Christmas with these 12 ideas!
DIY, Family Activities, Prayer, and more.
My 'Recipe' Story
Our family has been doing a Christmas gift exchange in the same room for as long as I can remember. The floor is carpeted with 1960s AstroTurf, and the walls are mostly glass doors out to the patio. The room glows with twinkling lights and 40 to 50 of us squeez in. A pile of unmarked, wrapped gifts is in the center.
Everyone knows how it works: Pass sets of dice around the circle. When you roll doubles, you grab a gift. Once everyone has one gift, we unwrap. Now the fun begins.
Then we go around the circle playing Vanna White, presenting our item as if it were a new car or expensive vacation. No gifts can be worth more than $5, so you probably got a bottle of cucumber body wash, but you sell it like it’s a full in-home spa experience.
When we’ve all presented our gifts, Mom sets the timer for 20 minutes. Then things get serious.
The dice go around the circle. Now doubles give you the chance to be king. You get to pick whatever gift you want — and the person gives it up to you.
The dice keep rolling until the timer goes off and Mom yells “time’s up!” at the top of her lungs, setting in motion a wave of cheering and playful arguing.
But one time someone added, “Maybe we need a little less, and maybe someone needs a little more.” That comment was the game-changer.
So the game doesn’t end with mom. Everyone gives Uncle Kenny $20. He places the cash into an envelope. He writes each contributor’s name down on ballots that go into a plastic salad bowl. He pulls one name from the bowl, and the money goes to a charity that person shares about.
The rest of us learn about a challenge in our community and a program or organization that is taking action to help make our lives better. And in a funny way, we get to learn about each other, too.
More Fun Recipes for Christmas
More Fun Recipes
How to survive a no-gift Christmas with your kids
The “no-gift Christmas” idea actually started in July. My son’s birthday is in the summer, and every time we asked him what he wanted he would shrug his shoulders. It got to where I felt that we were begging him for suggestions..
The Gratitude Game: Hilarious old photos optional
I smile when I think about my childhood. I grew up in a large family with six kids. We had our quarrels (as most children do), but what stands out most are our backyard adventures and exploring the sea on family vacations..
The secret ingredient to the best Christmas gifts
Years of being blessed with a low checking account balance forced me to rethink my approach to Christmas. Those were not easy years as I tried to tell myself that Christmas isn’t all about the presents..