White Elephant

• Enjoy a boisterous good time during your next family holiday as you play this gifting game. Each person participating must bring one anonymous gift worth a pre-determined dollar amount. Before the game begins, each person draws a number to determine the order of gift selection. The wrapped gifts are placed in the center of the room, so everyone can see, and then the person who drew number one selects and opens a gift. The person who drew number two can select a new gift from the floor or take the gift away from the first player. If player one loses a gift, he or she can then select another one. Player three can take away one of the gifts already opened by players one and two or select a new one. This continues until everyone has a gift, usually with a lot of good natured gift-stealing. Obviously, the person who chooses the highest number is sitting in the catbird seat with all but one of the gifts opened and available for the taking.
  
  

Potluck

• If you don't have the time to play the White Elephant game, another variation is the potluck gifting system. As with the gifting game, each person brings one anonymous gift valued at a pre-determined dollar amount. The host should set up a gifting table, where everyone can place their potluck gifts. The gifting system can work one of two ways: Everyone can select a gift as they leave, or everyone can select a gift and then open them as a group during the gathering. Either way, the only rule is that you cannot select the gift that you brought.
  
  

Drawing Names

• For a more personalized gifting system, each member of your family can draw names and only purchase a gift for the person whose name each drew. This style of gifting is also known in some circles as "secret santa" and works equally well for a church or an office gifting. As with any good gifting system, pre-determined gift values are set and followed. Your "secret santa" is revealed when gifts are exchanged, not before.