The evening will begin officially at 6 PM this Saturday, December 13th. It will begin with people going through the food line to get their finger-food snacks. Once that is about done and everyone seated, then the gift exchange will begin.
Some of us will be getting there earlier to get everything set up for the fun-filled evening. We’ll be arriving at about 4 PM to get tables and chairs set up and everything decorated. If any of you would like to come and help, that would certainly be appreciated.
Please remember to bring some kind of finger-food to share for the evening.
Also, for those that may not have ever been to a White Elephant Christmas Party before, be advised that a gift needs to be brought for the exact number of people in your party. In other words, if there are two people in your party, two wrapped gifts need to be brought … three people – three gifts, and so on.
As to the value of the gifts, in the past we’ve never stated that there is a dollar value limit to the gift. However, that being said, don’t feel obligated to get anything expensive. That’s not the point of the evening. There are those that simply bring something from home that they no longer value, and there are those that buy gifts. There are gag gifts and there are nice gifts. The point of the evening is to have fun by seeing people’s reactions to the different variety of gifts that are opened and watching the machinations that go on in people’s minds as they consider whether or not to steal a gift. That’s what adds to the fun.
To briefly explain the basic rules for the gift exchange during the evening …
Everyone will receive a numbered ticket prior to the gift exchange starting. We’ll draw the numbered tickets randomly from some kind of container and then call out the number. Whoever has that number will then come up to the center and choose a gift from the table and open it in front of everyone. Please hold up the item so that everyone will be able to clearly see what it is.
Upon returning to your seat, please place the just-opened gift on the table in front of you so it can easily be seen by everyone.
Another number will then be drawn at random. That person can either go to the center table to choose and open a gift. Or … that person can steal someone else’s gift.
(This, by the way, can only happen twice. Once a gift has been stolen twice, it is then out of circulation and can no longer be stolen.)
The person whose gift has just been stolen will then return to the gift table to pick out and open another gift … or … they can steal someone else’s gift.
(By the way, that person cannot “steal back” the gift that was just stolen from him or her. They would have to steal a gift from someone else.)
The procedure is then repeated until we are out of gifts on the table.
That’s pretty much the rules for the exchange. It’s always a lot of fun.
Please plan on joining us for one of the most enjoyable and “funniest” parties of the year. Again … 6 PM Saturday December 13th. See you there!
Come join us after church service for Potluck! Enjoy some delicious food and wonder fellowship! Bring your favorite dish or just show up hungry. Either way don’t miss out!
