How to host a White Elephant gift exchange
It made me
really happy 
"An excellent time!"
How I did it: I invited a whole bunch of people via facebook and invited my friends to do the same. Everyone was told to bring a ridiculous, wrapped gift to exchange. We tried to take the theme of randomness all the way with a wide range of people, crazy gifts, an absurd mixtape of music, and games like Apples to Apples and Pictionary Telephone. In spite of terrible weather (8 inches of snow) a lot of people showed up and all seemed to have a really good time.
Lessons & tips:
- Invite lots of people. Remember: the more the giftier
- Have something to do once the exchange is done, although the hilarity and good times that the gifts inspire can hold you over a long time
- Try to strike a party-tone balance between the crazy and conservative guests so everyone has a good time.
Resources:
- Apples to Apples
- a refresher on the rules: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_elephant_gift_exchange
