White elephant gift exchanges are often a highlight of the holiday season. Unfortunately, though, some of your loved ones likely get left out year after year because they don’t live locally. You can change that this year by doing your white elephant gift exchange virtually. It’ll be just as fun as an in-person exchange, and everyone can participate. Get some tips so your first virtual white elephant party will go off without a hitch.
Set the Rules
Just like an in-person gift swap, you need to set some ground rules. First, pick a budget that everyone must stick to when buying gifts. Then set a date for the party so that everyone will have the gifts on time. Next, they need to buy and wrap the presents and get ready for the fun.
Invite Everyone to a Video Call
When the day arrives, invite your friends and family to join in a video call. Once everyone is present, you need to select the picking order. You want it to be fair, so consider using random.org or another number generator to pick the spots.
Start Opening Presents
Have everyone hold up their wrapped gifts so all the attendees can see them. Then your group will go in order, with each person choosing the gift they want. Once a gift is selected, the purchaser will unwrap it in front of the camera. That present will belong to the person who selected it, but maybe not for long.
The next person will go and have the choice of selecting another present or stealing an already opened gift. This will continue until everyone has had a chance to select an unwrapped gift or steal an opened present.
Mail the Presents
After the party is over, everyone needs to send their presents to the recipients. Be sure that everyone drops them in the mail quickly so the gifts will arrive without much of a wait.
You might also like: Reasons to Schedule Your Next Oil Change
Hosting a Virtual White Elephant Without the Gift Steal
You can also host a virtual white elephant party without stealing gifts. In this case, you will still set a budget and pick a date and time. Then you’ll use a random number generator to pick the order and go through the numbers until all the gifts are selected. In this case, though, people can only choose unwrapped gifts.
Whether you want to incorporate gift stealing or not, your virtual white elephant party is sure to be a hit. You can invite family and friends far and wide, so no one will have to miss out this year.
Disclaimer: The stock image is being used for illustrative purposes only, and it is not a direct representation of the business, recipe, or activity listed. Any person depicted in the stock image is a model.