The TSG White Elephant Gift Exchange

On December 19 at our Christmas Tri-State Meet, Greet and Eat, the Tri-State Geocachers dinner event will also include our first-ever White Elephant Gift Exchange! This page is a description of how it is going to run.

Gifts are typically inexpensive, humorous items or used items from home.  The goal is to have fun and entertain rather than to gain. All gifts should be family-friendly.

1. Each participant will bring one wrapped gift.
2. The wrapped gifts are placed in a central location, likely on the diner counter.
3. Upon arriving with your wrapped gift you will be given a “White Elephant Name Tag” to be completed and placed in a hat. Names will be drawn later to determine the order of participant turns.
4. The first name drawn from the hat chooses and opens a wrapped gift. Their nametag will be taped to the gift. The gift will be left on the counter or table, and the turn ends.
5. On subsequent turns, each person selects an unopened gift, and then decides either to open it, or to "steal" another person's unwrapped gift.  The person that has been stolen from gets the unopened gift as a swap and may not steal another. They will open the new gift and their nametag will be affixed to it. Nametags will be switched on the gifts if they are stolen. All gifts will remain on the counter.  
6. The participant then picks a name out of the hat to choose the next participant’s turn.
7. After the last participant has taken their turn, the first person gets an additional turn in which they may choose to “steal” and swap gifts or keep what they have, signaling the end of the game.
8. Gifts will then be distributed to the final tagged name on the gift.