How to Host a Yankee Swap

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

09 Dec 2008 01:22 PM

If you don't know what to do with that statue of a little boy that decants wine through the private parts or that 50 pound bag of organic dog food when you don't own a dog, than listen to me. You can unload these things as well as acquire more bizarre items by participating in a hilarious Yankee Swap.

I was first introduced to a Yankee Swap in of all places, New Hampshire, which is about as Yankee as it comes. These fun party events are also called White Elephants or Dirt Santas. And yes, the two items mentioned above were both at Yankee Swaps that I attended.

Basically, at a Yankee Swap, everyone gets together and exchanges gifts, the more bizarre the better. These can be gifts that you were given and already have around your home, or items that you purchase specifically for the swap. I like the former way, since the items generally come with some funny stories attached.

Have everyone bring a wrapped gift and set up a table or area where they can drop them off without anyone see who is bringing which package.

Next, decide in which order everyone will play. You can pick playing cards or numbers out of a hat or go from youngest to oldest.

The first player picks a gift from the pile. The next person can decide whether or not to steal the gift or pick a new gift from the pile. If the gift is stolen, then the person who is empty handed gets to pick again. The third person gets to choose to steal from either of the first two people or pick a gift from the pile, and so on until everyone has had a chance to okay and a gift in hand.

At the same time, everyone opens their gifts at once to see what they got. The fun comes in when that huge gift that everyone was fighting over turns out to be really lame or when the gift no one wanted turns out to be a keeper.

Alternately you can choose to have people open the gifts during the game. This is fun, too, especially when you can joke about how weird something is or where it came from originally. Feel free to trade the gifts on your own with other people at the party, once the swap is over.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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