Money saving games for exchanging Christmas presents
The "SET UP" shown below is the same for both Games 1 and 2. These games are great at Christmas time when you have several families together and no one wants to spend a lot of money on presents.
SET UP All of the players agree in advance on the amount of money each person will spend per person, knowing that you only have to buy as many presents as there are people in your own family. For instance, a family that has: a husband, a wife, a boy, and a girl, will only buy four presents total no matter how many people are involved. They also know that they need a present that is age and sex appropriate for the members of their family: a man, a woman, a boy, and a girl (generic presents or things anyone can use are also very good: quilts, crafts, glasses, candy, cake, copies of old family pictures, etc.)
When the group is together at your party you may desire to have a separate game for the small kids if there are a lot of them. Every present needs to be marked or wrapped in an obvious way to identify it as belonging to a general group: a man's present, a woman's present, a generic present, etc. The presents are placed in piles in the middle of the players.
GAME #1. The number of players is counted and then multiplied by 2 or 3 depending on how big the group is, and how many turns you want each person to have (three is about the most). Example: 20 players X 2 chances each = 40 numbers in a bowl. Numbers 1 through 40 are placed in a bowl and each player (no looking) takes two numbers from the bowl. This determines each persons turn to pick a present. First #1, then #2, then #3 and so on, a player may get consecutive numbers(10, 11) or inconsecutive numbers(2, 35). All players take one turn for each number, and all players go in the order of the numbers they have picked. #1 picks a present from the pile. For instance, a woman usually takes a woman's present, but it is not necessary. You pick your present based only on the look, feel, and sound of the package, none of the presents are opened until the game is over. #2 has a choice of taking what #1 has or picking a present from the pile. Every person has to choose between taking a present from the pile or from someone else. You can take a present from anyone that has a present, but you can not take the last present from someone that has no more numbers. Then the next number goes. And Yes, you may take a present from another group, a woman can take a man's present, for example. The generic presents will fill in the gap. I have seen a young man take a woman's present because he thought his girl friend would like it. At various times people will have several presents at the same time, that OK. As the game continues, other people will take all of those presents away except for the last one. If someone takes your present, you have to wait until your next number comes up to get another present. You will start to see an amazing amount of plotting and scheming for what they think are the best presents, once they get the feel of how the game is played. It is OK for the person that bought the present to warn a player, one time, if they think that that person really would not like the present they are taking out of the pile. Don't tell them what it is, just warn them that they may not like it. After one warning, adults are on their own. For instance, a bald person may not have a need for a set of hair brushes. And, you may have to tell a child that they can not have a particular present. You would not want a very small child to end up with a very sharp set of knives. There is probably something better in the pile for that person. None of the presents are opened until the entire game is over. Only after all of the present swapping is over, and everyone has had their turn, are any presents opened. Every player must have one present at the end of the game.
GAME #2, All of the presents are piled in the middle of the players. Each person picks one (1) number from a bowl (no looking). There is only one number per person. The numbers are called in number order (1,2,3,4,5, etc). The first person picks a present from the pile and opens it. When each of the rest of the numbers are called, you can pick a present from the pile or from someone that already has a present. Each present is opened when it is picked from the pile, and everyone sees what it is. You can not hide a present. If you take present from another player, that person can then pick a present from the pile or from someone else, and so on, through all of the presents that have been opened to that point.
EXAMPLE: Number 10 is called, Player #10 likes what #9 has and takes it. Player # 9 likes what player #3 has and takes it. Player #3 like what #8 has and takes it. Player #8 takes a new present from the pile and stops that round, and this can go on through all of the numbers that have been called so far, until a present is taken from the pile. AND, the next number that is called can start it all over again. You can not take a present that has already been taken in that round. In the example above: Player #10 likes what #9 has and takes it. No other player can go to Player #10, in that round, and take that present. There is a lot more present swapping than in game #1 because everyone knows what the presents are. No one ever has more then one present at a time, and once your number is called you should never be without a present. If someone takes your present, you get to pick another. Each present can only be taken once during each round. It is possible that on every round, all of the players that have been called, end up with different presents. You will start to see an amazing amount of plotting and scheming for the best presents once they get a feel for the game. It is OK for the person that bought the present to warn a player, one time, if they think that that person really would not like the present that they are taking out of the pile. Don't tell them what it is, just warn them that they may not like it. After one warning, adults are on their own. And, you may have to tell a child that they can not have a particular present. For instance, you would not want a very small child to end up with a very sharp set of knives. There is probably something in the pile that would be better for a child.
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