What is a Pollyanna gift exchange? The word “Pollyanna” literally is defined as a person who is extremely cheerful and optimistic. It is a customary and fun gift exchange between people without knowing the identity of the person providing the gift.
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How does a Pollyanna gift exchange work?
In a Pollyanna Gift Exchange, participants anonymously purchase a gift for a randomly-selected person in the group. The best gifts are inexpensive, personalized, and, of course, funny! From Grumpy Cat merchandise to eccentric tape dispensers, your perfect Pollyanna gift is sure to be found from this list.
What is the difference between Pollyanna and Secret Santa?
Pollyanna, also known as “Secret Santa” is a Western Christmas tradition. In which groups, or community are randomly assigned a person they will give a gift to on Christmas. The identify of the gift giver is a secret not to be revealed.
What are the rules for a gift exchange?
The first person opens a wrapped gift, and the turn ends. On subsequent turns, each person has the choice to either unwrap a new present or to steal another’s. When a person’s gift is stolen, that person can either choose another wrapped gift to open or can steal from another player.
What is a White Elephant ornament exchange?
In this simple ornament exchange game, participants bring unwrapped ornaments and hang them on a Christmas tree as they arrive (a miniature tree that can fit on a tabletop is often best). People then take turns picking the ornament they would like from the tree.
How do you play Dirty Santa gift exchange?
With Dirty Santa gift exchange, each person has to buy only one gift, for not particular person unlike in Secret Santa and at the end of the exchange everyone ends up with a random gift they “won” during the exchange. Now, I said “won” but in reality the process involves a fierce swapping ans stealing from eachother.
How do you do a white elephant gift exchange?
The White Elephant Game Rules
Bring a wrapped, anonymous gift to the shindig. Draw numbers to determine who gets to unwrap a present when. Sit in a circle and place the gifts in the center, preferably under a festive tree. The person who drew #1 selects a gift from the pile, opens it, and holds it up for all to see.
Where does the word Pollyanna come from?
A Pollyanna is a blindly or foolishly optimistic person. The term derives from Eleanor H. Porter’s 1913 novel, Pollyanna, about an orphan with an unjustifiably optimistic attitude. The word is primarily an Americanism.
How do you do a secret gift exchange?
Here are the steps for hosting a traditional Secret Santa game in-person:
- Write down each name on a piece of paper.
- Have everyone write down a gift suggestion or two.
- Draw names to randomly assign a Secret Santa to each player.
- Plan a gift exchange party.
- Guess who drew your name.
How do you exchange a random gift?
Everyone brings a wrapped gift and gets a number. The first person chooses a gift and unwraps it, the second person can steal that gift or choose another, and so on.
What is a grab bag gift?
A grab bag is a crazy way for each person to receive a random gift. The basic idea of a grab bag is that each person participating in the event brings a wrapped gift that is placed in a large bag. The bag is then passed around the room for each person to randomly reach in and grab a gift.
How do you do a Yankee Swap?
In Yankee Swap each participant brings a wrapped, unmarked gift and places it in a designated area. Guests are given numbers as they arrive, or their names are randomly drawn, and they select and unwrap gifts from the pile in that order — with a twist.
What is a pirate gift exchange?
With White Elephant—also known as Pirate Santa, Yankee Swap and Dirty Santa—you’re in luck. That coveted gift can be all yours. To play White Elephant, everyone brings in a wrapped gift and places it on a table in the front of the room. The group sits in a circle and each person is assigned a number.
Do you wrap ornaments for ornament exchange?
They do not necessarily need to be wrapped (but they certainly could). Then you exchange ornaments. Each person will get one ornament from each party guest and everyone goes home with 8 new ornaments! So if you are having a large party, this may not be the best idea.
How do you play Dirty Santa at Christmas?
Whoever drew #1 selects a gift from the mysterious pile of gifts, opens it, and reveals what it is to everyone. Whoever drew #2 can either select a gift from the pile or choose to steal #1’s gift (this is where the dirty in “Dirty Santa” comes in). If #1’s gift is stolen, they must choose a new gift.
Why is it called Chinese gift exchange?
The term most likely derives from a twist on “chance auction,” with the word Chinese supplied to convey secrecy and intrigue. The Chinese auction that’s the Dirty Santa gift exchange clone requires game participants to contribute wrapped prizes aka gifts into a pool.
How do you play Chinese gift exchange?
The person who drew number 1 takes a gift from the pile, opens the gift and sits down with the gift in plain sight, generally on her lap. Then “2” then takes a gift, either from the pile or from 1. Then 2 sits down with the gift displayed. If 1’s gift was taken, then 1 gets to take another from the pile.
What is the difference between White Elephant and Dirty Santa?
It is called Dirty because it encourages you to ruthlessly STEAL gifts from each other. What is this? Dirty Santa tends to be more popular in the South and White Elephant is not tied to a specific region. Because both gift exchange games are played in a similar way, it is easy to see how the lines have blurred.
How do you play greedy Santa?
The host should keep a tally of each gift and announce once a gift is “dead” and can no longer be stolen. A gift can also only be stolen once per turn. For example, if person #17’s gift was stolen, and they steal from person #5, then person #5 cannot steal the gift that was taken from #17.
How many times can you steal a gift in white elephant?
Does the game have any limits? White elephant can go on and on, so it’s best to have some sort of limits—a present can only be “stolen” three times, for example, or a person can only have something stolen from them a maximum of three times.
Are you supposed to write your name on a white elephant gift?
Part of the fun is watching players try to conceal their “good” gifts or encourage players to take their “bad” gifts. Each gift should be attractively wrapped with no nametag.