Service Gift Exchange
DINNER & SERVICE AUCTION: Several years ago, our ward did a dinner and service auction (no money). Everyone had been asked to donate a service of some kind. We have so many talented sisters and they were very creative in thinking of services to donate. Tutoring, washing windows, cleaning a kitchen, baked items, ironing, a day on their boat, a picnic, etc… (I donated sewing badges on a scout uniform. It was hilarious how popular that was because moms are so busy.) I’m sure each ward would have fun with ideas. That evening we had questionnaires and paper auction paddles. The answers to your questions were assigned points, which equaled “service dollars”. The questions were like those “Getting to Know You” games, for example: age, how many children, how many grand children, how many great grandchildren, if you did your visiting teaching, if you teach adults, teenagers, children on Sundays, if you’ve traveled out of state, out of the country, how many wards you’ve lived in, if you have 72 hr kits packed, if you have food storage, if you know how to knit, bake bread, sew a button, a ride someplace, sew a hem, sew from a pattern, alter a pattern, etc… The list was long. With some thought it could include most people’s skills or experiences. Adding up your points gave you the total you could use at the auction. It was a fun way to offer and receive service to our sisters.
Gift Exchange Game Idea
Number each gift as it arrives. Then, give the person who brought the gift a square of paper with the corresponding number. Have the person write down one little known fact about him/herself and then fold the paper and throw it in a bowl, hat, gift bag, whatever. (This is great for getting to each other even better.) When the gift exchange starts, have the host draw a piece of paper and read the little known fact (do not mention the package number). The person to guess who is it first is given the package with the corresponding number. Once someone guesses correctly they are out of the game. The game continues till there is one gift left, which is of course for the host.
This game is fun OK tell your guests to bring a present, and everyone gets in a circle. Put all of the presents in the middle. Then, get a hat and put all of your names in it. Someone picks a name, and that name gets to choose a present, put they have to be wrapped! Then, pick another name, and that person can either take a present from the middle, or someone else’s present! Keep doing this until all presents are gone. You need about 10-15 players for this game, but it’s worth it!! At the end, everyone opens their presents, and they get to keep them!
Standard Holiday Gift Grab Game Decisions / Variations to change it up a bit. Select Budget for gift: Up to $5, $10, $20, etc… When to unwrap? Unwrap after gift selected from the pile or unwrap once everyone has a gift. Number of gift grabs per turn? Limit to 2, 3 or more Gift stealing – 3 times and it can no longer be taken or unlimited stealing |
