Participating In Gift Exchange Can Be Challenging Fun

Through the course of a career most people will become part of an office gift exchange, want to or not, as well as a family gift exchange during holidays. While they can be a lot of fun, a lot depends on the name you draw and the limitations placed on how much you should spend on the gift.

Many times the type of gift you exchange is also dictated, such as serious or those considered to be gag gifts. The latter type of gift exchange can provide some hilarious, if not risqué moments and other rules may also apply which can turn the entire gift exchange process on its ear.

For example, one method of holding a gift exchange may not involve providing a gift for a specific person, just a set dollar amount. During the exchange, one person starts by drawing selecting a gift from the pile and opens it. They then draw a name from the "hat" and that person selects a gift from the table, or, they can choose to "steal" the gift the first person chose and the first person then opens another gift from the table.

Gift Stealing Can Provide Fun And Frustration

Each successive person, whose name is drawn then has the option of stealing a gift that has already been opened, or to select one from the gift table. The selection process continues until the last person has chosen to select a gift for the gift exchange from the table or steal one of the previously opened one. During this type of gift exchange, being the last name drawn is the greatest advantage. A lot of fun and disappointment can be had depending on the sense of humor of the participants.

Typically, a gift exchange will have you select a name from a hat and you buy a gift specifically for that person. It can be made fun by keeping the name of your recipient a secret, even after the gift has been opened. You can had to the humorous drama by having a contest at the end of the gift exchange to see who can guess who gave them their gift. You can even offer a prize for the one who is first to guess correctly.

Imagination can come into play if you place a severe spending limit on the cost of gifts for the gift exchange. The lower the amount, the more imagination it will take to find something interesting.