Holidays
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Ideas for extended family gift exchange
Hi,
I am trying to get some ideas for a gift exchange for our extended family. We normally have about 40 +/- people at my parents house for a party on christmas eve. We have done various forms of a gift exchange such as drawing names in advance and buying for one person and in the past 5 years we have drawn numbers and then everyone got to pick gifts based on thier number, stealing gifts etc. It seems like things are getting a little dull and we would like to come up with something new, but I'm at a loss for ideas. Anything you have tried that is fun?
TIA!!
Re: Ideas for extended family gift exchange
I like the cookie swap idea. We do it at work. We all bring in a cute cookie plate from the dollar store or something & everyone bakes cookies or bars. We all get together & have hot chocolate & egg nog while we swap. It's fun & definately good for a large crowd.
Or, what about an ornament exchange? Everyone bring an ornament-homemade or store bought-hang them on the tree & everyone pics an ornament off the tree. You could do that in addition to the cookie swap. It's simple & inexpensive. Everyone could look for really unique ornaments.
Good luck!
We have a similar situation and have done both of what you mentioned - this year we picked names and everyone has been emailing suggestions for whoever may have them. A lot of suggestions are GC's so it will be boring this year for us too - boo!
One year in the past we did the #'s and stealing but the gift theme was christmas ornaments. I liked it b/c we left with a new ornament and there was some fun with some goofy ornaments and the stealing/swapping.
I have also been to parties where people bring something from their house and you do the #'s and swapping. You might end up with a great regift (there was an unused crockpot still in the box) or something horrible (there was a hideous sculpture) I think it made the night very interesting and fun.
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We also do variations each year. Last year was fun: all the women buy a general gift for a woman, and men buy a gift for a man. We put them in their designated piles in the middle of the room. Then, we played a christmas game where the moderator would sing a line from a xmas song & the crowd would shout out the name of the song. Or a line from a xmas movie, or a xmas clue about a reindeer, etc. Then if a man was the 1st to shout out, he got to pick any gift from the male pile. When the next male won, he could choose to steal or pick a new gift. At the very end we opened our gifts & found out who purchased it for us.
It was fun, different, interactive, and we all had a good time together.
Good idea examples: male- car wash supplies basket, ladies - soft throw, DVD, gourmet popcorn. Of course we had g.c. and some of the gifts were wrapped in big boxes to throw you off so you'd want to steal it.
That sounds fun!!!!
My mom's side of the family is very large so we play Christmas Bingo. Each person brings 5 small gifts (around $5 each). When you get a bingo you go up and pick a gift from the pile. Its pretty fun and the kids all love it. I have gotten some really fun unique gifts too!
Awesome ideas ladies!!!
I will definitely be running some of these by my mom to see what she thinks.