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Does anyone here ever play "Yankee Swap" or "Dirty Bingo" (as DH's family calls it)? It's a Christmas tradition in their family, and lots of fun!
Ok, I'm fuzzy on the rules; hey, I've only done this 3 times, and only once a year!
Basically, you have small, wrapped cheap gifts, about 4-5 per person, and 2 decks of cards. Pile the gifts on the table; deal cards to everyone (but the dealer) from deck #1; the dealer uses their deck to call out a card. Whoever has the card gets to choose a gift, but doesn't open it (they don't get opened until the end of the game). Repeat, and each new person who has the called card gets to "steal" someone else's gift. Last card standing gets any unclaimed gifts. The fun part is the fact that everyone battles over some stupid little gift--usually, the biggest gift and/or fanciest wrapping (which may end up being a small, useless trifle). The person donating the gifts should remember this, and make some surprises! MIL, who usually is the donor, always takes a weird package, say a tiny, battered stuffed toy, opens a slit, and inserts money, and sews it up, and wraps it. Players often toss their "useless"' gift aside in disgust, and she has to ask them if they really want to do that. They usually get the hint, and investigate the gift further! The bigger boxes tend to have some tiny thingy, wrapped in nested boxes.
A nice thing about the game is the fact that you can use up ugly wrapping paper, crumpled bows, etc., and it actually adds to the spirit of the game--the more the gifts look as if they were wrapped by a kindergartner, the better! You also can use up old boxes. We often use, for example, mini-Christmas stockings past their prime, and tuck gifts in those. The gifts themselves can be cast-offs (just make sure the giver is not part of the game!), or yard sale finds. Another good way to "recycle". For example, I have here a brand-new-looking copy of a book, that the Friends of the Library trashed (it must have been donated). I saw it laying on top of the trash barrel (by trash, I mean the barrel is used only for discarded books, not stinky garbage!). It's going into the "swap". (It's "Catnip for the soul", BTW) I've been the "swap" donor the past 2 years, and this year, bought useful, but utterly boring, gifts--pepperoni sausage, trial sizes of hand sanitizer, toothpaste, etc., tissues, "butt wipes" (sorry, can't remember what they are really called!). I've finally managed to use up a partially damaged roll of wrapping paper.
Ok, I'm fuzzy on the rules; hey, I've only done this 3 times, and only once a year!
A nice thing about the game is the fact that you can use up ugly wrapping paper, crumpled bows, etc., and it actually adds to the spirit of the game--the more the gifts look as if they were wrapped by a kindergartner, the better! You also can use up old boxes. We often use, for example, mini-Christmas stockings past their prime, and tuck gifts in those. The gifts themselves can be cast-offs (just make sure the giver is not part of the game!), or yard sale finds. Another good way to "recycle". For example, I have here a brand-new-looking copy of a book, that the Friends of the Library trashed (it must have been donated). I saw it laying on top of the trash barrel (by trash, I mean the barrel is used only for discarded books, not stinky garbage!). It's going into the "swap". (It's "Catnip for the soul", BTW) I've been the "swap" donor the past 2 years, and this year, bought useful, but utterly boring, gifts--pepperoni sausage, trial sizes of hand sanitizer, toothpaste, etc., tissues, "butt wipes" (sorry, can't remember what they are really called!). I've finally managed to use up a partially damaged roll of wrapping paper.
