Holiday Gift & Recipe Exchange

Most people have heard and/or attended a "White Elephant" or "Dirty Santa" gift exchange. I was recently invited to a NEW gift exchange called the FAVORITE THINGS holiday party. This idea was totally genius. This party is great for friends, families, co-workers, etc. When it comes to the holidays we often feel the crunch of our budgets by wanting to buy for so many individuals. This party is a fun way to celebrate the holiday season but on a budget.

The invitation stated to bring two, wrapped presents ranging from $15-20 a piece. The presents had to be a favorite item that you already use or a favorite gift you have received in the past. The gift was not allowed to be makeup or skincare. (I actually liked this rule because those products are a personal preference and others may have sensitive skin). Some gift categories that were suggested included anything from cooking gadgets, accessories, books, decor, drinks, cleaning supplies, etc.

The invitation also stated to bring a new appetizer to share at the party. The host asked to email the appetizer recipe to her, a week prior to the party. This was an excellent idea. With a group of friends or family members that you see frequently, we often always bring the same dishes to parties. This made me branch out and try something new.

The party started with everyone taste testing the new appetizers. Then, we voted for the best app and that person won a prize! If you are looking for a holiday party app, check these recipes out. I apologize that I do not have the original source of the recipes since it was distributed at the party. My friend made printed recipe booklets for everyone to take home.

Next, we played the Favorite Things game. Each person drew a number out of a hat. Then, in numerical order, each individual chose two gifts and was told not to unwrap them. When each of us had two presents, we used a die to start the game. Here are the rules that the host invented.

Such a cute game! It definitely took the perfect amount of time, not too fast and not too slow. However, if your party is larger than 9 people I would change one or two of the die number rules to make it go faster. The game ended once all the presents were unwrapped.

Pictured below are the presents (Yeti hot/cold mug, Smart Wifi plug, kitchen gadgets with soap & flavored olive oil, yoga mat with 2 free classes, 4 piece stemless champagne glasses with 2 mini bottles of Asti, peppermint hot cocoa with an Ohio necklace, leather earrings, Bath & Body hand soap, hand sanitizer, and car plug in). Most of us brought the same two presents, but you could definitely bring two different gifts. Next time, I will wrap my presents differently to add a spin on the game. This way once one present is unwrapped, the other guests do not know which other present is yours.