Growing up, my parents and I mostly spent Christmas day traveling to spend time with my mom’s side of the family, which is pretty big. Instead of bringing gifts for every single family member, we collectively participate in a gift exchange. The Santa’s Hat Gift Exchange has a few various names, but the rules pretty much remain the same.
Everyone included brings one wrapped gift of similar value that is usually either really great or really funny and the gift is placed under the tree anonymously. All participants pick a number from a Santa hat and take turns choosing a gift in their designated order. It’s important to note that you are not allowed to pick up or touch a gift unless it is the one you are opening. In other words, you cannot test how heavy the present is during your decision making. The fun really begins when a player decides to “steal” an already opened gift from someone else instead of opening a new one. Each opened present is allowed two steals and the third person gets to go home with it. From experience, it seems that the best numbers to have are either the first or the last because those candidates have more gift options. Regardless of the outcome, everyone involved goes home with a gift and gets a good giggle out of the game.
However, my family coined an iconic gift about a decade ago that (due to its lack of cuteness) reappears every year, the pink pig planter. Family members have gotten a little more strategic with it now and do not wrap the pig itself because it’s too easy to spot. We would think, the bigger the gift, the more likely you are going home with the infamous pig. So now, most gifters take a picture of it and place it with another item that is actually a really good gift, to make up for the pig, of course.
Sasee wishes you all a wonderful holiday season surrounded by what’s most important – loved ones and treasured memories.
Cheers,
Merry Christmas, Sarah🎄🧑🏻🎄🎅🏻