Christmas is the best time of the year, but holiday parties can take a lot of planning and preparation. You want your event to be memorable, but trying to prepare, clean, setup and plan the food and activities can wear you out before the fun has even started! This activity is easy to plan and a fast way to have fun at your next holiday party for your church group, women’s activity, classroom or workplace. Here are the steps you will need to take to organize a Christmas Ornament Exchange.
Steps to Organize a Christmas Ornament Exchange
When you announce your event or send out invitations, ask those attending to bring a wrapped ornament to exchange at the party. Set a price limit, such as $5 or $10, so they will know they don’t need to spend very much to participate.
Choose a time at the party, after your guests have all arrived, and have everyone gather in a room large enough to form a circle. Each guest will start out holding the ornament they brought to the party. I usually have a few extra wrapped ornaments on hand just in case someone forgot to bring one.
Once everyone is in position, a designated person reads aloud the “The Right Family Christmas Story.” (The link for this free printable can be found below.) As the hostess, I usually read the story, but a non-participating guest can also fill the position.
The group must listen carefully as the story is read. Each time the word, RIGHT is read, everyone passes their gift to the right. Each time the word, LEFT is read, everyone passes their gift to the left. It gets exciting as everyone is trying to keep up and there is usually a lot of laughter involved! (It is important for the person reading to emphasize the words LEFT and RIGHT when she reads it.) After it’s gone through one reading, its adds another level of excitement to read through it again!
The game usually lasts 5 to 10 minutes, and is really a blast! Try this at your next event. I bet it becomes a tradition you will look forward to every Christmas!