Let the games begin

You wrap the presents, give them to each other, unwrap the presents and then part ways. What is this, I Love Lucy? It is 2012, and you expect a certain oomph from your gift-giving and receiving experience. Here are five ways you can add more spice to your December than Paula Deen adds butter to her holiday mashed potatoes.

White elephant/Yankee swap

Ever thought the one thing missing from Christmas was the constant fear of theft? If so, then these games are definitely for you!

How it works: Everyone brings a wrapped gift and puts them together in a pile. Yankee swaps are traditionally for new items, while white elephant involves items you have around the house. Everyone draws numbers. Person No. 1 picks a gift from the pile, and then person No. 2 has the ability to either pick a new gift or steal from person No. 1. If your gift is stolen, you can choose again. The game ends when everyone has a gift.

Fun twist: Require all the gifts start with the same letter. For example, in an “R” year, a rectal thermometer could make a perfect gift (preferably in a Yankee swap, as an old white elephant thermometer might not be welcome).

Gag gift

Why not pass that horrific Bill Cosby-like sweater from Aunt Louise around your friend group and make it a gag gift?

How it works: One year, you give the gag gift to Jane, who will keep it until next year, when she gives it to Monica because she deserves it, and so on. Who doesn’t love scheming and getting terrible gifts during the holidays?

Fun twist: Extend the gift-giving to a year-round terror spree of hiding the pernicious present. Friends in my neighborhood once passed around a ghastly wooden Halloween cat for three years, forcing it into homes, cars and parties where it was most unwelcome.

Cookie swap

A cozy tradition in which actual presents are passed over for the opportunity to stuff your mouth full of sweets.

How it works: Have each person bring a plate of a dozen or so cookies; put all the names of the bakers in a hat and then pick and swap to your heart’s content. Make off-the-wall cookies for a more interesting selection while still ensuring they taste good. Nobody wants to be the bad cookie guy or gal. Nobody.

Fun twist: In lieu of cookies, swap beers or liquors — fewer sweets, but it still somehow ends up being a good time.

Cobweb party

The folks in the Victorian era did a lot of crazy stuff, but this might take the cake. A warning: Don’t do this party game unless you have a lot of room and yarn to work with.

How it works: First, designate a room for the party itself, then assign each player a different yarn color. Each player ties their spool of yarn to a gift, and then everyone runs around, weaving the yarn through rooms, under sofas and dogs and over banisters and your geology textbooks. Then, tell whichever predetermined person your gift was for which color “cobweb” they have to follow to receive their present.

Fun twist: Don’t do this and just have a secret Santa. Much less tripping.

Secret Santa

The thing you will do instead of the ever-dangerous cobweb party.

How it works: You’ve probably done one before. Everyone gets a person in the group, buys gifts for them under a certain dollar limit and then leaves clues for them throughout a certain period of time as to who the gift giver is. In a final party, everyone gives one another gifts and they all have a big laugh. Yay, holiday times.

Fun twist: Make your hints represent someone else in the group to mess with your gift getter. It will be worth it when you see their annoyed face over your cobbled-together present.

There you have it. May all your gift-giving games be merry and bright and stuff.

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