Post your party games here...

[Sara]

Liz, who posted the raffle idea...

After people have been awarded ther appropriate number of raffle tickets based on the rules, how does the raffle take place and typically how many prizes do you raffle for. Sounds like a lot of fun, but I could use more instruction

I've hosted about 5 cookie exchanges alongside a girlfriend of mine. We typically have 20-25 people and have a blast with the games. This sounds like it might be a winner for 2005!

Thanks,

Sara

[cindym]

does anyone know if you bring a wrapped or unwrapped ornament when you play the left, right ,left game?l

[NicksMommy]

I wrapped mine-had enough for every person attending to get one(specials I found throughout the year like ornaments that had been discontinued and such)and they passed them around during the game left or right-whatever they ended up with was what they got to keep. This way everyone got something!Cindy

[Cathie]

Hi:

For my last 2 exchanges we played a trivia game, but now it is time for a change. I am wondering has anyone ever played the right/left game with just one gift? I was planning on doing a basket with small santa teapot,Gingerbread teabags, and some type of nibble. Then having that go right and left .

Thanks in advance

[Bonnie]

I've done that and it has worked out fine. One year I had a small gift and Christmas Crackers (love these). I found the Christmas Crackers on sale at Wm. Sonoma after the holiday. My theme that year was the Christmas Cracker. Anyway, I gave one person the basket and the others the crackers. Yes only one person won the gift but everyone had fun popping open their Christmas Cracker.

[Paula]

I'm co-hosting my first cookie exchange party this year and have a good idea for a game that I plan on playing. Every one gets a few Christmas stickers and wears them on their shirt, and instead of calling your friends by their name, you call them by the name of the cookie they brought, if they goof and do call you by name, you get one of their stickers, whoever has the most stickers at the end of the night wins! Sort of like the clothes pin/leg crossing game we used to play at baby showers.

[Shawna Gasak]

This was a quick game: I have a very unique "Elvis" holiday ornament that I put on my tree. Last year, I offered a prize for the first person to locate it. It was great to see everyone run over to the tree and it was over in less than a minute! This year, I'm choosing a different (but still unique) ornament.

[Cindi M]

Do you know of a way to do an ornament exchange? I saw it on a site but can't find it again. It was to wrap a box and use ribbon and numbers to do the exchange. Any ideas?

Cindi

[Jodi K]

A few years back, I printed out a gift exchange game. I can't find it now. It went like "pass the gift to one with eyes of blue, then someone wearing pink and then to your right and so on. It was a cute little story and would like to use it again on Dec 11th. Any help would be appreciated.

[Old Savannah Sue]

I made this one up and it went very well. It was a good icebreaker. I called it "Mystery Recipe". Each person got strips of paper tied together (red and green ribbon) with a single ingredient and amount (ie. 3 cups of flour, 2 large eggs, etc) listed on each paper. We had 13 ingredients and 13 guests. That's 13 strips of paper for each guest. Everyone then introduced themselves to each other and exchanged ingredients. "Hi, I'm Carol and I'm Sour Cream. Hi, I'm Betty and I have Vanilla extract." When you are done, everyone has one strip of paper for each ingredient. Then, they tried to guess what the recipe was for. I did have to encourage some guessing - but after they narrowed it down to cookies, iced, chocolate or vanilla, someone got it! The recipe that I used was "New York Black and Whites." I think that it was a good recipe to use; some of the first guesses were cakes and bundt cakes before they narrowed it down to cookies. Thanks for your website. Yesterday was my very first cookie exchange. We had a really nice time.

[Old Savannah Sue]

I made this one up and it went very well. It was a good icebreaker. I called it "Mystery Recipe". Each person got strips of paper tied together (red and green ribbon) with a single ingredient and amount (ie. 3 cups of flour, 2 large eggs, etc) listed on each paper. We had 13 ingredients and 13 guests. That's 13 strips of paper for each guest. Everyone then introduced themselves to each other and exchanged ingredients. "Hi, I'm Carol and I'm Sour Cream. Hi, I'm Betty and I have Vanilla extract." When you are done, everyone has one strip of paper for each ingredient. Then, they tried to guess what the recipe was for. I did have to encourage some guessing - but after they narrowed it down to cookies, iced, chocolate or vanilla, someone got it! The recipe that I used was "New York Black and Whites." I think that it was a good recipe to use; some of the first guesses were cakes and bundt cakes before they narrowed it down to cookies. Thanks for your website. Yesterday was my very first cookie exchange. We had a really nice time.

[mb partlow]

We have a game we play at our annual exchange that everyone loves.

#1: Take a small gift (gift card, ornament) and wrap it, sealing well with tape. Then keep wrapping it several more times. But it in a box and wrap that. One layer can be sealed with packing tape, string tape, duct tape, and you can use old wall paper or (particularly tough) wax paper. Be sure you wrap it a least a dozen times. Then at the party, gather your guests in a circle and get out a die and a pie pan. Take turns rolling the die: whoever gets a six gets to put on a santa hat and gloves and try to open the present. Meanwhile, the dice keep moving around the cirlce, and the next person to get a six grabs the hat and gloves from the first person. The winner is the person who finally gets to the gift in the center. We have been told people won't attend UNLESS we have this game!

[shan]

Although I have never done a cookie exchange, first one coming up in Nov. I have hosted quite a few ladies night out parties and have a couple of suggestions for games that can be used.

1. Split the group into teams. Using old Christmas cards, or new ones, show one at a time and the first one to come up with a Christmas carol or song gets a point. The team at the end with the most points gets a prize. No song can be used twice. You would be amazed at what these gals can come up with.

2. We have all played the purse game where we have a list and try to see whom has the most on the list. Add some Christmas items: stamped ready to mail Christmas card, Christmas stamp, christmas flyer...you get the idea.

3. Fill a stocking with some Christmas items: orange, tape, ribbon, etc. Have the lady put on a glove first ie rubber glove from dishwashing...pass the stocking around and try to have the gals, in teams, guess the items inside. I usually go with colors say 6-8 and the gals try to match with that. It's amazing some of the things you can come up with to really mess with their heads!!

Hope these ideas help.

[Nina]

Here are some fun party games:

The scarf game: Take a winter scarf and wrap it around your neck. Tell the others something the scarf can be used for. For example: "A scarf can be used for swiping out dust bunnies from under the bed". Continue passing the scarf until everyone has participated. After awhile you begin to get some really unique and funny responses (along with demonstrations with the scarf)!

The card toss: Set out a laundry basket and grab 3 Christmas cards. Set up a line (you can use your scarf!), real or imaginary, that each person will stand behind to play the game. One at a time, each person comes up to the line and has three chances to toss a card into the basket. This is harder than it sounds! A variety of card sizes and weights makes it more challenging, also. If you have a lot of people playing you can use 2 baskets and 6 cards, to allow two to play at the same time. If you want you can have playoffs with those who did the best and tied, until you have only 1 winner and award a prize.

12 Days of Christmas ice-breaker: Print out several copies of the song "12 days of Christmas". Mark them consecutively with the numbers 1-12 (the first one is marked #1, the second #2... when you get to the 13th one you start again with #1, etc.) At your party, pass out one to each person. Everyone with one numbered 1 must stand and sing the 1st line of the song, now and each time it comes up again. (For example: "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree"). When they are finished singing they should sit down. Then, everyone with papers marked #2 has to stand and sing the 2nd line now and each time it comes up. (For example: "On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, two turtle doves"). When they are finished they sit down and those with #1 must stand and sing their line again ("and a partridge in a pear tree"). Then they sit down and those with #3 stand up and sing, etc. This probably sounds confusing but if you can make out what I'm trying to explain it is a lot of fun. A lot of getting up and down and some very funny singing. This is a great way to get everyone laughing.


Merry Christmas to one and all!

[Tiffany Johnson]

I gave everyone 5 minutes. I told them to right down all the ingredints to the basic chocolate cookie. I bought Nestle chocolate chips and used the recipe as the ingredeint reference. Who ever get the most ingredients won. If you wanted to make it more challenging you have them right down the measurments. This is when you sperate the real bakers from the rest. I found out that someone i would never think would know all the ingredients actually won. The women really enjoyed the game.

I also took the chocolate chips from the bag and put them in the jar and had them guess how many there were.

Tiffany

[cindy n]

last year we played this game: Everyone sat at the table. We read outloud the book, "Twas the Night Before Christmas". Every time the reader said the word "the", they passed the book to the person next to them, and then you continue to read and pass the book everytime the work "the" is read. The winner is the person who is holding the book when the story is finished. Another good book to read for this game is "The Grinch that Stole Christmas".

[jarsoflove]

I would like the story for the right left game. My first cookie exchange is Dec 19th, I am excited.

[ruthy]

I am hosting a cookie exchange this year and I will do a game or two but I am going to have the ladies decorate their own paper mache boxes to take home their cookies in. It is a good way to get the creative juices going

[NicksMommy]

Here are 2 different versions of the left/right game story: Christmas Left/Right Game


Christmas was almost here, and Mother RIGHT was finishing the Christmas baking.

Father RIGHT, Sue RIGHT, and Billy RIGHT returned from their last-minute Christmas errands.

"There's not much LEFT to be done," said Father RIGHT as he came into the kitchen.

"Did you leave the basket of food at church?" asked Mother RIGHT.

"I LEFT it RIGHT where you told me to," said Father RIGHT.

"I'm glad my shopping is done," said Billy RIGHT. "I don't have any money LEFT."

The hall telephone rang, and Susan RIGHT LEFT to answer it.

She rushed back and told the family "Aunt Tillie RIGHT LEFT a package for us RIGHT on Grandma RIGHT 's porch.

I'll go over there RIGHT now and get it." she said as she LEFT in a rush.

Father RIGHT LEFT the kitchen and brought in the Christmas tree.

By the time Susan RIGHT returned, Mother RIGHT, Father RIGHT, and Billy RIGHT had begun trimming the tree.

The entire RIGHT family sang carols as they finished the decorating.

Then they LEFT all the presents arranged under the tree and went to bed, hoping they had selected the RIGHT gifts for their family.

Now I hope you have the RIGHT present for yourself, because that's all that's LEFT of our story.....

Except to which you a Merry Christmas....Isn't that RIGHT?


The candlelight twinkled from LEFT to RIGHT.
Company was coming and I had much LEFT to do,
So I scurried about, as my husband helped too!
Now RIGHT as I thought I had LEFT nothing undone,
I realized I had forgotten to buy Coke for the Rum.
So I LEFT RIGHT that minute, I dashed to the car
Opened the RIGHT door, which was already ajar.
It started RIGHT up, and I turned RIGHT out the drive,
Settling down, I let out a big sigh.
Was there enough time LEFT to get it all done?
Was this the RIGHT way to get Coke for the Rum?
As I turned the car RIGHT to go the RIGHT way,
I sighed with relief - the store was open today!
I LEFT the car running, as I dashed RIGHT in the store,
RIGHT and LEFT I walked the floor.
I got the Coke and LEFT RIGHT away,
Got in the car and was on my way.
Not much LEFT now to worry about.
Just go to the RIGHT then turn RIGHT to my house.
My mouth fell RIGHT open as I pulled up the drive.
Oh my goodness, the guests had arrived!
I LEFT the car and dashed RIGHT to my room.
Threw on my party dress and LEFT with a zoom.
Went RIGHT to the kitchen to set out the Coke
Checked on the munchies I was serving the folks.
Well all turned out fine and the food was just RIGHT,
Nothing was LEFT over, not even a bite.
So RIGHT now I have just one thing LEFT to cheer,
Have a Very Merry Christmas and a RIGHT nice New Year!

I used one last year and one the year before. Hope this helps.

[Kelly]

HI!

My Mother and I are preparing to give our 8th cookie exchange this year and I have enjoyed reading other people's ideas for games. They are great! I thought I would share some of the games that we have done in the past:

Memory Game:

Have a large tray (Mom uses a Christmas tray) and fill it with little trinkets (that mostly have to do with Christmas, but you can use other things...pair of glasses, cookie cutters, ornaments, odd and ends). Let the guests look at the tray for about 4-5 minutes and then take the tray away. They need to write down as many things that they can remember from the tray. The most correct things wins.

"I never" game:

Each person gets a little paper drinking cup filled with the same number of tokens (I have used little red hots, or buttons). Go around the room and each person needs and share something that they have 'never' done. For example, one might say - I have never baked a turkey...anyone that HAS done what that person has not done, puts a token in that person's cup. Once going around the room 2 times like that, the person with the most tokens wins. Hint: you might want to make rules - like keep it clean! Some people can get crazy with the things that they have never done.

We also have done a game similar to the candy cane game...but we used clothes pins. Each person received a clothes pin when they arrived.

I hope everyone has a great cookie party! They are great fun!

Kelly