Birthdays have always been a big deal to me. My friends and family have always gone out of their way to make January 31st the most special day of the year! Instead of a having a traditional birthday party, I invited some of my friends over to enjoy some treats and champs, with one rule. You had to bring a gift you purchased from Goodwill for a “dirty santa” style gift exchange. White Elephant/Dirty Santa is a popular game around Christmas, but I wanted to incorporate it into my second favorite holiday, my BIRTHDAY!
If you’ve never played before, the rules are fairly simple. Contribute a wrapped Goodwill gift (no dollar limit) to a common pool. Draw numbers to determine the order each may pick their gift. Each person opens the gift individually, and the next person may open a new gift or steal from someone a previous gift.
How can you not love a Superbowl XXXIV Rams v. Titans mug?
Or a set of trust handcuffs?
Luckily these handcuffs came with the most popular gift of the afternoon, a set of leather-bound books. Probably not the most appealing to a normal person, but the struggle is real for us young lawyers trying to fill up our bookshelves. Who knew?!
Our gift exchange didn’t get too heated, but we had a great time! The gifts ranged from a bacon bowl to a wine chiller to a DIY stepping stone to a NWT Banana Republic blazer and many more in between. Some of the Goodwill finds really impressed me! I loved hearing everyone’s stories about their Goodwill trips and experiences. I also threw in a few Goodwill shopping tips for the less experienced Goodwill shoppers. All of my girlfriends will be finding Goodwill gold in no time!
There will definitely be another Goodwill gift exchange in my future!
Bolero: Gucci (YASSSS!) via Goodwill (Similar Splurge // Save); Turtleneck: Target via Goodwill (Similar Splurge // Save); Jeans: Levi’s via Goodwill (Similar Splurge // Save); Boots: Steve Madden (ON SALE!)
Catering: c/o Pollo Tropical; Cake: The Sweet Pastry Shop
Oh my gosh what a fun idea! and that CAKE!!
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We have played this game before just never called it by this name. Always a fun evening with tons of laughing and joking. The food looks delicious.
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It’s so much fun!
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It’s so much fun!! It can get pretty heated!
Love Goodwill and second hand shops. What a great idea for a party.
Hapoy birthday to you. Looks like you really enjoyed yourself. What a beautiful, humanitarian thing to do.
What an awesome idea for a birthday party! I love all the pictures, and the gifts sounded awesome. I want to do this for my next party.