Next week, December 14 is our Christmas and Holiday meeting. We will be having a special meal catered by Paradise Key. Here is a reminder of the rules.
Thieving Elves Gift Exchange Rules
Here are the basic rules:
1. Each player brings one wrapped gift to contribute to a common pool
We have a $20 limit this year.
2. Players draw numbers to determine what order they will go in
3. Players sit where they can see the gift pile or the gift pile is placed so everyone can see.
4. The first player selects a gift from the pool and opens it
Make sure everyone can see the gift!
5. The following players can choose to either pick an unwrapped gift from the pool or steal a previous player’s gift. Anyone who gets their gift stolen in this way can do the same – choose a new gift or steal from someone else.
To keep things moving along, there are a couple of limits on gift swapping:
- A present can only be stolen once per turn, which means players who have a gift stolen from them have to wait to get it back.
- After three swaps, the turn automatically comes to an end (otherwise things could drag on for a long time).
- Three Swaps and the Gift is Out. If a present gets stolen three times, it’s out of the game and the person who holds it gets to walk away with it.
6. After all players have had a turn, the first player gets a chance to swap the gift he or she is holding for any other opened gift. Anyone whose gift is stolen may steal from someone else (as long as that person hasn’t been stolen from yet). When someone declines to steal a gift, the game comes to an end.
Note that for this last “extra” turn, the three-swap rule doesn’t apply. Players can keep swapping until someone decides to stand pat, or there are no other eligible people to steal from.