For some reason, most of my family members have birthdays over the same two-month period. Some even share the exact same birthday! So, for over a decade, we celebrated all birthdays together as a family. But in recent years, we moved to Texas, my brother moved to Nebraska, and family is here, there and everywhere. Plus, we’ve experienced some trying times and realized that what matters is to remain connected and celebrate even if we can’t physically be together.
The great thing about gift exchanges is that the element of surprise is always exciting, especially when your favorite people are involved. If you’re frustrated with situations like the Coronavirus and how to stay positive and connected while at home, it’s important to keep in mind what matters most. That’s having a happy and positive connection with those you love. So, here are some ideas to help you create incredible memories with an online gift exchange.
Connecting During the Coronavirus: How to Stay Positive
There are many online activities and ideas you can do to inspire positivity and connection even when you can’t leave home. Here are a few:
Virtual Lunch/Brunch
- Format: Real-time lunch or brunch with a gift exchange.
- Participants: Works for all ages and is a great way for your child to reconnect with classmates and teachers for a birthday or recognition event, or for you to reconnect with lifelong friends, sorority sisters, neighbors, or family members.
- Required Tools: Secret Santa generator and video conferencing.
- Description: Host a virtual lunch or brunch with friends during a video conference. It could be for a special occasion like a reunion or birthday or it could be just to lift spirits.
- RSVP. Ask each person who RSVPs to participate in a gift exchange and share an online shopping guide. Encourage each participant to bring their own lunch/brunch to the gathering.
- Include the kids. Ask Moms and Dads to provide sack lunches and be sure to use free printable coloring pages or set up an art or Lego project to keep kids entertained after lunch.
- Consider a dining theme, such as “around the world,” while dressing in appropriate attire.
- Alternative: Base the theme on sheltering in place and ask everyone to share their favorite pantry food snack and/or what recipes they’ve been cooking lately.
- Sharing Gifts. Each person will share what gift they received from the online gift exchange and who they believe gave their gift.
“One Thing You Don’t Know About Me”
- Format: Real-time, gift exchange with activity.
- Participants: All ages.
- Consider a remote office party to encourage staff working from home.
- Required Tools: Online gift guides, video conferencing, and an anonymous message service.
- Description: Invite participants to join you in a Secret Santa gift exchange combined with a fun activity via video conference. Participants can browse gift ideas and create a wish list.
- Prepare for the activity. Ask everyone to email you anonymously with the answer to a mystery question. With the right gift exchange platform, you can easily send anonymous messages, making it easy to communicate without giving away any surprises! Meanwhile, prepare for the gift exchange by using the Secret Santa generator to automatically pair participants with one another.. Here’s the question to ask everyone to answer and send to you:
- Question: What’s one thing you don’t know about me? Think of one thing that those attending will never guess about you. It could be that you won a spelling bee in elementary school by spelling the word “Brouhaha.” It could be funny or serious. Whatever it is, keep it positive and be ready for the host to read everyone’s answers and for participants to guess who shared what!
- Suggestion: Consider optional questions such as, “What did I want to be when I was a child?” Or, for kids: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Regardless, ask everyone to submit their answers to you as the host by the final RSVP date.
VIP Live Party and Gift Exchange
- Format: Video conferencing with gift exchange.
- Participants: All ages.
- Required Tools: Wish list generator and video conferencing.
- Description: Host a gift exchange for someone who’s lost the opportunity to connect for a special event such as a graduation, retirement, wedding, church reception, baby’s birth, adoption, or baby reveal.
Gifts for honored guest(s) or one another. Ask every participant to buy a gift for the exchange either for one another or for the VIP and to come prepared with a favorite memory, quote, or thought to share with the VIP.
- Alternative: Make it a surprise party with a personalized theme. Maybe it’s an 80s theme or even a Roaring 20s theme.
- Suggestion: Include a link or plan for connecting via video/chat in your invitation. Feature the VIP’s favorite songs as participants share memories and tributes.
When you need ways to connect during the Coronavirus, there’s a simple approach to start a wish list for any event by registering with an online gift exchange generator.
The Best Way to Manage a Remote Gift Exchange
In times of uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to remember how to stay positive and connect with those we love. When managing a gift exchange with the right Secret Santa generator, you’ll be able to set up your party details, invite participants, manage RSVPs, pair off Secret Santas, create wish lists, and send reminders—all completely remotely.
Choosing positivity and an easy-to-use, free Secret Santa generator will not only simplify your gift exchange but also incorporate a whole new way to create memories for you, your family, friends, classmates, and co-workers—one that you can repeat for generations to come. Let every next party be your best party!
If you’re having a gift exchange and you want to connect and stay positive during COVID-19, we can help simplify the process. Elfster makes it easy to pair people up, shop for gifts, and start a Wish List. Plus, you can access it all from an iPhone app or Android app.
