Wishlist
Is There a Wish List Maker Online for Free?
You know that feeling when you send an email and are gripped with the desire to take it back? I don’t mean when you accidentally hit “reply all” or when you realize you’ve attached the [read more]
Articles by Brian B
Holidays
5 Easter Party Games that will Make Everyone Hoppy
When I was a kid, we used to play in the cornfields behind my aunt’s house every Easter. Then, when I was 10, the cornfields were turned into a subdivision, complete with a big park. [read more]
Gift Exchanges
The Top 5 Secret Santa Variations
I talk about the holidays a lot. It’s a magical time of year, as we all know. It’s not about the gifts (really!) and it’s not even about the parties per se. The holidays are [read more]
Holidays
The 7 Best Eid Gift Ideas for Friends
Ramadan can perhaps be understood as a gift you give to yourself. Through your faith, you are given the gift of quietude, of contemplation, or thoughtfulness. You give yourself the gift of thinking about others [read more]
Gift Exchanges
Can I Draw Names Out of a Hat Online for Secret Santa?
One Thanksgiving, when I was just a kid—so a very, very long time ago—we were drawing names out of a hat for our Christmas gift exchange. My uncle, with great fanfare, reached in… and immediately [read more]
Holidays
5 Fun Games to Play on Eid
Chances are, when you think about Eid, you think about sweets. After all, after a month of fasting for Ramadan, the candies and breads and sticky gooey things of Eid are extremely satisfying. Across the [read more]
Holidays
How to Make an Easter Wish List the Easy Way
I have a confession about Spring: I don’t actually know what a crocus is. I know that people start to feel the warmth of Spring when the crocuses bloom from the ground, but I couldn’t [read more]
Gift Exchanges
Top Secret Santa Ideas for College Students
When I went to college—and yes, I can remember that far back, albeit dimly—it was both exciting and terrifying. I was exhilarated: I was going to get to meet new people! I was terrified: I [read more]
Gift Exchanges
Secret Santa for Eid: Tips for Celebrating with a Gift Exchange
There are few religious observations in the world with the solemnity and consecrating power of Ramadan, with its month of fasting, observance, and dedication. Consequently, there are few celebrations with as much joy and happiness [read more]
Holidays
How to Host an Eggcellent Easter Gift Exchange
When I was a kid, I had some questions about the Easter Bunny. Now, Santa—I got that guy. Big dude, cool sleigh, lots of presents. But why was the Easter Bunny hiding eggs? Why did [read more]
Gift Exchanges
15 Secret Santa Options to Add Variety to the Game
If there’s one thing I love, it’s variety. If there’s another thing I love, it’s giving and receiving gifts. Oh, and I also love my friends and family and music and parties. Turns out I [read more]
Holidays
Host the Perfect Galentine’s Day Gift Exchange to Celebrate Sisterhood
My wife and I were discussing whether she and her friends were going to do something this year for Galentine’s Day on February 13th, and we started talking about what they’d done in the past. [read more]
Gift Exchanges
How to Figure out What to Buy for a Gift Exchange
I love giving people presents. When you pick the right present, it isn’t about buying. It isn’t about the person getting a “thing.” It’s about them being seen. Picking the right gift is a signal [read more]
Gift Exchanges
How to Host Secret Santa on a Budget
I’m friends with a lot of artists and musicians. This isn’t due to any musical or artistic talent on my behalf—I can’t carry a tune to save my life and my drawings look like someone [read more]
Gift Exchanges
Top 7 Gift Exchange Themes for Friends
Last weekend, we had some friends over. One of them was my oldest friend. We’ve been hanging out since we were wee lads, so for more than 30 years. We practically have our own language. [read more]
Gift Exchanges
Tips for Being the Secret Santa for Someone You Don’t Know
My wife and I first started dating in early July. But by Christmas we were already at the “let’s see each other’s family!” stage of things (cue: awwww). When she joined my family’s Secret Santa [read more]
Gift Exchanges
The Best Ways to Draw Names Randomly for a Gift Exchange
My cousin, Laura, is probably one of the world’s worst Secret Santa players. She gets amazing gifts and is one of the warmest and funniest people I know. But every year, when we’d draw names [read more]
Gift Exchanges
How to Host a Secret Santa for Remote Employees
I got my first job out of college in 2001. At our first Christmas party, we had a few people who worked in an office outpost at another city call in via speakerphone for a [read more]
Gift Exchanges
What Christmas Games are Similar to White Elephant?
There’s a famous old holiday saying which goes, “Gift exchange games are like sandwiches: everyone has their own name for them and by golly, I love them all no matter what.” Okay, that might not [read more]
Gift Exchanges
3 New Year’s Eve Gift Exchange Games to Start the Year Off Right
Saying the holidays are hectic is like saying water is wet. Everyone knows that. There’s so much hustle and bustle packed into a few short weeks. There are office parties and family parties and visits [read more]
Wishlist
The Benefits of a Christmas Wish List Maker with Pictures
One of the most frequent holiday-time conversations I have with my wife is when we’re out shopping and I see something I like. She tells me, wisely, not to buy it because what if I [read more]
Parties
5 Festive Christmas Party Games for Small Groups
Normally, we throw a big Christmas party every year. But the holidays can be hectic, and sometimes we just want something a little more intimate. So last year, we decided to just have a handful [read more]
Gift Exchanges
How to Use a Draw Names Out of a Hat Generator
It used to be that every Thanksgiving, during the post-feast repose, we’d draw names for Secret Santa. People would write down their names and three gifts they wanted. We’d toss it all into a hat [read more]
Christmas
What are the Best Christmas Party Games for High School Students?
Being a teenager means living in a strange middle ground between childhood and adulthood. That manifests in a lot of ways, but it’s especially acute around Christmas. You’re a little too old for the childhood [read more]