This year I decided I wanted to have a Gift Exchange party.It isn't my birthday party it's just a party arounf the Holidays. Since some of my friends are Jewish I decided to call it the Holiday Gift Exchange instead of Christmas Gift Exchage. Here is how the party will go.INVITATIONS: The invitations are very easy AND they don't cost any money.What I did was I opened up a word document.I put four pictures side by side so it created a square, and then on in front of that I put a text box. Which included all of the party information and It reminded them to bring a wrapped gift. This gift had to be something that everyone will like because the gift can go to anyone.DECORATIONS: Decorations are simple because it is around christmas. All you have to do is set up your lights, christmas tree, and other christmas decorations you would normally set up. Also you will need to cover a table with a table cloth because you will be doing crafts that can be a little messy. You can basically do any type of decorations you like. It is up to you. ACTIVITIES: You can buy cupcakes from the grocery store frosted (with white frosting) or un fosted (and you can frost them yourself with white frosting). Then you take the cupcakes and sprinkle shredded coconut ontop. The coconut is ther to look like snow. Then you can make a snowman out of marshmallows. To make these you stack 3 marshamllow (any size)on top of eachother then put pretzels in the sides of the middle marshmallow, to look like arms. You can use any types of candy to make a scarve, hat, nose, mouth, ext. (the scarve is easiest to make out of rip-able twizzlers). When you finish making snowmen you put them on top of the cupcake. Another activity is decorating santa hats. You can write your name with puffy paint, add glitter, jewels, stickers. Or anything you like to make them one of a kind. You can also make a gingerbread house, (they come in kits so they are very easy) or you can buy very small gingerbread house kits and put the kids into groups (whatever size groups you like). then the groups race against each other to see who can finish first. Also you can go the craft store and buy clear plastic ornaments ,that are not decorated, and that can open at the top. Open the top of the ornament, and squirt different colors of paint and glitter inside. then you put the top back on the ornament. when it is securely closed. you move, shake, rattle, roll, (whatever you want) the ornament. by doing this you are spreading the paint and glitter around. then you let it dry. this turns out to be a very nice looking ornament. (we have tried it before). GAMES: you will obviously be playing the gift exchange game .... . another game you can play is guess that christmas song . this is where you play the first few seconds of a song and have everyone write down what they thing it is, whoever gets the most right wins. also there is a gift wrap relay. where you give evryone a gift to wrap and you time them. whoever is fastest wins.you can also find more games on the site above. COSTUMES: this party can have many different costumes. you can tell people to dress up as different things they think represent the holidays. such as: rudolph (the red nose reindeer), santa clause, ms. clause, baby jesus, ext. PARTY SNACKS: depending on the time of your party you can have any type of food.we are having milk,egg nog,hot chocolate,water,cookies, marshmallows,cup cakes,candy canes, a cake (that looks like a christmas tree)pretzels, ext. this will be set up as a buffet that people can visit whenever they get hungry/thirsty. some of the best foods to eat are ones that represent the holidays or are shaped like christmas icons. FAVORS: the favors are the crafts that every1 makes. they take home whatever they win from games, and whatever they make. I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS PARTY, I KNOW WE WILL. AND THE BEST PART IS THAT IT CAN BE WHATEVER YOU WANT IT TO BE, AND ITS VEEEERY INEXPENSIVE :) BUT INCREBIBLY FUUUN!!!!!!!