Swap till ya drop

Looking for a green alternative to massive holiday gift giving that's also a load of fun? Give the Yankee swap a shot.

This is sometimes called a white-elephant swap, although that's more accurate when the gifts are goofy second-hand things people hope to get rid off.

That can be fun too, and it does embody the "reduce, reuse, recycle" principle. But it might not be the best thing to dive into if you're new to alternative gifting.

The Yankee swap my husband's family does each year emphasizes good, wanted gifts. In fact, it's crucial that the gifts are prized or the swap won't be so exciting!

Different websites have their own rules, but here's how we play it on Christmas Eve:

Each person brings a wrapped gift worth $25 that is suitable for any guest attending. We've seen things like gift cards to bookstores, boxes of fancy chocolates, fine photo frames, coffee-table books for exotic travel spots, bottles of wine, and small pieces of art.

Of course, you can emphasize fair-trade goods, recycled materials, and other green shopping ideas.

As people arrive, each one is given a slip of paper with a number from 1 to however many folks will be at the party. The numbers are distributed randomly.

The game begins with person #1 selecting a gift and opening it for all to see. Then person #2 can either take #1's gift or select and unwrap another gift. If #1's gift gets taken, that person gets to unwrap another gift. Then person #3 can take either #1's or #2's gift or a new gift.

And on it goes. You can't take a gift back from someone who took your gift, and a gift can only be exchanged three times total.

Some gifts are clearly more popular than others. People can make deals between themselves too. Seeing where gifts end up over the course of a night can be hilarious.

We usually do this with about a dozen people, but one year, we had around 30 extended family members, from teenagers and grandparents. It lasted at least two hours and was hugely entertaining!

Everyone leaves with a gift, but more important is the interaction and fun. Not only have you reduced your overall carbon footprint, you've created a great family memory.