Hey guys!  Just wanted to give you a heads’ up on our upcoming Portland Baltasar Support Group Meeting.

We’re going to have our regular support group meeting at Cedar Mill Bible Church (12208 NW Cornell Road, Portland, OR  97229; room P201 – it’s upstairs – look for the elevator and we’re just around the corner across from the restrooms and water fountain.

Since it’s December this next meeting we’re going to have a white elephant gift exchange at lunch.  We’re gonna go to Happy Panda Chinese Restaurant (http://www.happypanda.com/) at 1:00 pm.  Their address is:

1415 NW 185th Ave
(corner of Walker Rd)
Aloha, OREGON
Ph: (503) 690-2753

I need to know if you’re planning on joining us for lunch – they have a separate room they can reserve for us if we have enough people.  Last time we met there there were about 45 of us and it was a great space.  RSVP to me here or via email (dinacmcb@comcast.net) or my cell phone via call or text – 503.887.6147.

The rules on the white elephant gift exchange follow:

RULES FOR WHITE ELEPHANT EXCHANGE

1. It is more fun if the value is less than $20. Some people will ignore this and spend a lot more money hoping to impress everyone with their gift. It won't work. Gather these gifts together in a big pile.

2. Count how many people are in your exchange and write numbers from one to your total on slips of paper. Toss them in sack and shake them up to randomize them. Have all the players draw numbers and then form a circle around the packages in numerical order.

3. In order, each person should walk forward and choose a gift which they then open and show to the whole group.

4. When all gifts are open, the exchange begins. In numerical order, each person will get to exchange their gift for any other gift. They do not have to exchange if they like what they have. If they do choose to exchange, this allows the person they just exchanged with to switch with someone else. This series of exchanges goes on for 30 seconds. Whatever people are holding at the end of the 30 seconds is the gift they have going into the next turn.

5. Hiding your gift or in any way stopping someone from taking it is cheating and everyone who does it is a dirty rotten cheater who should be banned from the game next year.

6. After the highest number goes, whatever gift everyone has is the gift they get in the exchange. This usually result in one happy person and lots of disgruntled people. The perfect way to celebrate Christmas!

I’m not so sure I like the way explain the process – number 4 seems kinda iffy – we usually open them one at a time and then exchange as we go along.  Suffice it to say we may change our minds between now and the actual exchange!

Should be fun!

Hugs,

dina