Everyone brings a wrapped gift with no name on it. Gifts can range from the traditional to the ridiculous. For example, at one Chinese auction I attended, the gifts included wine, chocolates, lottery tickets, and even a roll of toilet paper which contained a surprise -- a wad of cash! Direct half your guests to bring good gifts and the other half to bring gag gifts. All the gifts are placed in a pile and every guest is given a number. In numerical order, each guest is called up to the pile of gifts and allowed to select one wrapped gift, which they unwrap in front of everyone. As each person comes up to the gift pile and chooses a gift, they have the option to trade gifts with someone who went before them, or keep the gift they have. A gift can only be traded three times. After the third person gets a particular gift, it's theirs to keep and no one can trade for it. Sounds a little complicated, but once you get the hang of it, it's lots of fun!

Either before or after the auction, you can have food, drinks, and music. You can give your Chinese auction party a bit of a traditional flair with a sit-down dinner of traditional Christmas favorites like ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, warm rolls, and of course, Christmas cookies for dessert! Then, before or after dinner, guests can enjoy beverages like mixed drinks, wine, coffee or tea.

A little background music is always a good idea. Try a variety of Christmas music to keep the party festive. During the auction you may want to turn it off, but before and after, soft music can be the perfect accompaniment!

Decorate for your party with holiday decorations in red, green and gold. Festive tablecloths, balloons and streamers are all easy ways to show your holiday spirit! If you don't care for red and green, then try frosty decorations in shades of midnight blue and silver.

Send out the invitations for your party early. That way, all guests will have a chance to RSVP, and if they're attending, find the perfect gift!

To capture the memories from your Christmas party, take lots of pictures. If you like, why not hand out disposable cameras to all your guests so they can take their own memories home?

A Chinese auction can be a fun way to exchange gifts with friends and family. Once you host one of these parties, your guests will beg you to have them year after year!