What you need
- A group of three or more.
- A spending cap everyone agrees on.
- One night when every shirt gets worn.
- A way to draw names so nobody sees the whole list.
How to play
- Pick the night. Choose one dinner or night out when the shirts go on, and tell everyone before the trip.
- Set a cap. Somewhere from $10 to $20 works. A low cap keeps it about the hunt, not the money.
- Collect sizes. Ask ahead of time. A shirt that doesn't fit is an excuse not to wear it.
- Draw names in secret. Each person draws one other person, and nobody knows who drew them. The draw page does this and gives you a private link to send each person.
- Shop. Buy before you leave, or hunt once you arrive. Souvenir stalls, markets and thrift stores are where the worst shirts live.
- Hand over and wear. Give out the shirts just before the big night. Everyone puts theirs on and keeps it on until the night is over.
House rules
- No hints about who you drew.
- No swaps once the names are drawn.
- You wear what you get, all night.
- Stay under the cap.
- Ugly, not cruel. Aim for loud and ridiculous, not for something a person couldn't wear in public.
Ways to make it worse
- Style briefs. Deal each buyer a direction to shop toward, like “cruise-ship magician” or “too many flamingos”. The draw page can deal these for you.
- Local only. Every shirt has to be bought at the destination.
- Thrift only. Second-hand shops and nothing else.
- Vote on it. The group picks the worst shirt of the night. The person who bought it takes the glory.
- The photo. One group picture in the shirts, repeated every year.
- Winter version. Swap shirts for ugly sweaters in December.
Common questions
- How many people do we need?
- Three or more. With two, there is no secret to keep.
- What about couples?
- Keep them apart in the draw so they don't buy for each other. The draw page has a setting for it.
- What if someone joins late?
- Redraw if nobody has shopped yet. If people have, let the group choose a shirt for the newcomer together.
- Do we need a website to play?
- No. Paper slips in a hat work when everyone is in one room. The draw page helps when the group is spread out, because nobody has to see the whole draw, not even the organizer.
- Is the draw page free?
- Yes. There is no sign-up, and the draw runs on your own phone.