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 Thanks to the more than 280 Club Lotteaux members who submitted their favorite ways to give scratch-offs during the holidays! We've selected the most creative and exciting ideas to share with you. Check back each week day for a new idea for giving scratch-offs this holiday season!
Get All 4 Holiday Scratch-offs for only $10: $100,000 Holiday, 'Tis the Season, Cool Winnings and String of Lights.
 SCAVENGER HUNT
Judy-Lynne of Lacombe adds fun to her family's holiday gatherings. "After we open our gifts, we like to have a scavenger hunt. On pieces of paper, I write the clues to find certain items. Every item contains a scratch-off, the first has a $1 ticket, the second a $2 ticket, and so on up to a $10 scratch-off. Of course, there is more than one of each ticket. When they are all found, we have our coffee and scratch our tickets to see if there is a lucky winner! It's a fun way to spend Christmas morning and gives everyone an extra gift."
To add an extra element of creativity, try hiding the scratch-offs in places that relate to each ticket's theme!
 LITTLE SURPRISES
You can celebrate the whole week with holiday scratch-offs. Kimberly of Baton Rouge makes each day a special one for her husband. "During the week of Christmas, I surprise my husband with a scratch-off each day by making it a part of that day's routine. For example, I tape it to his remote for Sunday night football, place it in the passenger seat on Monday, put it in his lunch bag on Tuesday, lay it at his spot at the dinner table on Wednesday, leave it under his toothbrush on Thursday, sneak it between the salt and pepper shakers at the restaurant Friday night, or rest it on the coffee pot Saturday morning. I like to call it 'Scratch-Kringle.'"
 EASY, LAST MINUTE GIFT IDEAS
The hustle and bustle of the holiday season creates long lines at stores and long lists of gifts to buy. And with all eyes on the economy and consumers scrutinizing their holiday budgets this season, scratch-offs make high-impact, low-cost gift ideas.
Susanne of Lafayette says it best: "As a teacher, I like to give a gift to everyone - colleagues, secretaries, office workers, janitors - but it is just too expensive. With holiday scratch-offs I am able to do this, and everyone loves them!"
Gwen of Metairie offers her tried-and-true tactics for making sure she gets to everyone on her list. "We keep extra sets of scratch-offs for last minute ideas. We put them in a card, gift bag or small stocking ready to label. Best of all, if we don't end up needing to give them, it's like an extra bonus gift for us!"
Remember...you can get all four holiday scratch-offs for $10!
 THE LUCKY CHAIR
When the family gets together for the holidays, sitting down to dinner can get pretty crowded. Linda in Baton Rouge likes to add some excitement for her family as they pick their place at the table. "Before my family gathers and settles down to eat, I tape holiday scratch-offs to the bottom of five chairs. At the end of the meal, I tell them that five of them are sitting in a lucky chair. It is really fun to see who gets the tickets and if anyone wins!"
 SPECIAL "TABLE SCAPES"
Becky of Bossier City gets inspired when she sets her holiday table and knows how to make her guest feel extra special! She shares, "My favorite way to use scratch-offs is in my 'table-scapes.' I put them in place card holders with the names of my guests. Everyone is so excited and surprised to find a little extra something by their names when they come to the table. This is great for dinner conversation, and everyone has a wonderful time seeing if anyone won!"
 UNIQUE WRAPPING
Rose of Lake Charles uses scratch-offs to add a creative flare to her gift wrap. She knows scratch-offs draw attention to your gift and get a smile even before it's unwrapped! She shares, "I wrap my gifts in brown craft paper and use a strand or two of $1 scratch-offs instead of ribbon. I wrap it around the gift just like you would with decorative ribbon and then top it off with a bow! It makes the gift so unique!"
Another twist to Rose's idea is attaching a scratch-off as a gift tag. String of Lights is just the right size for doing this. Prefer using gift bags? Instead of tissue paper, use tickets! Stuff your gift bag with tickets for a surprise that makes 'em feel they've hit the jackpot!
 HOLIDAY COOK-OFF
Are you looking for a way to get everyone involved in the party in a special way? Yvonne in Oak Grove tells us about her hearty tradition: "Every year before Christmas, I throw a Holiday Chili Cook-off at my home. All of the guests bring their chili, along with the recipe, and we share an evening of fun. Before everyone leaves we select a winner, who receives a gift bag that includes $10 worth of scratch-offs. All the other guests receive a $2 scratch-off. Everyone loves the tickets, and sometimes we have an extra lucky winner!"
If you don't like chili, try gumbo, cookies or appetizers!
 "PASS THE BOX" GAME
Dawn of Baton Rouge shares an entertaining holiday tradition she participates in every year: "We wrap different scratch-offs in a bunch of different size boxes, so that one box fits inside the next. Each box is labeled with a set of instructions for the next box, such as 'pass to the person on your left' or 'pass to the oldest person.' Each person who receives the box gets to open it and keep the scratch-off it contains, before passing on to the next person, according to the instructions. This makes a 'group' gift, and it's fun because you never know what you'll get."
 THE "GIVING" TREE
David of Clinton adds a special touch to his tree when decorating for the holidays, and it even gives his guests to his home a surprise treat! He explains, "Each Christmas, I buy $50 worth of $1 holiday scratch-offs. I hang them on my tree like ornaments with a number (1 through 50) on each. I keep a dish near my front door with corresponding numbers from the scratch-offs. When a guest arrives, they pick a number from the dish and find the scratch-off on the tree with the same number. Simple, but fun!"
David's house must be pretty popular during the holidays!
 MUSICAL SCRATCH-OFFS
If you are looking for an innovative way to liven-up your holiday party, check out this idea from Dortha of Georgetown: "Bring a scratch-off of your choice and strike up a game similar to musical chairs. We like to use Christmas music. Have everyone get in a circle, start the music and begin passing the scratch-off. When the music stops, the one holding the scratch-off gets to make the first scratch. Continue until it has been totally scratched off, and the last person scratching the card gets any winnings. Have party-goers all bring the scratch-off of their choice to join in the game!"
This game is an awesome ice breaker, and gets everyone in on the excitement and anticipation of playing scratch-offs!
 "KRIS KRINGLE" GIFT
Myra of New Orleans has some great ideas when it comes to gift giving at work. "We play Kris Kringle at work, where each employee pulls the name of another to buy small gifts for four days, and on the final day, we give a $15 gift. I started buying one holiday scratch-off for each day to add to my Kris Kringle gift. Once, the girl whose name I had won $1,000! That was a pretty nice Kris Kringle gift! It caught on, and many of my coworkers now give a scratch-off a day, too."
 DECORATIVE SPECIALTY GIFT
Michael in Kenner uses his creativity and some holiday scratch-offs to spice up his wife's favorite gift. "I make a gingerbread house out of scratch-off tickets. It turns into a colorful display that is great to decorate a small area. It also makes a great gift for my wife who enjoys scratch-offs!"
Not up to making a gingerbread house? Try a wreath!
 SPREADING HOLIDAY CHEER
Fun to give, fun to get. Charmaine of Lafayette couldn't agree more! That's why she uses scratch-offs during the holidays to spread a little extra cheer: "I like to buy a few $1 and $2 scratch-offs and hand them out anonymously. I put one in an envelope with a message such as 'Tis the season to spread good cheer. I hope this scratch-off makes your Christmas merrier!' Then I place it in a neighbor's mailbox or on a coworker's desk, especially if the recipient has been a little down or troubled lately. Plus if they win, I'm extra happy for them and feel good about helping!"
 HOSTESS GIFT
Deborah of Baton Rouge offers a fun twist to a common hostess gift. "A great idea is a potted plant with Lottery scratch-offs attached to sticks as part of the arrangement, which makes a colorful, holiday-themed presentation. Around $5 to $10 worth of scratch-offs is the perfect amount and it leaves some fun for the hostess when the festivities are over."
 WHITE ELEPHANT GIFT EXCHANGE
When holiday time comes around, so do all the parties! Work, friends, family...you get the idea. Occasionally parties include games, like the "white elephant" gift exchange, and there's no better crowd-pleaser than scratch-offs, says Gloria of West Monroe.
For those who've never participated in a "white elephant" exchange, here's how it works: Everyone brings a wrapped gift of similar price. All the wrapped gifts are placed in a pile or under the tree. Participants draw numbers, with #1 selecting first and opening his choice of gift. Participant #2 can either "steal" #1's gift or choose and unwrap another gift from the pile. The game continues until all the gifts are opened and each participant has a gift. If a participant has his gift "stolen," he can "steal" from someone else or choose to unwrap a new gift. Some party rules to decide on ahead of time include whether a gift can be "stolen" back or how many times a gift can be "stolen."
Gloria adds, "When asked to purchase a $10 gift for a company or friend's party, I always purchase scratch-offs. When we play the game, it's the gift nobody wants to give up! Lottery scratch-offs are always a hit, and it saves you from traveling to the mall or a shopping center. A retailer is always just around the corner!"
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