White elephant rules and other gift exchange games
Short answer. Bring one wrapped gift each. Open or steal in number order.
Two steals freeze a gift; Player 1 gets one final swap between unfrozen gifts.
Ready to draw the order?
Turn order
Hand the numbers out around the table in this order. The first seat gets the first number, the next seat the second, and so on.
Play in number order. A gift freezes once it has been stolen 2 times. Player 1 gets one final swap at the end. Kids go first, and nobody steals a kid's gift.
What are the 7 rules?
- Agree a budget and theme. Set one spending cap for everyone before shopping: useful, funny or homemade.
- Bring one wrapped gift each. No names. Count the gifts and keep a spare.
- Draw numbers. Player 1 opens a gift and shows everyone.
- Open or steal in order. Choose a wrapped gift or take an unfrozen one.
- Replace a stolen gift right away. The person without a gift chooses next. No gift can move twice in one numbered turn, including straight back. Call the next number only when someone opens a wrapped gift.
- Two steals in total freeze a gift. Opening is not a steal. A frozen gift stays with its holder, including at the end.
- Finish with one final swap. After the last opening, Player 1 keeps their gift or swaps with an unfrozen gift. Both gifts must be unfrozen; the other person gets Player 1’s gift. Stop: no further stealing or replacement turns.
These are the default rules. Yankee swap and Dirty Santa are names for this game; agree the house rules first. Print the 7 rules
How do stealing and frozen gifts work?
A numbered turn ends when someone opens a wrapped gift. Follow the person left without one until that happens.
For example, Player 3 takes Player 1's mug. Player 1 can open a gift or take Player 2's scarf, but cannot reclaim the mug that turn. If they take the scarf, Player 2 chooses next. Both stolen gifts are off limits for the rest of that turn.
A gift moves at most once that turn; the two-steal cap lasts all game. If every open gift is frozen or already moved, open a wrapped one. A frozen gift stays with its holder, even at the final swap.
Follow the giftless player
Resolve each replacement before calling the next number. After two steals in total, a gift freezes and stays put.
What should the host check?
- Spare gift: offer it quietly before the draw. Without one, agree who shares an entry.
- Odd numbers: no problem. Everyone gets a turn, not a partner.
- Mixed ages: choose gifts suitable for everyone, or run separate exchanges.
Which version fits your group?
Kids, no stealing. Each child opens one gift; optional trades afterwards need both children's agreement.
Speed round. One steal per gift and per turn; the giftless player opens. Allow 30 seconds per choice, skip the final swap. At a hard finish, remaining players open in order.
Video call. One host collects and numbers gifts; agree delivery costs and get permission for private addresses. Track holders and steals; pause if the giftless player disconnects. Confirm final holders before sending gifts.
Secret Santa instead. Each giver gets one person in advance, with no stealing. Draw the names with the Secret Santa generator.
What makes a good gift?
Choose something several guests could use. Keep jokes kind. Check food needs and keep ingredient labels. Avoid gifts that depend on clothing size or willingness to drink alcohol.
Bingo: four squares in a row, column or diagonal wins. Share tied wins; over 24 guests, play in pairs. Print 24 bingo cards.
Gift ideas for a gift exchange
*Paid link
USAOPOLY Flip 7 party card game
A USAOPOLY card game played around a table, where every turn means choosing between risking another card and stopping safely.
Why we like it
Draw one more card or stop while ahead: every turn of Flip 7 comes down to that call.
The friend who nudges the table toward a bigger gamble gets to set the pace, and everyone else decides whether to follow.
Ransom Notes magnetic word party game
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Why we like it
Picture players building a reply out of word magnets, missing the one word they need and making do with something worse.
That scramble is where Ransom Notes gets its laughs, and it suits any crowd with a good supply of inside jokes. Its new owner has the next game night covered.
Phone stand shaped like a black bear
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Why we like it
A coworker who decorates their cubicle with moose mugs and plaid throw pillows can claim this bear from the gift table.
The lodge look they chase at work gains a wild animal that also holds their screen upright during video calls. Their cubicle ends up with a mascot keeping the phone in view beside that moose mug.
CMYK Wavelength guessing party game
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Why we like it
Strong opinions finally pay off in Wavelength, where each round asks players to guess what the others have in mind and then argue about it.
Whoever unwraps it can start a round on the spot, before anyone reaches for a coat, and the box heads home for future dinners with friends.
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