All you need is a group of friends who are ready to have fun and a bunch of presents! Before the exchange, make sure to touch base with the group of people you’re playing with and agree on the spending limit for the presents and gift themes you’d like. Then get started! 

The Basic White Elephant Rules

1. Send invites detailing themes and spending limits of the party
   • A good spending limit can range from $5 – $20. A few themes that are always fun and easy are candy, books, homemade gifts, and gift cards.
2. Bring a wrapped, anonymous gift to contribute to the common pool
   • The gift exchange organizer should provide information on what type of gift people should bring. 
3. Players will draw numbers to determine what order they will go in
   • Alternatively, someone could draw names instead of numbers from a hat or the order can be set by the organizer prior to the event. 
4. Players will sit in a circle and place the gifts in the center
   • To make things easier, you can have the players sit in the order that they will draw in. 
5. The player who received #1 will select a gift and open it
   • Make sure everyone can see the gift!
6. The second player who received #2 will have the choice to either steal the gift from player #1 or select a gift from the center. 
7. The game continues in this way, each player either stealing a gift or selecting one from the center. 
8. Once everyone has gone, player #1 is allowed one more turn to steal any gift of their choosing
   • If they decide not to steal a gift, they may keep the one they have, and the game is over. If they do decide to steal, then the game continues until a player decides to keep their gift, rather than steal. If you prefer more strategy when it comes to your gift exchange consider an alternative rule set – Misshelved

Suggestions to Keep the Game Moving

Without a solid set of guidelines, the game could easily last an eternity. Be sure to share these suggestions with the rest of the group and decide on some rules to keep the game flowing. 

• Gifts must be wrapped and anonymous
  • This always brings more mystery and fun to the game!
• Gift limits and themes should be predetermined
  • If people bring different gifts — some re-gifts and some good gifts—often not everyone gets an equal gift. To keep from hurting anyones feelings, make sure limits are known by everyone ahead of time!
• Each gift may only be stolen or swapped three times
  • To make sure the game isn’t stalled by players stealing a gift back and forth several times, cut down the number of steals of one gift to only three times.  This is the main complaint of most White Elephant games. To avoid this challenge purchase Misshelved which has an innovative way to handle steals, ensuring each gift is available to be stolen while keeping the game moving.
• Everyone who has had a turn, must have a gift. 
  • For example, if you took the first turn and your gift was stolen, you must unwrap a new gift. 

Popular Game Variants

• Set a theme for the gift exchange Sometimes the organizer may require players to bring a gift that fits a certain theme. One of the most common ones is a re-gift, where people wrap an unwanted item lying around their house. However, the theme could be anything, such as ornaments, books, candy, small knick knacks, etc. 
• Don’t unwrap any of the gifts until the end Add an element of mystery to your dirty santa by keeping all the gifts wrapped until the end of the game! You still steal each other’s gifts, but you have no idea what’s actually inside until the end when everyone unwraps their gifts. Expect a lot of laughter when the gifts don’t turn out what you thought they’d be! 
• Appoint a commentator Having someone comment as the game is in progress adds another level of humor to the game. Use your best sports commentator voice and get ready to announce a play-by-play. This can also be useful if you have a big group and not everyone can see the different gifts unwrapped. 
• Combine secret santa and white elephant exchanges What if each participant bought a gift for an assigned person, as in traditional secret santa, but once everyone opened their gift, you played a game of White Elephant? You can use an online generator for the Secret Santa or do it by paper. Either way, this is certainly a fun twist on the game! 
• No extra turn/ no extra swapping Some people don’t allow the first player to swap out at the end. Or if they do, the first person only gets to swap once, and no additional swapping is allowed. 
• Play by poem or theme Instead of following the same set of rules each turn, the players follow instructions given to them through a Christmas-themed poem or story. One type of White Elephant Story tells the players to swap the gifts left or right until the end, when they get to keep whatever gift they are holding.
  • Click on the link below to view an example of a White Elephant Gift Exchange Poem:   WHITE ELEPHANT Gift Exchange Poem

Game Suggestions (number of people to play with, present ideas, etc.) 

• How many people should play? 
  • At least four people should play as a minimum, but a game of white elephant gift exchange works better with six or more players. Realistically, you can play this dirty santa with any amount of people; however, this gift exchange gets more intense and more fun the more people that participate. But beware: the more people that play, the longer the game will last. 
• How does someone win a game of White Elephant? 
  • The White Elephant Christmas Game is a game where everyone wins; each person walks away with a present. Plus, the game itself is fun. Whether you end up with a hilarious prank gift, or something actually useful, you’re guaranteed to have a great time. And what’s a better gift than laughter with friends? 
• What are the best gifts to bring?
  • Funny gifts make the biggest splash at a party, but they aren’t always the most desirable items for swapping.
  • Quirky artwork, knick knacks, and little items are also popular at gift exchanges, and are often highly sought after.
  • There’s nothing wrong with buying a genuinely nice gift—and it’s actually the most sought after gift. It has a lot of potential to fuel competition during the game. 

In short, if there’s one quality that all dirty santa gifts should have, it’s interesting. An interesting gift sparks laughter, competition, and attention. For more ideas, here’s a list of great White Elephant gifts.

Great White Elephant Gift Ideas

• Mini Waffle Maker this is a great White Elephant Gift and is only $10 dollars! Great price and makes great competition! 
• Taco vs. Burrito Card Game Everyone will love this game. Once you’ve handed out cards, the goal is to make the best meal possible. Prices range from $13 – $19. 
• Bob Ross Heat-changing Mug Once they pour a hot coffee into this inspiring mug, the blank canvas will change to a beautiful landscape. A little on the expensive side, just under $20. 
• Giant Snickers Bar Can’t come up with anything creative? That’s okay because candy is always a huge favorite! Usually ranges from $15 – $20. 
• Elf Ornament If you’re looking for a nice holiday-themed gift, look no further. Anyone who loves the movie Elf will appreciate this funny ornament!
• Tabletop Mini Bowling Gaming Set Easy to store and transport, this mini arcade game is fun for all ages. Only $15! 
• Avocado Tree Growing Kit It takes about five months for the plant to sprout. But in the meantime, they’ll have fun watching their favorite fruit grow! Less than $20! 
• Lightsaber Chopsticks While eating some Raman you can have an epic Skywalker battle! A little over $20, but certainly worth it! 
• Moon Lamp This dimmable moon light casts a soft glow setting the mood for watching movies or reading. Pick between four moon sizes — 3.5 to 7.1 — depending on how much money you have to spend. 
• Passive Aggressive Notepad It’s best to just come out and say whatever is on your mind, but when that fails, here’s this handy notepad. Here, they can fill out however they feel about everyone else’s cleaning habits and lifestyle choices. Under $10! 

Just remember, the point of a White Elephant Christmas Game isn’t exactly to get the best present, though that is favorable. The point is to have fun with your friends! Relax, enjoy, and don’t let the ugly sweater that you won put a downer on this fun event!