White elephant gift exchange
Know how many gifts are coming, and how many are gloriously weird.
What's inside
Players confirm a wrapped gift and say whether it's useful, funny or weird; players and watchers offer a snack. Guests who can't come get their own goodbye.
- 1Your name
- 2Are you in the swap?Yes, wrapped gift in handComing, just watchingCan't make it
- 3Your gift isActually usefulFunnyGloriously weirdOnly if “Are you in the swap?” is Yes, wrapped gift in hand
- 4A snack for the tableOnly if “Are you in the swap?” is Yes, wrapped gift in hand or Coming, just watching
Hosting a white elephant swap
Send the link two weeks out with the budget and the steal rule in the intro. Guests shop to the rules they read first.
The gift count sets your evening. Every player is one turn, so 15 gifts with three steals each takes about an hour. Plan food breaks around it.
The useful, funny or weird answers tell you the mix before anyone unwraps. If everything is weird, nudge a few people toward useful, or the steals get dull.
Watchers count for food and chairs, not turns. Seat them where they can see the pile.
White elephant RSVP questions
What's the difference between white elephant and Secret Santa?
In white elephant, everyone brings one anonymous gift and players pick or steal in turn. Secret Santa pairs each person with one recipient ahead of time. White elephant needs nothing but a headcount, so it suits groups that don't know each other well. For the paired game, use the Secret Santa sign-up.
Can I change the steal rule?
Yes. Edit the intro to your rule, whether that's three steals per gift, no steal backs or a final steal for player one. The form itself doesn't change. Read the rule aloud before the first turn, since many guests only skim the intro. If you change it after sharing, message everyone who already replied.
Is this the same as a Yankee swap?
Yes. Yankee swap and Dirty Santa are other names for the same game. Rename the title to whatever your group calls it. Dirty Santa is the common name in the southern US, and Yankee swap in New England. Keep the watcher option either way, since partners and kids often come without a gift.
- Secret Santa sign-upEveryone shares wishes and what to avoid, so nobody gets another mug.
- New Year's Eve party RSVPGuests reply, claim a couch and seal a resolution you read out next year.
- Halloween party RSVPGuests reply and enter the costume contest in the same breath.
- Friendsgiving RSVPFriends claim a part of the meal and share what they're thankful for.
- Galentine's party RSVPFriends reply and leave a compliment for someone at the table.
- Lunar New Year dinner RSVPFamilies reply, count kids for red envelopes and claim a dumpling-folding shift.
- Diwali party RSVPFamilies reply, bring sweets and enter the rangoli contest as a team.
- Iftar dinner RSVPFamilies pick a Ramadan evening, and each evening stops at the places you have.
- Cookie exchange sign-upBakers claim a cookie kind, so you get variety instead of five sugar cookies.
- Trunk or treat sign-upFamilies claim a parking row and name their theme, so no two trunks match.
- Letter to SantaKids write to Santa and add a drawing; every letter lands in one place.
- Eid open house RSVPVisitors pick an arrival window, so the house is never empty or packed.
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