Five White Elephant Gift Ideas for Christmas

Dec 22, 2016 10:26 AM EST

The Christmas season is the perfect time to bond with your family and catch up with old friends. To add more fun to those gatherings, you can plan a white elephant Christmas gift exchange.

Also known as the “Yankee Swap” or “Dirty Santa,” the game challenges everyone to “win” the best gift. The idea of the game is to allow other people to steal a previously opened gift. The rules of the exchange gift are simple.

Everyone participating in the game brings a wrapped gift, and all the gifts are collected in a pile. Then, one by one, people choose a gift from the pile, open it and show it to everyone. Those who see a gift they want can steal it from whoever got it first. This can be done for up to three turns.

Thus, when choosing a gift the game, don’t settle for simple or generic Christmas ones. Choose something that would catch the interest of those playing the game.

If you are dong the white elephant Christmas game with family members or close friends, deciding on a gift is easier because you know them well. However, in bigger gatherings like an office party, for example, the safest choice is to stick to an interesting or even an amusing gift that you believe most people would enjoy having.

Here are five white elephant Christmas gift exchange ideas.

1. Something useful. This could be as common as a coffee mug with a witty or a hilarious design, a recipe book, gadgets and kitchen tools—or as unique as a public toilet survival kit that comes with antiseptic wipes for those times when there are no clean toilets around.

2. Something informative. You can never go wrong with a good book. Popular and bestseller books are always coveted during white elephant games. You would have people eyeing your gift in no time.

3. Something creative. If you are the artistic, creative type of person, you can choose to give away something your own hands have made, like little crafts or a piece of artwork—or even a box of your famous chocolate chip cookies!

4. Something practical. Gift cards are always a good choice because they allow the receiver to choose the item they want to buy.

5. Something coveted. If you can afford it and if the rules of the game allow it, you can choose to give away tickets to a play, the premiere of a much awaited movie or the concert of a famous band or artist visiting your city.

To make sure the game will go smoothly, it is best to set the rules in advance. This way, the exchange gift can proceed with order, and the group can avoid petty misunderstandings that can result if the rules are not well established.

Enjoy the game with your family and friends!