You might've heard that Christmas is all about giving. No, scratch that - you know it in your bones! Truly, it is such a wonderful feeling to give a person something they cherish and enjoy and to get something in return - whether it's a smile, a kind word, or a thing that makes your heart melt. Now, however much fun such an interaction is, you can, in theory, always make it even more exciting in a very simple way - by playing gift exchange games. Now that's what we call an excellent Christmas party game!
And we bet that you already know one such gift exchange game called White Elephant. However, if that's the only one you've heard of or have participated in, you'll be amazed how many more such games exist! There's the Switch Steal Unwrap, Scrooge Your Neighbor, Musical Gifts, and so many more fun activities, which are also very suitable to be used as office party games. And you know what they say - anything to make an office party bearable! And, as far as party games go, these are both fun and easy to execute.
So, our list of Christmas gift exchange games is just a smidgen down below - you should definitely check it out. Once you are there, be sure to rank these fun gift exchange games because now they are in no particular order. And lastly, share this article with your Party Planning Committee to keep them on board!
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Pick A Gift, Any Gift
In this game, each player brings one gift, similar to a traditional white elephant gift exchange. Instead of deciding whether to buy a gift or steal someone else's, you choose a random card. The card will instruct you on what to do with your gift, such as steal, swap, unwrap, choose a second gift, and so on.
Twelve Days Of Christmas Gift Exchange Game
Another favorite among these gift exchange games is the last one! In this game, the card you draw tells you what to do with your gift. These cards are all themed after the song "12 Days of Christmas." It's ideal for a 12 Days of Christmas celebration!
Santa’s Helper Gift Exchange
In this game, you must find the perfect gift for someone else rather than yourself! Everyone shares what they like and dislike, and then you secretly play the game to find the best gift for your person. It's hilarious, entertaining, and a great way to spice up a gift exchange! You could also use these cards for a secret Santa exchange in which you draw names to determine who will receive your gift.
Unless I misunderstood, this is the same as secret Santa except you involve a middleman for no reason. "Sarah bought this for you".
Secret Santa Gift Exchanges
Everyone in the group writes their name on a piece of paper, folds it up, and places it in a hat/bowl/similar type of thing. The bowl is then passed around, and each person draws a name from it. You are the Secret Santa for that person, and you will purchase a gift for the person whose name you chose. There is usually a set date for exchanging Secret Santa gifts, after which everyone opens their gifts and discovers who their Secret Santa is. The benefit of doing this at work (or with a large family or friend group) is that each person only has to buy one gift.
We did this in my friend group this year.... So far it's been really hard cus we all agreed it had to be under 5 dollars and we have to remember it when we get back from winter break and we'll exchange then
Spin the Candy Cane
1. Spin the candy cane in a circle.
2. Whoever it points to gets to choose and open a gift. (Alternatively, he can take someone else's present.)
3. Once the player has opened a gift, he should exit the circle. If someone accepts his gift, he returns to the game.
Gift Wrap Challenge
Each team of two is given a gift box, a roll of wrapping paper, a pair of scissors, a roll of tape, and some ribbon before the game begins. Put one hand behind each player's back, then start a timer for 3 minutes (or 2 minutes to make it more difficult) and start wrapping!
Unwrap It Fast!
Give one player a pair of oven mitts and a gift, and the person on his or her left the cup with two dice. When the player with the oven mitts presses the "go" button, he or she puts them on and attempts to unwrap the present one layer at a time. Simultaneously, the player with the dice rolls them until he or she gets doubles.
Christmas Card Match
1. Gather old holiday cards and cut them in half (for pairs) or fourths before your party or Christmas gathering (for teams of four).
2. Put all of the pieces in a basket, mix them up, and place it near the entrance.
3. As guests arrive, have them choose a card piece from the basket and locate the person (or people) who have matching pieces.
Scrooge Your Neighbor
This game is played similarly to any other gift exchange, with one exception: everyone receives a character card at the start of the game, based on characters from A Christmas Carol. You can use your card during the gift exchange to perform actions such as peeking at a gift before opening it, blocking a steal, and even unfreezing a frozen gift!
Musical Gifts
1. To begin the game, choose a random gift from the table and pass it around the circle.
2. Put on some Christmas music and instruct your guests to pass the gift around the circle until the music stops. It's similar to musical chairs, but with gifts!
3. When the music stops, the person holding the gift will unwrap it, show it to the rest of the group, and leave the circle with their gift. That is the gift they receive for the game.
4. Repeat with a different gift and a different person until everyone has unwrapped a gift and is "out of the game."
Christmas Never Have I Ever Gift Exchange
Everyone forms a circle, and one person says, "I've never XYZ," (replacing XYZ with something they've never done). This could include never breaking a bone, never leaving the country, and so on. Just something that person has never done that they believe others have. Anyone in the circle who has done what the person says must swap places with someone else in the circle who has done it. This is the more active and interactive version.
Alternatively, if you want to play a version in which people escape. If someone has done something, they must place one of their five fingers down. The first person to put all five fingers down is out. This version is better for teens and older, while the interactive version is suitable for all ages.
Left Right Poem Gift Exchange Game
Everyone brings a wrapped gift, everyone sits in a circle, and everyone passes gifts left or right when someone reads (or writes) the words "left" or "right" in a poem. Like this one, the poems or stories are written with a lot of rights and lefts. To begin, have everyone sit in a large circle. Then give everyone wrapped gifts. Then you're ready to begin the gift-giving game.
Read the story slowly, emphasizing the words "right" and "left" when you say them. The verbal cues are extremely helpful to those who are receiving gifts left and right. Then, at the end of the poem (or story), everyone opens the gift they've been given.
Message under a Plate
Perfect for a dinner party, get ready for this game in advance by preparing slips of paper with strange phrases or sentences that normally would not fit into a dinner conversation. After everyone takes their seat, tell them to read the message under their plate and try to insert the message into the conversation without getting caught. If a player accuses another player of using his message but is incorrect, he is out of the game. At the end of dinner, find out which players successfully used their messages without being caught. You can use messages from the list below or make up your own.
December Dice Gift Game
You will need two six-sided dice for this game. Request that each of your guests bring a wrapped gift. People will want to know what happens to their gifts, so print out the dice-rolling cards!
Heads Or Tails Gift Exchange Game
Choose a corresponding number or playing card from the bowl. Whoever's number is drawn first will go first. They should sit back down after selecting a gift to unwrap from the pile in the center. Because the first person's turn isn't nearly as entertaining as everyone else's, they may also get to go last. Details are provided at the end of the instructions. For the person who goes second, choose another matching number or playing card from the bowl. This is where things get interesting. They must flip a coin to determine whether they want #1's gift or a gift from the center.
Heads = they choose a gift to unwrap from the table.
Tails = indicate that they must steal a gift from someone, even if they don't want any of the other gifts. Because no one else has opened a gift yet, the second person to play can only steal from #1, but later in the game, people can choose to steal from anyone.
Lucky Last Line Gift Game
In this entertaining gift exchange game, you wrap a gift with multiple layers of wrapping paper, including a line from a poem on each layer. Begin with one person who must pass the gift on to someone who matches the description in their poem line. Continue passing and unwrapping the gift until the final person wraps the entire gift, not just another layer! The person who unwraps the final gift receives the larger gift contained within!
Grinch Gift Exchange
All you need are some wrapped presents and the book "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas".
There are three ways to play this game:
1. You supply a few gifts - in this version, only a few people win gifts at the end, and you supply them all. You can give small or large gifts; the choice is entirely yours.
2. You provide gifts for everyone - if you want to do smaller gifts and have everyone win a gift, you can provide gifts for everyone playing and the game will just mix them up so no one knows what they'll get.
3. Everyone brings a gift - In this version, everyone brings a gift (theme or not!) and those gifts are passed around during the gift exchange.
Place everyone in a circle close enough together that it is easy to pass a gift to the person on their left and right.
Begin by distributing your gifts. If you only have a few gifts, distribute them to people spread out around your circle. I made four gifts for my game, one for each side of the circle. If you have gifts for everyone (whether you provide them or someone else does), just distribute them at random. It makes no difference where they begin; they will not end up there.
White Elephant
1. Each player brings one wrapped gift to add to a communal pool.
2. Players draw numbers to determine the order in which they will proceed.
3. Players form a circle or line in front of the gift pile.
4. With their backs to the present pile, players should sit in a circle or line.
5. The next player may select an unwrapped gift from the pool or take the gift left by a previous player. Anyone who has their gift taken in this manner has the option of either choosing a different gift or robbing someone else.
To keep things moving, there are a couple of restrictions on gift exchange:
– A present can only be stolen once per turn, so players who have a gift stolen from them must wait for it to be returned.
– The turn ends automatically after three swaps (otherwise things could drag on for a long time).
Saran Wrap Ball
How to make the Saran Wrap ball:
1. Begin by securing the best prize for some plastic wrap. Wrap it around the prize and keep wrapping it.
2. Wrap the plastic wrap around to form a ball, then add a candy or treat every few layers and continue wrapping.
3. Wrap the ball until it reaches the desired size. You can use one roll of Saran 4. Wrap to make a smaller ball for smaller groups, or two or three rolls to make a larger ball for a larger group, or to make the game last longer. You should make the ball large enough so that everyone gets at least one turn to play.
How to play:
– Place all of the players in a circle.
– Pass the ball to the first player. Our house rule is that the youngest player always goes first.
– That person can start unwrapping the ball, keeping each treat as they go.
– Meanwhile, the person to their left rolls the dice and keeps rolling until they get a double.
– When they roll a double, the ball is passed to them and the dice is passed to the person to their left.
– The game continues until the entire ball is unwrapped, with the last person retaining the prize in the center of the ball.
Christmas Party Games Scratch-Off Card
If you want to make the gift exchange much more competitive, have fewer gifts than people and use these scratch-off cards to determine who gets to go home with a present and who doesn't.
Treasure Hunt
Hide the gifts throughout the game area. You might want to jot down the hiding spots... Some of us can't always remember where we keep our belongings. The players merely seek out the gifts. When they find one, they have the option of accepting it or continuing their search. If they don't want to keep it, they should keep it quiet so that someone else can enjoy the thrill of discovering it.
Guess the Guest
This is an excellent icebreaker or get-to-know-each-other game for a Christmas party where the guests are unfamiliar with one another.
– As the guests arrive, have them fill out an index card with information about themselves. It could be serious or humorous.
– Place the cards in a basket, hat, or paper bag.
– One card at a time should be read.
– The guests attempt to deduce who wrote the statement.
– Whoever correctly guesses first gets to choose and unwrap a present. That person is no longer in the game.
Rock Paper Switch Gift Game
1. Distribute one of the decks of cards to each participant and arrange them in a circle. Once everyone is seated, distribute the gifts from the table at random, ensuring that everyone receives a gift.
2. Take a playing card from the second deck. Whoever has the matching card is the first to go.
3. The player can either open the gift they have or try to steal someone else's gift.
To "steal," they play one game of Rock Paper Scissors (agree how to call it at the start of the game - e.g., rock paper scissors shoot), and the results determine what happens:
If the challenger wins:
– The challenger may exchange their gift with the person they challenged and may open that gift if it is not already open.
– The challengee receives the challenger's gift but does not open it (if still wrapped). That round is then completed, and you proceed to the next turn.
If the challenger loses:
– Challenger continues to open their gift, but they are limited to the one they have.
– The challenge can then do one of three things:
1. Open the gift from the person who challenged them (if they wish). The turn is then over.
2. They can keep their gift and open it, but that is the end of their turn.
3. With the gift they currently have, they can go challenge someone else to a game of rock, paper, or scissors. If they do rock, paper, scissors challenge, treat it as a new turn and apply the same rules as stated above. They are simply the new challenger.
If it’s a tie:
– Both players must exchange their gifts with the person to their right. If the gift isn't already open, Challenger opens it.
Mug Gift Exchange
Instead of a wrapped gift, ask guests to bring a mug filled with small wrapped gifts! Then use the left-right poem above to exchange mug-themed Christmas gifts.
Hot Potato Gift Exchange
You'll need a timer or some background music.
1. Sit in a circle and pass one or two gifts around the circle at a time.
2. When the timer or music stops, those holding the gifts keep them.
3. You can either open the gifts right away or wait until everyone has received theirs.
Switch Steal Unwrap Dice Game
Everyone starts with three small gifts in this game. You roll the dice, and the results determine whether you swap, steal, or unwrap gifts. When all of the gifts have been unwrapped, the game is over. This is by far one of the best gift exchange games I've ever played, and for good reason - it's a lot of fun! And you have no idea what will happen until the last gift is unwrapped!
Not a fan of most of these. For many, secret Santa is a painful workplace purgatory and some of these move it into a ring of hell to make it even more punishing.
Not a fan of most of these. For many, secret Santa is a painful workplace purgatory and some of these move it into a ring of hell to make it even more punishing.
