How to play gift exchange games

Holiday Shopping 2009

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By Hannah Catchings

Despite being both fun and festive, the season of giving can be hard on anyone's bank account, especially the frugal college student just trying to make ends meet. Gift exchange games help make shopping easier and less expensive, adding a creative flair to old holiday traditions.

As the tenth of 11 children, anthropology senior Luke Coco is no stranger to gift exchanges. Every year Coco's family has two name drawings: one for siblings and siblings-in-law and a separate one for nieces and nephews. While both drawings have a price limit, neither is secret.

"I know it wasn't always like this in my family," said Coco. "But I'm at the tail end so they must have started it before I was born."

From small to large, groups of all sizes can participate in gift exchange games.

"I love [drawing names], personally," added Coco. "Instead of having to find a present for all 10 siblings, eight siblings-in-law, seven nephews and 12 nieces, I only have to get one present for one sibling or sibling-in-law, and it represents the whole family."

While there are many different exchange versions, Secret Santa is one of the most common. The idea is simple: Place all participants' names in a hat or box and have everyone draw one name. Participants set a price range beforehand, usually between $10 and $50 and buy a gift for the person whose name they receive. The goal is to keep the drawn name a secret.

Another popular game is the white elephant exchange, also known as the Yankee swap, a Pollyanna swap, the Scottish gift exchange or the thieving secret Santa swap. All participants attending a white elephant party bring a wrapped, unmarked gift from a set price range.

These presents are more generic because buyers do not know who will receive what gift. White elephant gifts tend to be unusual, fairly useless gag gifts; however, it will vary depending on the group. Part of the fun of a white elephant game is guessing who brought what present.

To play, partygoers draw numbers to determine player order. Gifts are arranged in a central location, and the first participant opens the first present. The gift is shown to everyone, and the second player can choose to either open a new present or to steal the first player's present. The first player must open a new gift if his or her present is stolen. The game continues in this pattern until all gifts are unwrapped.

A third gift exchange option is called the dirty dice gift grab. This starts just like a white elephant exchange with everyone bringing a wrapped gift to place in the middle of the room. Two dice are passed around for each player to roll. Players who roll doubles pick out a gift but are not allowed to open it until all gifts are taken. At the end some people might have multiple gifts while others have none. All gifts are unwrapped, making sure everyone sees the different present options. This is where things start to change. A timer is set for 15 minutes, and two dice are passed around again. Every time someone rolls doubles, they can steal a gift. The game ends when the timer goes off.

These are just three of the numerous gift exchange ideas for this holiday season. Rules may vary, but the fun enjoyed by friends, family and co-workers is guaranteed.

Originally Published: Issue 824 - November 18, 2009

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