The official White Elephant Gift Exchange rules, along with some of the more popular variations. Also goes by the names Yankee Swap and Dirty Santa.

When it’s time to start your White Elephant gift exchange, it’s always nice to have a printout of the rules on hand. Here’s a PDF with the basic and most common rules of the game.

Rules of Gift Swapping A present can only be stolen once per turn, which means players who have a gift stolen from them have to wait to get it back.

Putting together different items to make one White Elephant gift gives you more flexibility to hit your price target. It also shows creativity and thoughtfulness, while guaranteeing that your …

The basic rules for White Elephant Auction are simple. In essence, you’re holding an auction of the wrapped presents people have brought to the gift exchange.

The most obvious is to set rules on the amount of stealing per turn. A more extreme option is to have participants swap unopened gifts, which takes some of the fun out of stealing, but saves …

In this simple ornament exchange game, participants bring unwrapped ornaments and hang them on a Christmas tree as they arrive (a miniature tree that can fit on a tabletop is often best).

How to play the popular Secret Santa gift exchange game. Includes detailed Secret Santa rules, plus ideas for organizing your own game.

How to play White Elephant bingo, a fun holiday activity that combines two beloved games. Includes rules and free printable bingo cards.

How to play the Christmas gift exchange dice game, a popular variant of White Elephant. Includes a free printable with the rules.