Is White Elephant the same as Secret Santa?

Secret Santa involves the same kind of mystery as a white elephant exchange, but each person in the group is assigned and aware of a designated person they'll be gifting to. However, you're not allowed to reveal whose Secret Santa you are until it's time to open the gifts.

Why is Secret Santa called White Elephant?

This variation on the traditional game of Secret Santa gets its name from the white elephants that were supposedly vindictively gifted by the King of Siam to anyone who tried to cross him. Legend has it that these beasts, although beautiful, were not very useful—not to mention the astronomical upkeep.

What is another name for white elephant gift?

A white elephant gift exchange, Yankee swap or Dirty Santa is a party game where amusing and impractical gifts are exchanged during festivities.

What is another name for White Elephant game?

A White Elephant gift exchange is also known as a Yankee swap or a Dirty Santa gift exchange. It's a party game where amusing and impractical gifts are exchanged. The goal of a White Elephant gift exchange is to entertain participants rather than to gain something valuable or highly sought-after.

What is another name for Secret Santa?

Deriving from the Christian tradition, the ritual is known as Secret Santa in the United States and the United Kingdom; as Kris Kringel or Kris Kindle (Christkindl) in Ireland; as Wichteln, Secret Santa, Kris Kringle, Chris Kindle (Christkindl) or Engerl-Bengerl in parts of Austria; as Secret Santa or Kris Kringle in ...

White Elephant Gift Exchange - a how to guide

How can I make my gift exchange more fun?

Host a trivia night with gifts as prizes. Set a price cap, have everyone buy a gift and wrap it, and then get ready for a rousing game of trivia. The person with the most correct answers gets to choose first, the second-place winner second, and so on and so forth until everyone has received a gift.

What is the opposite of Secret Santa?

We're not sure where the name "Dirty Santa" originated, but it's meant to refer to game participants, the "Santas," stealing desirable gifts from each other. As opposed to Secret Santa, where participants are trying to guess who their personalized gifts are from, Dirty Santa adds a fun, competitive twist.

What is the opposite of a white elephant gift?

The point of White Elephant is to buy something ridiculous, whereas Yankee Swap is essentially the same gift-exchange process but with more useful gifts. Everyone brings in something and each person draws a number.

How do you explain the white elephant game?

White elephant is a gift exchange, so each person must bring one wrapped present to the Christmas party. Once everyone is assembled, have each person draw a number. The person with number "one" chooses a present to unwrap.

What is a white elephant party ideas?

For a White Elephant party, it's fun (and easy) to decorate the party rooms in white. Use white tablecloths, white candles, white dishes, white napkins, and white flowers. Drape white tulle and crepe paper around light fixtures, doorways, mantles, and stairways.

What are popular white elephant gifts?

What does a white elephant gift consist of?

Once situated, the first person will open one gift, whichever they choose. Next, the second person can either pick another gift to unwrap or steal the gift the first person selected. The third person, and the rest, will follow the same procedure (unwrap or steal) until all the gifts have been opened.

How much should a white elephant gift cost?

An office white elephant gift exchange should have a price target of around $10, according to White Elephant Rules. There may be people who don't want to participate and may have hurt feelings walking away with an undesirable gift. This is why it's best to keep the target low to head off any negativity.

Is white elephant gift funny?

A white elephant gift is a gag gig, something that's designed to be funny and not taken seriously. They're called funny gifts for a reason! If you're going to a white elephant gift exchange, the goal is to bring something that will make people laugh or will be something unique and funny.

Do you put your name on white elephant gift?

White Elephant Gift Exchange Rules

Make sure that the gifts are wrapped and don't have any names on them – secrecy is key! Numbers are drawn to determine who goes first and who follows next. You can change this and use the spin the bottle technique to choose who goes next.

Are white elephant gifts supposed to be anonymous?

The rules for a white elephant gift exchange are simple: Everyone brings a gift already wrapped. Gifts should all be valued at roughly the same amount, usually $20 or $25. The gifts are strictly anonymous -- no one should know which gift you brought.

How do I make white elephant more interesting?

How do you always win white elephant?

What are the rules of Secret Santa?

Members of a group of friends, family, or coworkers draw random names to become someone's Secret Santa. The Secret Santa is given a wish list of gift ideas to choose from to give to their chosen giftee. After opening their present, the giftee has to guess which member of the group was their Secret Santa.

Do and don'ts of Secret Santa?

How do I make Secret Santa more inclusive?

What are the names for Dirty Santa?

What is the 5 gift rule?

In the 5 Gift Rule, the first four gifts are the same - something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read. But the 5th? The 5th is the real winner. It's something they need or want but don't really know it.

What is a favorite things gift exchange?

What is a favorite things gift exchange? So, exactly what is a “My Favorite Things Party” and how do you throw one? The basic idea is that guests bring a few of the same unwrapped gifts that cost at or under the amount you set, then they go home with the same number of items from other guests.

What is the best exchange gift for Christmas?

If you're still uncertain about what to get for a holiday gift exchange at work, consider seasonal or holiday-themed gifts. For instance, holiday-themed notebooks, pencils and pens, office gear, small clothing items and other seasonal items are great for last-minute gift exchange ideas.