What is a Yankee Christmas swap?

A Yankee Swap—also known as White Elephant—is a gift exchange game whereby participants get to open a present, then choose whether they wish to keep it or swap for someone else's gift. The process is made even more interesting by the presence of unconventional or silly gifts in the mix.

How does a Yankee Swap gift exchange work?

The basic rules of Yankee Swap begin just like White Elephant: Everyone is assigned a number at random, then the first player chooses a gift and opens it. The next player chooses their gift, then either opens it or swaps it for a previous player's unwrapped gift.

Why do they call it a Yankee Swap?

Yankee Swap is more popular in New England and is a reference to the swapping of prisoners of war during the American Civil War. Some claim that generals made a game out of these swaps, and they even assigned different values to each prisoner, kind of like a brute barter system.

How do you play Yankee Swap Christmas?

Everyone gets a randomly drawn number. The person with the lowest number goes first. The first person chooses a gift from the gift pile, opens the gift for all to see, and keeps it for the time being. person's gift is swapped, that person can immediately unwrap a new gift or swap it with another person's gift.

What is the difference between Secret Santa and Yankee Swap?

White elephant gift exchanges, also known as Yankee swaps or, somewhat creepily, “dirty Santa” games, are a fun alternative to the old office staple “secret Santa.” Like secret Santa, everyone brings one gift and takes one home. But a Yankee swap adds the opportunity for fun, intrigue and cutthroat competition.

Yankee Swap - The Office US

How much do you spend on Yankee Swap?

Typically, it's around $20—enough to get something reasonable without having to seriously hurt anyone's wallet. Participants should then shop for their gifts and bring them to the Yankee Swap wrapped and ready to go.

Is Yankee Swap the same as White Elephant?

A White Elephant Gift Exchange is a popular Christmas event where people vie to walk away with the best present. It also goes by Yankee Swap, Dirty Santa, and a plethora of other names. The White Elephant game is played by a lot of different rulesets – some dead simple and others confusingly elaborate.

Do you wrap presents for Yankee Swap?

In Yankee Swap, each participant brings a wrapped, unmarked gift and places it in a designated area. Guests are given numbers as they arrive, or their names are randomly drawn, and they select and unwrap gifts from the pile in that order — with a twist.

Can you pick your own gift in Yankee Swap?

Yankee Swap Rules

Each person chooses a random gift and opens it according to the order of the number they were given. Each new gift recipient then gets to choose if they wish to keep their present or exchange it with someone else for any of the other gifts that were previously opened.

How does Christmas Exchange work?

Everyone brings an unlabeled gift and places it under the tree or with the other gifts. Be sure to set a price limit. Write a number on several pieces of paper, one for each person, and let everyone draw a number. The person with the highest number has the most choices.

What is a white elephant gift for Christmas?

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 the opposite of a white elephant gift exchange?

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.

What is a Pollyanna swap?

Gift exchange games are certainly a popular pastime at many holiday gatherings. In a Pollyanna Gift Exchange, participants anonymously purchase a gift for a randomly-selected person in the group. The best gifts are inexpensive, personalized, and, of course, funny!

How many people do you need for Yankee Swap?

Yankee Swap Official Rules – The most popular version of the Yankee Swap Rules or White Elephant Gift Exchange Rules say any number of people may participate, including children. However, the minimum number of participants should be at least four or else the game is not much fun.

How do you make a Yankee Swap fun?

How do you spice up a Yankee Swap?

What should I request for exchange gift?

What is the difference between White Elephant and Chinese gift exchange?

– Have a “ Boxing Day” style Chinese gift exchange. This is where each person must bring a wrapped present, but cannot open it until after everyone has had a chance to choose a gift. – Play a game of “White Elephant”. This is where each person brings a wrapped gift and places it in the middle of the room.

What are the rules for swap?

SWAP cards are considered any color, and they can be played at any time. The player who plays the SWAP chooses who they will swap hands with. The player can also change the color of the discard pile if they choose. A SWAP card can be played on another SWAP card.

Is it rude to exchange a gift for something else?

Gifts are amazing to receive, but if you overlook the material item, it's the beautiful gesture that counts first, and you aren't stripping anyone of that. Now, as long as you're not being super rude about it in the person's face, then there's no reason why you should beat yourself up over swapping it out.

How do you play an exchange gift?

Almost every holiday party I've been to in the past ten years has had a very similar gift exchange along with other Christmas party games. Everyone brings a wrapped gift and gets a number. The first person chooses a gift and unwraps it, the second person can steal that gift or choose another, and so on.

What are names for Yankee Swap?

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 the difference in Dirty Santa or White Elephant?

Whether you call it White Elephant or Dirty Santa, the game sticks to the same format. 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.

What is a pink elephant gift exchange?

“Pink elephant” is another name for the “white elephant” game. During one of these games, participants exchange gifts, usually of low monetary value (e.g., under $20) and intentionally selected to be silly, tacky, or useless.

How much should a white elephant gift be?

ICYDK, White Elephant is a holiday game in which everyone brings a gift—usually with a designated price limit under $20 or $25. One person starts the game by picking a present at random.