What is White Elephant Secret Santa?

A white elephant gift exchange, Yankee swap or Dirty Santa is a party game where amusing and impractical gifts are exchanged during festivities. The goal of a white elephant gift exchange is to entertain party-goers rather than to gain a genuinely valuable or highly sought-after item.

What is the difference between a White Elephant and a 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 are the rules of a White Elephant party?

What is a white elephant gift supposed to be?

A white elephant requires that each participant bring a gift to the exchange. The host can create rules over the types of gifts that can be brought, including price. Once everyone has gathered the participants will randomly pick a number to create the order under which the exchange will take place.

White Elephant Gift Exchange - a how to guide

How does white elephant gifts work?

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.

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.

What can I bring to a white elephant party?

Are white elephant gifts supposed to be anonymous?

White Elephant Gift Exchange Rules

Everybody needs to bring a wrapped gift worth no more than a specified amount. 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.

Does a white elephant gift need to be new?

Each guest must bring a wrapped item for the white elephant exchange. The item must either be a regift or something from around the house in good condition.

Is White Elephant the same as Yankee swap?

Today, White Elephant parties — also known as Dirty Santa or Yankee Swap parties — are a staple of the holiday season. The exact rules vary from party to party but, typically, people bring wrapped gifts that are placed under a tree. Attendees then draw numbers to determine the order in which they'll select gifts.

How do I make White Elephant more interesting?

How much should you spend on a white elephant gift?

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.

Do I put my name on a white elephant gift?

Part of the fun is watching players try to conceal their “good” gifts or encourage players to take their “bad” gifts. Each gift should be attractively wrapped with no nametag.

How to make white elephant gift funny?

How do you play white elephant?

Why is it called white elephant gifts?

White Elephant – a useless gift

So the cunning kings of Siam, as the story goes, used to give white elephants away to anyone who displeased them or had fallen out of favour so that they would be forced to spend a fortune keeping the precious animals.

How many times can a gift be stolen in white elephant?

Three steals and you're out – If you get stolen from three times, you're out of the game and you get to keep the present you're holding. No unwrapping gifts until the end of the game – This will add some mystery and a whole lot of laughter to the game. Add a theme – Add a theme to the 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.

How do I make white elephant more interesting?

What are the main features of white elephant project?

A science venture becomes a 'white elephant project' when the project's capital costs are high, extremely expensive to run and is of little use or practical value and the returns insignificant.

How do you have a fun white elephant gift exchange?

Can you give alcohol as a white elephant gift?

Booze. If you're looking for a last-minute gift, a bottle or two of good alcohol is usually one of the most-coveted white elephant items. Think barrel-aged tequilas, a nitro milk stout or a rugged shiraz to complete the holidays.

How much do you spend on white elephant gift?

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.

Is a blanket a white elephant gift?

For example: A big, soft blanket is always appreciated, not matter what climate you live in. If you bring a fluffy blanket to a White Elephant party, it will get stolen the maximum allowed times. Guaranteed.