Everyone brings a gift. On your turn, open a wrapped gift or steal one. Here is every rule, the common variations, and a sheet to print.
One more rule most groups use: you cannot open the gift you brought, unless it is the only one left.
Three is the classic limit: on its third steal a gift is frozen and stays where it is. With a big group, two steals keeps things moving. Four makes for a long, loud game.
Whoever loses a gift cannot take it straight back on the same turn. They open a new gift or steal a different one. Without this rule, two people can swap the same gift forever.
A turn ends when someone opens a wrapped gift. A chain of steals can run through several people first, and that chain is half the fun.
Player 1 opens a gift with nothing to steal, which is a bad deal. So when every gift is open, player 1 may trade theirs for any gift that is not frozen. If their own gift is frozen, it stays. Some groups skip this rule; decide before you start.
Most groups pick $20 to $25. For offices and mixed groups, $10 to $15 keeps it fair for everyone. A theme makes shopping easier and the game funnier: something cozy, something you would use at your desk, a gift under $10, something red, or the best worst gift. Stuck for ideas? See our white elephant gift ideas.
Play White Elephant online, free
Everyone plays on their own phone. Free for up to 20 people, no sign-up.
Start a gift exchangeInstead of choosing, each player rolls a die: open a gift, steal, swap left, swap right. It suits small groups. The full rules and a free online die are on our white elephant dice game page.
Some groups let you steal a wrapped gift that someone is holding before they open it. It works when gifts are handed out first and opened later.
The host adds one extra wrapped gift. Whoever opens it can keep it or swap it for any unfrozen gift on the spot.
Everyone holds a gift while someone reads a story; each time the story says left or right, every gift moves that way. Whatever you hold at the end is yours. No stealing, so it suits young kids.
Our online white elephant game does all of this for you: a clock on every turn, a steal limit you choose, and a big-screen view for the room.
It is the same game under different names: Dirty Santa in much of the South, Yankee Swap in New England, and also Thieving Secret Santa or Rob Your Neighbor. It is not the same as Secret Santa, where each person buys for one person: see white elephant vs Secret Santa.
Everyone brings a wrapped gift and draws a number. Player 1 opens a gift. Every player after that opens a wrapped gift or steals an opened one, and anyone whose gift is stolen picks again. A gift freezes after three steals, and player 1 gets a last swap at the end.
Three times is the usual limit. On the third steal the gift is frozen and stays with that person. Some groups use two steals to keep a big game moving, or four for more chaos.
No. The usual rule is that a gift can be stolen once a turn, so the person who just lost it has to choose something else.
In most versions, yes. Player 1 had no choice when they opened the first gift, so when every gift is open they may swap with any gift that is not frozen.
Most groups pick $20 to $25. Offices and big mixed groups often go lower, $10 to $15, so everyone can join in.
Plan on about two minutes a person. Ten people take 15 to 25 minutes, depending on how much stealing goes on. A timer on each turn keeps a big group moving.
Use two steals instead of three, give each turn a time limit, and put the gifts where everyone can see them. Past about 30 people, run two exchanges side by side. Playing on phones with a TV view keeps track of every steal for you.
Yes. Our free online version runs the order, the steals and the freezes on everyone's phone. Each person types the gift they will send, so remote teams can play on a video call.
They are the same game. Dirty Santa is the usual name in the South, and Yankee Swap in New England. House rules vary a little from place to place.
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