Has anyone ever played a Christmas gift exchange game?

Question

Everyone brings a wrapped gift, draws numbers, then gets to choose a gift. I can't remember exactly how it is played and would like more details. Thanks!

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

I've played two or three versions of this game.
Version 1: Like you said, except a boy brings a boy's gift and a girl brings a girls gift. The to/from tag reads: "Girl Gift" or "Boy Gift". And only the girls draw from the girls stack and the boys from the boys stack.
Version 2: Like you said, everyone brings a unisex gift. There are no to/from tags. The first one has to unwrap a gift. The second person can unwrap or take the gift that is already unwrapped. It keeps going around, and anyone can take an unwrapped gift or unwrap their own gift. Play stops when all the gifts are unwrapped. IF the first person wants to he/she can choose to exchange with one person. The thought behind it is that the first person may still have the first gift and he/she should be able to exchange too.
Version 3: Same as Version 2 except that after someone has "owned" the same gift 3 times it's there's - it's a frozen gift.
Version 4: Same as Version 2 except that after a gift is passed around 3 times, OR on the third time, it is frozen. In other words, either the third OR fourth owner of the gift gets to keep it.

We've called this both White Elephant Christmas and Chinese Christmas. Not sure where the names came from.

I've also played another Christmas gift giving game where everyone brings a gift to "regift", in other words a gift they recieved in Christmas's past that they didn't like. It must be new, in the box. And then you play it like Version 2, 3 or 4 above. There's always a worst of the worst gift, and after playing this game a few years it's actually fun to see who gets "stuck" with it, and if you can remember who got "stuck" with it last year.

Answer 2

nah, b/c I usually get crap...

Answer 3

Each gift has a number, you get a number also when you recieve your number you find the gift to get. when you are with your friends you can switch and trade then when everything is done you open to see what you got.

Answer 4

We do it almost every year. Whoever is first, picks a present. The next person up has the option of picking a new one or taking what the first person has. It goes on until the last person, in the best position, knows all the presents and gets to pick between all of them. I enjoy it.

Answer 5

The person who drew #1 chooses and opens a gift. #2, then gets to either take the gift from #1, at which time, #1 chooses and opens another gift.

We usually limit the number of times anything can be exchanged to 3, as well as the number of times anyone can have something removed from them.

It really is a load of fun for a group no bigger than about 30 people. Some "white elephant" gifts and some nice gifts really liven it up.

Answer 6

well our family sorda does something like that. on thanksgiving we draw someones name out of a hat. they could not be your spouse. and had to be over 18. and then you had till christmas to get a good gift for that person. it is really fun......

Answer 7

I've been in any number of 'white-elephant' gift swaps. I even once gave a professor (who was also a friend with a good sense of humor) a copy of his own textbook that had gone into a new edition ;-) The way I've always seen it done - everybody finds something at home that they don't need, but kind of looks useful at least. You wrap it, and bring it to the gathering. There are numbers put on each gift. Everybody takes turns drawing a number, and person number one gets gift number one. Person number two gets gift number two, OR he can swap with the first person. Number three gets gift number three, or he can swap with either of the first two, and so on. It gets pretty silly, but it's fun, and doesn't cost anybody anything except a little wrapping paper!

Answer 8

The gift exchange we do in our family is to save everyone money for the holidays. Everyone writes their name down and throws it into a hat (Or a bowl, or a pot, or whatever), and then everyone draws a name back out. Whatever name you pick, that's the one person you have to buy a gift for. We usually put a spending limit of, like, $25 dollars on the gift, that way everyone get's something, but no one is totally broke. This obviouslly doesn't apply to chidren; even if it did, everyone would still buy the kids stuff.

Source(s):

Family and In-law experience

Answer 9

ive done it all u do is whoever brings a gift gets number or u can draw number put it in the hat or something and they go in order they pick a gift and they can trade if they like the gift

Answer 10

Yes i've played before,>>>the game is very simple, either you draw someones name, or a number but either way no one is suppose to know what you picked. For person-- you just buy a gift that you would think he or she would like. And for a Number--You just buy a gift that is great for a guy or a female, because by picking a number you would'nt know if your number is for a guy or female. The game is really fun!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good Luck

Answer 11

My moms family does every year!