Fun Office
Gift Exchange Games
There are dozens of fun office gift
exchange games people can play during the Christmas season.
Officemates might have a "secret Santa" gift exchange or a
popular "white elephant" gift exchange. All are popular and
always fun, provided the rules are clear and everyone
understands them.
One of the most popular office games involving Christmas gifts
is the "white elephant" gift exchange. The rules can vary
depending on the office and participants, but generally it works
something like this. Each person participating purchases a gift
not to exceed a certain dollar amount (determined in advance and
might range from $5 to $20, again depending on the group). The
object here is a fun gift, so anything particularly practical is
not welcome. You're looking for unusual and interesting, perhaps
funny, and something other people will want.
Everyone who's participating in the exchange gets a number (the
number should be the same as the number of presents). The
numbers should be they drawn out of a hat or something else
(perhaps a Santa hat, in recognition of the season?). So, the
person who draws number "1" goes first and picks a present. They
open it and keep it. The second person can either pick a
different present or they can "steal" the first present. They
can't open a present until they are sure they are keeping their
choice and not picking the first gift. This continues until
everyone has a present. Any present that's been opened can be
subject to stealing, but a gift can only be stolen three times.
At the end of the game, the person who was the first to open a
present can steal a gift if they choose, since they didn't have
an opportunity earlier.
In this game there's always one gift that everyone wants and
will steal over and over again. What makes it fun is trying to
figure out who is going to get the most coveted gift. In some
cases, people can end up with the gift they brought.
Originally the "white elephant" gift exchange was a way for
people to "regift" or give someone a gift they themselves
received and don't want. For a fun twist, you could ask people
to bring something from their home like that, or you can require
they purchase something (with the aforementioned limit on
spending).
There are many varieties of the Secret Santa game, which is so
popular in offices, but one option that's fun involves putting a
dollar limit on the purchase and having participants actually
make "Santa lists". Here's how it works: Those participating
create a little list for "Santa". There should also be a dollar
limit placed on this gift exchange, so if that is $10, then
people should only list items on their Santa list that can be
purchased for $10 or less.
Everyone who is participating draws a list out of a hat, or some
other object, and sets about shopping for that person. They know
who they are shopping for, but the recipient doesn't. On
exchange day, the Secret Santas must deliver the gifts to their
officemates' desks without being seen. Those participating can
decide if they want people to sign the cards attached to the
gifts, or if the secret should stay a secret. If they choose the
latter, gift giving can be interesting, since it's anonymous,
but many people choose to have cards signed so in the end,
people who to thank for their gifts.