I have a large extended family on both sides and over the years we have had many gift exchange ideas. No two have been the same. Here are some of my favorites and a little information on how to do them. Happy Holidays!
Traditional White Elephant Gift Exchange
Everyone brings a wrapped gift valued at a determined amount {we usually say about $10}. The gifts are placed in the center and everyone grabs a number from a hat. Then person 1 grabs a gift and opens it. Person number 2 can steal the item or choose another from the center. Items can only be stolen 2 times in a row and a max of 5 times in our family. If your gift is stolen from you, you get to pick and unwrap another. Then you continue on from the last number who went. At the end, person number 1 gets to go again by stealing or keeping their gift.
Another fun twist: we have an adult game, a teen game, and a kids game.
Popular gifts: Jerky, hot chocolate sets, slippers, blankets, chocolate, spa baskets, stationery sets, craft kits, decorations, gadgets, and tools.
White Elephant From Home Gift Exchange
Like the traditional white elephant game, everyone brings a wrapped gift valued around a pre-determined amount. The twist on this game is you have to bring something from your own home that you no longer need or want and it can’t be trash. We have had decorations, tools, bed sets, homemade goodie baskets, and food storage.
Homemade Gifts Gift Exchange
We all have years where we want to step back and buy less. One exchange rendition we have done is a DIY from home. Everything had to be made with what you have on hand at home from scrap wood to leftover fabric – it was all game.
Gift Ideas: Letters on homemade stationery, aprons with scrap fabric, bean bag toss with scrap wood, name Signs with string art, car parking garage with paper towel rolls, hair bows with ribbon, and soo much more!
Games Only Gift Exchange
This is one we have on our list to do but it sounds like fun. Every family buys a game and you spend the evening playing games. At the end of the night, everyone goes home with a new game. For the exchange you can draw game names or numbers. or just everyone says what games they like and don’t have.
Gift ideas: The Bean Game, Poetry For Neanderthals, The Voting Game, Disney Pictionary.
Family Basket Gift Exchange
With 8 siblings, their spouses, and 10 nieces and nephews to shop for we love this style of exchange. For our family, we have a set amount everyone can try to value around one year we had it set to $30. From there we are able to fill the basket or gift box with what ever we want for the family.
Gift Ideas: Hiking picnic basket with blanket, games, date night in a box, movie night box with popcorn fixings candy and drinks, Christmas ornament set.
Cookie Exchange Gift Exchange
We have done this with friends. Everyone brings 3 dozen cookies packaged in sets of 6 cookies with the recipe attached. For the exchange you take 6 sets of cookies that are not yours. The packaging is just as fun as all the cookies you will have to fill your holiday hot chocolate trays.
Picking Methods: Draw a number and pick 1 set at a time until all the sets are gone, free for all, go in a circle, draw names,
Ornament Exchange Gift Exchange
Everyone brings a set number of ornaments. Sitting in a circle you share why you picked or made the style you did. Then you exchange. We have done it where you bring one per person at the party. The host set up a small tree and called it our friendship Christmas tree.
Exchange Methods: Draw numbers, draw names, free for all.
Other Twists: Homemade ornament, set theme, value amount, things that represent you.
Secret Santa/Secret Sister/Santa’s Elf Gift Exchange
We have done all these with families and friends from church. Everyone signs up ahead of the event and the host will then make a master list of who has who. The host lets you know who you have. We normally do this for the whole month of December and reveal at new Years, if we want to reveal that is. On average we gift each other at least 1 time per week.
Gift Ideas: Advent theme gift, Nativity-themed gift, snuggles, and hot chocolate, games, toys, and trinkets, journals and coloring, event tickets, treats and goodies, and gingerbread kits.
Left -Right Story Gift Exchange
We have done this at our extended family gatherings with the little kids {ages baby-9 years old} so many times and they love it. Like a white elephant exchange, everyone brings a wrapped gift valued around a set amount. All the gifts are placed in the center and then everyone grabs one. A narrator is picked to read a Left-Right story. Each time the word “LEFT” is read everyone passes the gifts to the left. Every time “RIGHT” is read they go right. When the story is done you get to keep the gift you have and open it. You can find tones of stories online or make up your own.
Set Yearly Rotation Gift Exchange
Everyone in the group is listed and then you have a random picker or draw names from a hat to set up a random rotation as to who has who. From there you rotate everyone down the list one or two spots for the next year. Make sure to avoid spouses gifting each other. For my husband’s side of the family, we have a siblings and spouses rotation, and a kids rotation.
Draw a Name Gift Exchange
Everyone draws a name from a hat and shops for that one person or family. You can do a set amount of value for the exchange. Everyone can let everyone know who they have as they draw unless you want to keep it secret.
Gift Card Exchange Gift Exchange
This can be done in a few different ways. Everyone buys a set number of gift cards valued at a set amount. Cards are placed in a holiday card, gift card box, or envelope. You can place everything on the tree, in a basket, or on a table. Everyone then takes the same number of gift cards home that they came with.
Fun Variations: Favorite restaurants, date night, stores from a set mall, drinks and treats, clothing stores, favorite place to shop.
Our Favorites: Movie theater, Target, Starbucks, Famous Daves, Olive Garden.
Do you do a holiday gift exchange with your family or friends?
