Whatās the dirtiest part of Christmas? The game of Dirty Santa!
AKA Chinese Gift Exchange, Yankee Swap, and the White Elephant Gift Exchange, this is a game where any gift is fair game!
Game Rules
There are rules for this seemingly unruly game, though! Here are the usual rules:
- Everyone brings a gift valued at around the same amount (the amount is predetermined by the host) and everyone leaves with one gift.
- The first person starts by selecting a gift to unwrap from the gift pile.
- The next player has the option to āstealā the gift or open a new one. If the gift is stolen, the person who had their gift taken must unwrap another gift, or if later in the game, can choose any other unwrapped gift..
- The next person goes and can choose any unwrapped gift or to open a new one.
- This continues until all gifts have been unwrapped.
- If you have had possession of the same gift three times, it becomes yours and you and the gift are now out of the game!
Dirty Santa Gift Ideas
When it comes to Dirty Santa gift ideas, you need to think of things that anyone can enjoy. If you happen to pick something up that is a bit gender-specific, be sure to wrap it this way to indicate the gender. Hereās a handful of Dirty Santa gift ideas for you to consider:
Money Maze Gift Box Bank: Donāt be that guy who picks up a gift card last minute, and if you are, then you should definitely have a few of these on hand to add a little excitement! Make the recipient work a ball through a maze before this contraption will unlock to loot!
Photo Snow Globe: Whoever gets this has the chance to put themselves in a winter wonderland year-round!
Babycakes Pop Maker: These little cake pop things have just been popping up all over town, so instead of spending a fortune to buy some, get a cake pop maker and make a gift basket of cake pops for the exchange, or toss this in instead!
Belgian Style Waffle Maker: Who doesnāt love waffles in the morning? Iām talking the ones that donāt come from the freezer. Someone will want it!
Liddle Griddle:Ā These things really come in handy from time to time, and this specific one is just the right size for breakfast for one!
Wax Melts Warmer or Burner: People enjoy nice-smelling things, especially around the holiday season! Donāt forget to pick up a melt or two to go with the gift!
Superman + Wonder Woman Kitchen Aprons: Have some foodies in the family? Then you might just see them fighting to get this gift! Couples aprons, awesome!
Cranium: This game is a hoot for the whole family and likely wonāt make it away from the party without being opened! Looking for more of a religious gift? TryĀ Cranium Bible Edition!
Clue Family Guy: Clue with a twist of Peter Griffin? Sounds like fun to me! Not a Family Guy fan? Go with the original game of Clue The Classic Edition.
Children’s Nativity Set: When it comes to any kind of Christmas gift giving, you truly cannot go wrong with a nativity set! This beautiful wooden set can become a childās playset or be used as decoration–or both!
Hot Cocoa Gift Set: If youāve ever pleasured your taste buds with Godiva chocolate, then you can imagineĀ how awesome their hot cocoa would be!
Christmas Vacation Glass Moose Mug: Most of us have seen this funny Christmas movie! Just wait until people catch a glimpse of this mug!
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas: This is the classic Christmas movie that belongs in everyoneās DVD collection!
Lobster Claw Oven Mitt: Why not make cooking a bit more fun this holiday season with a fun lobster claw oven mitt!
Elf on the Shelf: Yet another Christmas classic, this is a book and game of an Elf that reports behavior back to Santa! Better be good, the Elf is watching!
If thereās an even mix of adults and children, you can choose to have this game just for the adult gift-giving, do it all together, or have a separate Dirty Santa game for the kids, chaperoned by an adult, of course. Make this fun game a family tradition!
