Dirty Santa, also known as White Elephant or Yankee Swap, is a popular Christmas party game played with gifts. The game involves each participant bringing a wrapped gift to contribute to a common pool. Players take turns selecting a mystery gift from the pool or stealing a previously opened gift from another player. The goal is to end up with the best gift of the bunch. Dirty Santa is a fun way to add excitement and suspense to a holiday gathering.
How do you play dirty Santa?
Here are the basic rules for playing dirty Santa:
- Each participant brings a wrapped gift to contribute. Gifts can be homemade, purchased, or regifted items. The gifts should have a similar value, usually with a spending limit set by the host.
- The gifts are piled together in a common area where they can be easily selected. Give each gift a number to identify it.
- Players draw numbers to determine the order of play. The person who draws #1 goes first, #2 goes second, and so on.
- The first player selects a gift from the pile and opens it for everyone to see. The opened gift is set aside.
- Moving in order, each person can choose to either select an unopened gift from the pile or steal an opened gift from any other player.
- When a gift is stolen, the person losing the gift gets to select another unopened gift as a replacement.
- The game continues until all gifts have been opened. The last person selects the final remaining gift from the pile.
- The game ends when the last gift is chosen. Everyone keeps the gift in their possession at that time.
Those are the basics of how to play dirty Santa! Now let’s get into more details on rules and variations.
How many gifts do you need?
The number of wrapped gifts needed equals the number of players. If you have 10 people participating, you need 10 wrapped gifts contributed to the pool. It’s no fun if someone doesn’t get a gift! The host may need to purchase a few extra gifts in case any guests fail to bring one.
Should gifts be gender neutral?
Gender neutral gifts are ideal for dirty Santa since men and women will be choosing mystery gifts blindly. Gag gifts, candles, lottery tickets, gift cards, and food or drink items make great gender neutral options. If the party guests are primarily one gender, it’s okay to skew towards gifts tailored to that demographic.
What is a good dirty Santa gift spending limit?
A spending limit helps set expectations for the type of gifts participants should contribute. $10-$20 is a standard dirty Santa gift spending limit for small groups. For larger parties or bigger budgets, $25-$50 is common. The host should communicate the spending limit upfront so guests shop accordingly.
Should dirty Santa gifts be nice or funny?
Both nice and funny gifts make great contributions to a dirty Santa exchange! Nice gifts could include things like candles, lotions, gift cards, or holiday treats. Funny gag gift ideas might be silly toys, tacky decorations, or anything that will get a laugh. A mix of thoughtful and humorous gifts adds variety to the gift pool.
Can you put a alcohol in a dirty Santa gift?
Alcohol is a popular dirty Santa gift idea! Just make sure it’s legal to exchange alcohol gifts in your state and location. Also consider if there will be minors participating who cannot legally receive alcohol. If so, keep the gifts kid-friendly. Wrap bottles of wine, beer, liquor or a cocktail kit for adult parties.
Can you steal a gift more than once in dirty Santa?
A gift can only be stolen twice in a standard game of dirty Santa. The first player who selects a gift gets to keep it. The second player to take the gift gets to keep it permanently. After being stolen once and returned to the original owner, the gift is “frozen” and can no longer be stolen again.
Is there a time limit for choosing gifts in dirty Santa?
Some hosts set a time limit of 1-2 minutes for each turn to keep the game moving. This prevents excessive deliberation and stalling. If a player goes over the time limit, they must forfeit their turn. A timer helps enforce the time constraint. Allowing unlimited time can drag down the pace of the game.
Can you trade gifts after a dirty Santa game ends?
Trading gifts is allowed and encouraged once the game wraps up! Players can negotiate and swap with each other to end up with a gift they want. Since the choosing is random, people often end up with a gift that wasn’t their top choice. Trading gives everyone a chance to get something they’ll truly enjoy.
What are the best dirty Santa gifts under $10?
Here are some popular dirty Santa gift ideas that cost under $10:
- Candles
- Lotions or bath sets
- Mini booze bottles
- Gag gifts like hand buzzers or fake lottery tickets
- Small toys and games
- Holiday candy or baked goods
- Ornaments
- Holiday socks or slippers
- Gift cards to coffee shops or fast food restaurants
What are the best dirty Santa gifts under $20?
Great dirty Santa gifts under $20 include:
- Movie gift baskets with DVDs, candy, and popcorn
- Desk accessories like photo frames, pen holders, calendars
- Travel tumblers, water bottles, or coffee mugs
- Holiday decor like wreaths, table pieces, string lights
- nicer bottles of wine or liquor
- Gourmet food gifts like chocolate, fruit baskets, baked goods
- Salon gift sets with soaps, lotions, and spa slippers
- Tech accessories like power banks, earbuds, selfie sticks
Dirty Santa gift ideas for kids
Shopping for a children’s dirty Santa gift exchange? Here are fun ideas kids will love:
- Stuffed animals
- Lego sets
- Art or craft kits
- Board games and puzzles
- Action figures
- Science experiment sets
- Building toys like Lincoln Logs
- Remote control cars
- Nail polish kits
- Diaries, journals, or notebooks
Dirty Santa gifts to avoid
While almost anything goes for dirty Santa, here are some gift ideas you may want to avoid:
- Used or regifted items that are worn out or meaningless to whoever ends up with the gift
- Downright offensive or vulgar gifts that may embarrass or insult others
- Dangerous or illegal gifts like weapons
- Overly personalized gifts with someone else’s name or photo
- Perishable foods that may spoil before the gift exchange
The key is making sure your gift will appeal to a variety of people, not just your own taste. When in doubt, stick to neutral gift themes like candles, lotions, food, and fun gag items.
Dirty Santa variations
If you want to mix up the basic dirty Santa rules, here are some popular variations:
- Naughty Santa: Players can steal gifts from any player, not just opened gifts. Stealing is unlimited.
- Thieving Santa: A gift can be stolen unlimited times, rather than just twice.
- Sabotage: Players can choose to sabotage and unwrap one gift from the pool instead of taking a turn. This leaves one less gift in play.
- Re-Wrapping: Force players to re-wrap gifts each time they are stolen. This creates suspense over which gifts are which.
- Left-Right: Rather than drawing numbers, gift choosing order alternates left to right around the circle.
Dirty Santa prize ideas
To add more fun, you can award silly prizes for dirty Santa game accomplishments like:
- Most steals
- First choice
- Last choice (winner of the dud prize)
- Best reaction to an unwanted gift
- Longest time deliberating each turn
Hand out trophies, ribbons, certificates or small tokens as prizes. This adds another element of fun and friendly competition.
Strategies for winning dirty Santa
Use these dirty Santa strategies to end up with the best gift:
- If there’s a gift you really want, take it right away. Don’t risk it getting stolen.
- Wait to open gifts until later in the game. Let others do the early unwrapping.
- Steal sought-after gifts like gift cards, alcohol, or gifts in nice wrapping.
- Don’t open your gift early if it’s something you like. Save it til the end.
- Consider sacrificing your first choice gift to get your second pick at the end.
Part of the fun is the strategy and suspense over who will end up with the coveted top gifts!
Dirty Santa gift exchange etiquette
Here is some gift exchange etiquette to make sure dirty Santa stays fun for everyone:
- Arrive on time with an appropriate gift that meets the spending limit. Don’t show up empty-handed.
- Don’t peek at gifts or shake them excessively before choosing.
- Don’t be overly cutthroat and hoard all the good gifts. Share the fun.
- Keep gift stealing civil and friendly. Don’t get nasty over a gift.
- Express gratitude when opening gifts, even if you don’t like it.
- Don’t criticize gifts someone else contributed.
- Thank the host and help clean up when finished.
Follow those etiquette basics to ensure everyone enjoys the experience.
Conclusion
Dirty Santa is a fun, unpredictable Christmas tradition for holiday parties and gatherings. Following the basic gift exchange rules and adding creative variations keeps it interesting year after year. Set a spending limit, contribute fun gifts, and see who ends up taking home the best loot. Just keep the stealing civil and your dirty Santa will be a huge hit!