Gift exchange games compared, from White Elephant to the Left Right story
Every December the same question comes up: how should we do the presents this year? Here are five ways, how long each takes and who each one suits.
Updated October 20, 2026
The five at a glance
| Game | Group size | Time | Stealing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Elephant | 6 to 30 | about 2 minutes a person | Yes, with limits | Teens and adults who like rivalry |
| Secret Santa | 4 or more | 30 minutes to open | No | Families and close teams |
| Left Right story | 5 to 25 | about 10 minutes | No, chance only | Mixed ages, classes, offices |
| Dice gift exchange | 5 to 20 | about 20 minutes | Yes, by the dice | Groups that want noise |
| Pass the Parcel | 4 to 16 | about 15 minutes | No | Children, one shared prize |
How to choose
Do people know each other well? Secret Santa lets the giver pick something personal. The other four work with gifts that suit anyone.
Will stealing cause trouble? Some families love it and some do not. If you are unsure, choose the Left Right story or the dice game, where chance moves the gifts and nobody takes one by choice.
How much time do you have? The Left Right story takes ten minutes. White Elephant with twenty-five people can take most of an hour.
Are there children? The Left Right story and Pass the Parcel work from about age six and three respectively. White Elephant suits players from about twelve.
Making any exchange go smoothly
Put the spending limit and the kind of gift in the invitation, in one sentence. Ask for gifts to be wrapped so they cannot be identified. Have one or two spare gifts in case someone forgets, and decide before the start whether people may swap at the end.
For more Christmas ideas, see Christmas games, and for printable cards to keep a table busy, the bingo card generator.
The games
-
White Elephant
The one with stealing, and the one people talk about afterward. Pick it for a group of teens and adults who enjoy a bit of rivalry, and allow about two minutes per person.
- 6–30 players
- 45 min
- Ages 12+
- Lively
- Needs one wrapped gift per player, numbered slips of paper, a bowl
-
Secret Santa
The kindest choice when people know each other well. Everyone buys for one named person, so each gift can be chosen with care, and nobody loses anything to a steal.
- 4+ players
- 30 min
- Ages 6+
- Calm
- Needs slips of paper with every name, a bowl or hat, one wrapped gift per person
-
Left Right Gift Game
The quickest of the five: one story read aloud, about ten minutes, and gifts move by chance. It suits mixed ages, a school class or an office team that wants something light.
- 5–25 players
- 10 min
- Ages 6+
- Lively
- Needs one wrapped gift per player, a story with left and right in it
- Ad position: inContent
-
Dice Gift Exchange
More chaos than White Elephant with less sulking, because the dice decide who loses a gift. Round two runs on a timer, so the end is loud and nobody knows when it is coming.
- 5–20 players
- 20 min
- Ages 6+
- Lively
- Needs one wrapped gift per player, two or three dice, a timer, the number chart written on a card
-
Pass the Parcel
For children, or for a family that wants one shared prize instead of a gift each. One parcel, many layers, and a small treat in each layer so more than one child wins.
- 4–16 players
- 15 min
- Ages 3+
- Lively
- Needs one prize, wrapping paper or newspaper, tape, a small treat or slip for each layer, music you can pause
Questions people ask
What is the difference between White Elephant and Secret Santa?
In Secret Santa you buy for one named person and they keep the gift. In White Elephant the gifts are for nobody in particular, and players take turns choosing or stealing them.
Which gift exchange game is best for a large office?
The Left Right story or the dice game. Both take about ten to twenty minutes whatever the size of the group. White Elephant gets slow past about twenty people unless you limit steals.
How much should people spend in a gift exchange?
Whatever suits the group, stated once in the invitation as one figure for everyone. Say too whether gifts should be funny, useful or both, so nobody feels their gift was wrong.
Written October 20, 2026. Last checked October 20, 2026. How we write these.