Christmas is the time to spread cheer and to give gifts to all your friends, family, and loved ones. However, this family tradition can tend to get boring when you do the same gift exchange game year after year. This blog post will go over a few different ideas for you to mix it up this holiday season!
Dice
Instead of drawing numbers, rolling dice is a great way to pass around gifts! Dice can be used in many different ways, as each number can indicate a specific action to take. You can draw up a chart that explains what each number means. Here is a sample chart to use, but you can change it up any way you like!
If you roll a 1: Pass gifts to the right.
If you roll a 2: Pass gifts to the left.
If you roll a 3 or 4: Player can steal any gift.
If you roll a 5 or 6: Player has to unwrap their gift.
You can also add other creative actions, such as roll again, switch your gift with someone of your choosing, freeze your gift, pick someone else to unwrap their gift, swap gifts with the person to your right, etc. The game can end after every gift is unwrapped, or after everyone has rolled the dice a specified number of times.
Cards
With cards, the possibilities are endless! The card you draw tells you what to do with your present (swap, unwrap, steal, etc.), or you can create your own custom cards to spice up the game.
One creative card game to try is called “Scrooge Your Neighbor.” Each player draws a card that determines their character (inspired by “The Christmas Carol”), and allows you to perform a specific action during the game. Some actions may be able to steal a present, block a steal, peek at a gift before opening, and unfreeze a frozen gift. This game is available to download online.
Santa’s Helper Game
In this game, you are trying to get the best gift for someone else, rather than for yourself. Before the game, each player has to fill out a paper of their likes and dislikes. Each player randomly picks another player and plays the game trying to get the perfect gift for their person.
Rock Paper Scissors
This idea can completely switch up your gift exchange game! If you want to steal someone’s gift, you have to beat them in a game of rock paper scissors. You can draw up a chart that explains what to do. For example:
If you win: The winner steals the loser’s gift and open it.
If you lose: The winner keeps their gift and the loser can challenge someone else.
If it’s a tie: Both players switch their gifts.
Again, these actions can be changed up however you like with new and original ideas.
Musical Gifts
Have everyone sit in a circle. Hand one gift to someone in the circle and start playing music as the present is passed around the circle. When the music stops, the person holding the gift opens it and leaves the circle. Continue until everyone receives a gift. If you want the game to go quicker, have everyone hold their gift, so that all the gifts are being passed along at once. Once the music stops, everyone stops passing and opens the gift in their hand.
Alternatively, you can do two rounds. In the first round, the wrapped gifts are passed in a circle and are unwrapped when the music stops. In the second round, the unwrapped gifts are passed in a circle and when the music stops, you get to go home with whatever gift you are holding.
Guess the Lyric Game
Have your guests sit in a circle with the pile of unwrapped presents in the middle. Play a Christmas carol as one gift is passed around the circle. When the music stops, the person holding the present must say the next word or phrase in the song. If they get it right, they can keep the gift and leave the circle, or exchange their gift with another player. If they get it wrong, the present must continue to pass in the circle. The presents can be unwrapped as each person wins them, or they can stay wrapped until the game is over.
Guess the Giver Game
Collect the gifts and make sure that no names are on any of them. Give one gift to each player and have each person guess where they are from. If a player guesses correctly, they can keep and open the gift. If they are wrong, they need to draw a consequence from a jar in order to keep their gift. These consequences can be, “Sing a Christmas song,” “Name all of Santa’s reindeer,” “Tell a Christmas joke,” and much more. Get creative! The game is over once everyone has received a gift. You can keep all gifts wrapped, or you can allow players to unwrap a gift before they guess who it is from.
Christmas Gift Auction
If you have a Monopoly game, distribute an equal amount of Monopoly dollars to the group. Or, you can make your own handmade money, or use candy as currency. Before the game starts, each player can feel their gift and try to determine what’s inside. The gifts are auctioned off one by one, and the person who bids the most amount of money wins the gift.
In a variation of this game, each time a person wins a gift, they open it and show the group. After all the gifts are auctioned off, you can hold another auction for the opened gifts. People who don’t want their gift can offer it to the auction and bid on another gift.
