8 Fun Ways to Exchange Christmas Gifts in the Office

Playing a gift exchange game is a fun way to distribute gifts between coworkers and encourage holiday fun at the end of the year. Games create a lively atmosphere, let everyone have a good laugh, and add the element of surprise and excitement to the traditional gift exchange. In this article, you will find our pick of the most popular gift exchange games for the office.

8 Creative Gift Exchange Games for the Office

White Elephant

The White Elephant is an ever-popular gift exchange game for coworkers, friends, and families. It prioritizes humorous gifts and includes swapping and stealing presents, encouraging everyone to fiercely compete for the best gift in the pile.

How to play:

1. Everyone brings a wrapped gift of the same value to the office.
2. Players draw numbers to determine in what order they will unwrap gifts.
3. The first player opens any gift from the pile. The second player has a choice to steal the gift from the previous player or to open a new one.
4. The player whose gift was stolen can open a new one or steal a gift from someone else (up to 2 rounds of stealing are possible).
5. The game ends when all the presents are opened.

Also Read:

White Elephant Gift Exchange Ideas & Game Rules

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Hot Potato

You probably remember this game from kindergarten. It keeps the gift exchange unpredictable and adds the element of randomness.

How to play:

1. Participants sit in a circle and pass one gift to each other.
2. When the DJ stops the music, the person holding the gift keeps it and is out of the circle.
3. The DJ plays another song and the game continues until every player has a gift.

Secret Santa

In Secret Santa, players exchange personalized gifts, which fosters connections between coworkers and lets them know more about each other. People bring one present for the assigned person, and the recipient has to guess the giver.

How to play:

1. A few weeks before the party, players draw names randomly to decide who gives a present to whom.
2. Add some gift suggestions to make it easier for the Secret Santa to choose a present.
3. On the exchange day, participants can leave their present at the recipient’s desk. Or, put all the gifts under the Christmas tree and open them in front of everyone.
4. Players guess their Secret Santa, which encourages group laughting and fun.

Also Read:

How To Organize Secret Santa for Small Work Teams

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To organize the Secret Santa activity in your office seamlessly, try our MySanta generator. In it, you can draw names online instantly and set exclusions. Plus, each player completes a wishlist, so choosing a perfect gift for the coworker is no longer a problem. More importantly, the game tracks all gifts – the host sees who bought a present and who hasn’t to ensure that everyone receives a gift.

Try our MySanta app

You can create wishlists, add exclusions, and communicate with your assigned coworker secretly to exchange gifts everyone will enjoy.

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Dice Exchange

This gift exchange activity adds a fun twist and the element of luck. All players buy presents of the same value and roll the dice to determine what gift they’ll leave the party with.

How to play:

1. Everyone brings a wrapped gift. All gifts are distributed to players randomly.
2. Each player rolls the dice to determine what to do with the gift they’re holding. You can find the instruction sheet below, or create your own rules.
3. The game ends when each player holds an unwrapped gift. This type of exchange is very unpredictable and therefore fun!

Gifts by Number

This is a simple and quick gift exchange activity to quickly distribute gifts within the team and focus on other team-building holiday activities.

How to play:

1. Players bring wrapped gifts not intended for any specific person. Each gift is labeled with a number.
2. Then, players draw numbers from the hat to determine who receives each gift. Players take turns to take and unwrap the gift with the corresponding number.
3. If the player draws his own gift number, they draw another paper from the box.

Christmas Trivia Gift Exchange

If you don’t want to distribute gifts randomly, why not let the smartest team players enjoy the best gifts? A Christmas Trivia can add the competitive element and let everyone stretch their brains at the party.

How to play:

1. Prepare a set of holiday-themed questions for the team. Tailor the gifts to the interests of your group to keep everyone engaged.
2. All gifts are placed in the center of the room.
3. Players take turns answering trivia questions, and if they answer right, they can select the gift from the pile. If they give a wrong answer, they wait for the second round.

Santa’s Casino

Give your holiday party a Las Vegas vibe without leaving the office! In the Santa’s Casino game, participants exchange presents as usual, and can also win a substantial amount of money. It adds the element of luck and competition to your office gift exchange.

How to play:

1. Players bring wrapped gifts of the same value to the party and also contribute $5 or $10 to the bank. To fuel the competition, the company can add more money to the amount.
2. All gifts are placed at the table.
3. Each player has three options: 1. Take any gift from the table. 2. Put their name in the box to win the total amount of money. 3. Put the name in the second box to compete for all unclaimed gifts.
4. Prepare small presents for players who put their names in the boxes but didn’t win.

Gift Guessing Game

The Gift Guessing activity combines the element of surprise with holiday charades. Players can get any gift from the pile provided that they guess what’s inside.

How to play:

1. Each player comes to the center of the room with a gift they brought.
2. The player shows the gift to everyone and provides hints about what is inside.
3. The first coworker who guesses the right answer gets this gift. The game continues until everyone has a gift.

Tips to organize a fun gift exchange in the office

No matter the gift exchange game, these recommendations will help you keep the exchange inclusive and fun for everyone:

Set the gift budget

This rule is a must for every gift exchange. Set the limit for gifts (for example, $25) and ask everyone to stick to it. If the player brings the expensive present and receives something cheap from the supermarket, it can cause hurt feelings and spoil the mood for everyone.

Choose the gift theme

To keep the exchange fun, set a theme that appeals to most players. You can exchange practical gifts, tech presents, Harry Potter-themed gifts, or gag gifts, or encourage everyone to bring something green, something wooden, or something that starts with an A letter.

Consider the team dynamics

To choose the perfect gift exchange activity, take your team’s preferences into account. If the team mostly has introverts who prefer intellectual activities, opt for a Gift Guessing Game or Christmas Trivia. On the contrary, if there are many outgoing personalities who enjoy jokes and a lot of fun, opt for White Elephant or the Dice Exchange.

Have a few spare gifts

There can be situations when someone forgets to bring the gift to the party. Buy a few small presents just in case to ensure that everyone receives a present on the Christmas party.

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