Secret Santa Games And Gift Swap Rules: Bad Santa, White Elephant And Dice Steal

Everybody calls these games something different, everybody plays them slightly wrong, and every year somebody ends up with a car air freshener and a grudge. Here are the actual rules.

Four games, all played with one wrapped gift per person, all finished inside half an hour.

Bad Santa / White Elephant - the classic steal game

• Everyone brings one wrapped gift to an agreed budget (£10 is the UK standard) and puts it in a pile.
• Draw numbers. Player one picks a gift, opens it, shows everyone.
• Player two either opens a new gift or steals player one's. If stolen from, you immediately pick a new gift or steal from someone else.
• A gift can only be stolen twice - after the third owner it is frozen and safe.
• You cannot immediately steal back the gift that was just taken from you.
• At the end, player one gets the option to swap with anyone - that's why going first is worth having.

The dice steal game

• Everyone sits in a circle with their wrapped gift in front of them, plus one or two dice.
• Round one: roll in turn. A six means take a gift from someone else, still wrapped. Keep going until every gift has moved at least once.
• Round two: set a timer for five minutes. Roll a one and pass a gift left, roll a six and steal one from anyone. Chaos.
• When the timer goes, whatever is in front of you is yours. Then everybody unwraps at the same time.
• Variant: use two dice and add rules for doubles - everyone passes right.

Classic Secret Santa (the draw)

• Draw names in secret - names in a hat, or a free online drawer if people are in different places.
• Set the budget in writing and set a date and a place for the swap.
• Everyone buys for the person they drew, wraps it with a name tag and brings it on the day.
• Open one at a time and guess who your Santa was before they own up. That guessing bit is the whole game.
• Ask for a two-line wish list from everyone. It transforms the quality of the gifts.

Rules you should agree before you start

• The budget, including whether it's a ceiling or a target.
• Steal cap: two steals then frozen, or you'll be there at midnight.
• Whether gifts are opened as they're chosen (Bad Santa) or all at the end (dice game).
• Whether homemade, secondhand or edible gifts are allowed - say yes, they're usually the best ones.
• Whether there's a theme: worst gift in the house, something from a garage, under £5, nothing new.
• What happens if someone forgets - have one spare wrapped gift so nobody sits out.

Shop Christmas cards

How to write it so it lands

• Agree the budget, the steal cap and the theme before anyone buys.
• Have one spare wrapped gift for whoever forgets.
• Number the turn order with folded paper, not by asking for volunteers.

Where to shop next

• Christmas gift ideas hub
• Christmas Day games for after dinner
• Christmas games for the whole family
• Christmas Eve games and traditions
• Christmas party games for adults
• Christmas games for two people
• The left right Christmas story game
• Christmas charades and Pictionary word lists
• Christmas Day quiz
• Christmas morning games for kids
• Twelve games of Christmas
• New Year's Eve party games
• Boxing Day walk and outdoor games
• Christmas board games
• Boxing Day games
• Board games hub
• Secret Santa gift ideas
• Free feel good tools
• Shop Christmas cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What are the rules of Bad Santa?

Everyone brings one wrapped gift to the same budget. Players take turns in a drawn order to either open a new gift or steal an opened one. If your gift is stolen you immediately choose again. A gift is frozen after two steals, you can't steal straight back from the person who just took yours, and player one gets a final swap at the end.

What's the difference between Secret Santa and White Elephant?

In Secret Santa you draw a name and buy for that person. In White Elephant - Bad Santa in the UK - nobody buys for anyone specific: everyone brings one gift to a pile and the fun is in stealing them from each other.

How does the Secret Santa dice game work?

Everyone sits in a circle with a wrapped gift. Roll in turn - a six lets you take someone's gift, still wrapped. In round two a timer runs for five minutes with a one meaning pass left and a six meaning steal. Whatever's in front of you when the timer goes is yours, and everyone unwraps together.

What's a good Secret Santa budget in the UK?

£10 is the standard, £5 for a big group or a school, £15 to £20 for close friends. Agree it in writing before anyone shops, and say whether it's a limit or a target.

How many steals should a gift allow?

Two. After a third person receives it, freeze it. Without a cap, one popular gift circulates forever and the game never ends.

Do you sell games or party supplies?

No - we make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. The games here need little or nothing to run, and the only products on this page are our own cards.