White elephant gift exchange
A white elephant gift exchange,[1] Yankee swap[2] or Dirty Santa[3][nb 1] is a party game where amusing and impractical gifts are exchanged during festivities. The goal of a white elephant gift exchange is to entertain party-goers rather than to gain a genuinely valuable or highly sought item.[3]
The term
Rules
Each participant supplies one wrapped gift, usually of similar value or any value. The gifts are placed in a central location, and participants determine in which order (often by numbers randomly drawn prior to the start of the game) they will take turns selecting a gift. The first person opens a wrapped gift, and the turn ends. On subsequent turns, each person has the choice to either unwrap a new present or to steal another's. When a person's gift is stolen, that person can either choose another wrapped gift to open or can steal from another player.[3] Each gift can only be stolen a specified number of times per game (two is common, which means the third holder of the gift keeps it). The game is over when everyone has a present. At the end - according to some variations - the first player is allowed to, if desired, swap his/her gift by stealing someone else's gift, even a gift that is out of play.[citation needed]
See also
Explanatory notes
References
- ^ Nunez, Kirsten (2016-12-13). "What Is A White Elephant Gift Exchange? Here's What You Need To Know About This Entertaining Party Game". Bustle.com. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
- ^ Bologna, Caroline (2017-12-18). "Why Do We Call That Holiday Game Yankee Swap, White Elephant And Dirty Santa? Unpacking the history of the popular gift exchange game". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
- ^ a b c d McGough, Nellah Bailey (2017-12-07). "Dirty Santa Rules for Your Gift Exchange Party". Southern Living. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
- ^ Pakditawan, Sirinya (2017-11-12). "White elephant in Thai culture, highly auspicious and symbols of royal power". The Phuket News. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
- doi:10.1002/mar.1034.
- ^
Dots and Dashes: Interesting Stories of Progress in the Telegraph Industry, Volumes 3-20, Western Union Telegraph Company, 1927
Ruth, Julie; Otnes, Cele C.; Brunel, Frédéric F. (March 1999). "Gift Receipt and the Reformulation of Interpersonal Relationships". Journal of Consumer Research. 25 (4): 385–402.S2CID 144827017.
Dryland, Ann (October 1968). "Review". British Journal of Educational Studies. 16 (3): 336–7.JSTOR 3119303.