White elephant gift exchange rules (and Yankee swap)
White elephant (also called Yankee swap or Dirty Santa) differs from Secret Santa: nobody is assigned a person, and gifts can be stolen.
Shuffle the turn order
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How to play
- Everyone brings one wrapped gift within the budget and puts it in a pile.
- Each player draws a number to set the turn order, or use the turn-order shuffler below.
- Player 1 unwraps a gift.
- Each next player either unwraps a new gift or steals an opened gift from someone.
- A person whose gift is stolen picks again: steal another gift or unwrap a new one.
- The game ends when every gift is opened.
Common house rules
- Steal limit: a gift is "frozen" after its third steal.
- No immediate steal-back: you can't steal back the gift just taken from you on the same turn.
- Final swap: player 1 gets one last chance to swap at the end, since they had no choice at the start.
Yankee swap vs white elephant
The names are used for the same game in most of the US. "Yankee swap" is common in New England; some groups use it for the version with the final swap for player 1.
Questions
How do you decide the order in white elephant?
Draw numbered slips, or use the turn-order shuffler on this page: enter the players and it produces a random order you can copy or print.
How many steals are allowed in white elephant?
A common rule is to freeze a gift after its third steal.
Is white elephant the same as Secret Santa?
No. In Secret Santa you buy for one assigned person. In white elephant, gifts aren't meant for anyone in particular, and they can be stolen.
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Updated October 27, 2026