The gift game where stealing is the point
Everyone brings one wrapped gift. In a drawn order each player opens a new gift or steals one already opened, and whoever is robbed chooses again at once. That is where the laughs come from, and also where people lose track.
This page keeps track for you: whose turn it is, who holds what, how many times each gift was stolen and which gifts are locked.
How to run the swap
Put the screen where everyone can see it.
Enter the players and pick how many steals lock a gift.
Draw the order and play: open a new gift or steal one.
When everyone has a gift, the first player may make one last swap.
What the tracker handles
The rules people argue about, applied the same way every turn.
- A fair random turn order
- Steal limits from one to five, then the gift is locked
- No stealing back the gift just taken from you
- An optional last swap for the first player
- A log of every opening and steal, kept if the page reloads
Where it is played
Anywhere a group trades wrapped gifts.
Office Christmas parties.
Family Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve.
Friends' holiday nights with silly gifts.
Classroom swaps with small, agreed prices.
How the rules are applied
The order is shuffled with the browser's secure random source. A turn ends only when someone opens a new gift; a steal hands the turn to the person robbed.
A gift stolen as many times as the limit is locked with its holder, and the person just robbed cannot take that same gift straight back.
Good to know
It tracks one table on one device; there is no link for each player.
Prices and gift rules are for your group to agree on before you start.
Tips
- Three steals per gift keeps a group of ten moving without endless rounds.
- Type what each gift is as it is opened, so steals are easy to follow.
White Elephant questions
What is the difference between White Elephant and Secret Santa?
In Secret Santa each person buys for one drawn name. In White Elephant gifts are anonymous and players open or steal them in turn.
How many times can a gift be stolen?
You set it from one to five. After that the gift is locked.
Can you steal back a gift taken from you?
Not straight away. You must open a new gift or steal a different one.
Does the first player get another turn?
If you switch it on, yes: once everyone has a gift, the first player may swap with any unlocked gift.