Why Weve is the Best Option for your Virtual White Elephant Gift Exchange

The holidays are quickly approaching and even if you can’t gather in person this year, there are many ways to make a virtual holiday gathering an engaging and special experience. Gather today for a holiday happy hour and spice it up with some festive experiences like holiday games and gift exchanges. One of the most fun classic holiday party games is known as White Elephant, also known as Yankee Swap or Dirty Santa. With a little bit of prep, you can play this game virtually and have a great experience.

We’ve got all the information you need to plan your best ever virtual gift exchange. This article answers the questions:

• What is a White Elephant Christmas party?
• What are White Elephant gifts?
• How does an in-person White Elephant exchange work? 
• How do you do a virtual White Elephant gift exchange?
• How does Weve run virtual gift exchanges?
• What should you consider in the budget for a virtual White Elephant party?
• How do you make a White Elephant more fun?

What is a White Elephant Christmas party?

The biggest goal of any gift exchange is that everyone has fun and leaves with a gift. A White Elephant gift exchange is a bit different. It is all about stealing others' gifts and ending up with your favorite! Of course, you can always do a regular gift exchange with no-steals, but we think the stealing adds a fun dimension to your celebration.

What are White Elephant gifts?

While everyone appreciates a thoughtful gift picked out just for them, that is not the point of a White Elephant gift exchange. The term White Elephant refers to something that is useless or troublesome and may even be expensive to maintain or difficult to get rid of.  So, a White Elephant gift is more of a funny gag gift than something useful. Think things like a Bob Ross Chia Pet or a coat for your beer can.

HOW DOES AN IN-PERSON WHITE ELEPHANT EXCHANGE WORK?

Before trying to plan a virtual version of a White Elephant exchange, it is important to make sure you understand the basic rules. Here are the important steps:

1. Choose a date for your event.
2. Before the event, choose a gift budget. Between $10-25 is usually enough for a fun gag gift.
3. Everyone arrives with a wrapped gift and places it on a table.
4. Put as many numbers in a hat or basket as there are people. For instance if 10 people bring gifts, put the numbers 1 through 10 on individual pieces of paper.
5. When you are ready to start the game, everyone who brought a gift draws a number.
6.  The person who drew #1 is the first to choose a gift. They can choose anything on the table to unwrap. Everyone is able to see what their gift is.
7. The next person (#2) can choose to open a new wrapped gift or they can steal the unwrapped gift. If gift #1 is stolen, that person gets to choose a new wrapped gift.
8. No one can decline a trade or hold onto their gift until a gift is locked in (no matter how much you love the pair of Beatles socks).
9. This pattern continues until everyone has gotten to choose or steal a gift. As you have probably figured out by now, the highest number is the best position to be in. However, you can place a limit on gift stealing. For instance, once a gift is stolen two times, it may be taken out of the game and is safe for the person who now has it.