Christmas is around the corner, and adequately preparing for it will help redefine your experience. One of the best ways to prepare would be to ensure that you have enough gifts to exchange with family and friends. Therefore, the biggest question will be, what are some Christmas gift exchange ideas? This article explores the various options you could consider to answer the question, what are some Christmas gift exchange ideas.
What Makes an Excellent Christmas Gift Exchange Idea?
What are some of the Christmas gift exchange ideas you could consider? Well, you’ll first need to look for an idea that assures you of invaluable returns in the long run. An ideal gift exchange idea should highlight fun, uniqueness, and value and should come from a reputable place like a pizza place or a furniture shop. These elements will ensure that the gift recipient appreciates the gift in the long run.
Your gift exchange idea should be significantly engaging. Perhaps, adding a touch of fun and game in the exchange will help you interact with the gift recipient. It will also be a lot easier to socialize and build your friendship with the recipient. There are multiple games you could consider in this pursuit.
Personalize your idea. Let it have a human touch too. This way, you can comfortably appeal to whoever you want to exchange gifts with at the end of the day. With the following insights, it will be relatively easy to make a more logical decision.
Use Games
What are some Christmas gift exchange ideas you can consider? Various games suffice whenever you want to exchange these gifts during Christmas. This approach is an excellent choice for people with large families. Usually, games aim at making the entire gifting process a little more affordable and less time-consuming.
While games can be a little too time-consuming, they often help improve your bond with your family and friends. All you need to do is choose the most suitable game to play. The following are some of the top choices you could embrace.
White Elephant
White Elephant is one of the most popular games to embrace. It often comes with a touch of competition, which is critical for entertainment. This game requires all family members to come with gifts. Upon assembly, each family member draws a number that’ll allow them to unwrap one of the gift boxes. The game goes on until each member unwraps a box, and everyone gets a gift. At the same time, you could spice up this experience with something else, depending on what you consider fun.
Grab Bag
If you are looking for a relatively straightforward game, this will be your ultimate choice. Here, everyone will come with a wrapped gift, preferably in a bag that will not sell out the type of gift. This move allows the members to pick a gift solely based on how it feels from the outside. The participants will take turns getting these gifts. If you intend to maximize the fun, it would be best to package the gifts in unusual shapes or intriguing packages.
Dice Gift Exchange Ideas
Dice games will require you to have a set of dice. These dice will often tell you what to do with specific gifts. One such game to consider would be the Switch Steal Unwrap, which requires that everyone presents at least three gifts. Next, you will need to roll the dice, determining whether to steal, unwrap, or switch the gift. This game ends once every gift has been unwrapped.
Heads or Tails Game
Flipping the coin is one of the oldest games in history. Yet, it offers maximum fun. Usually, this game allows players to choose between heads and tails. Each chosen side represents a specific gift to be picked. The games will vary with the players and personal preferences. For instance, you could decide that whoever picks heads will unwrap the gift.
On the other hand, choosing tails could mean that you steal from your partner. Remember, this is a game of chances. That means it is fun and significantly straightforward. It is the perfect solution to the question, what are some Christmas gift exchange ideas?
Card Games
What are some Christmas gift exchange ideas without cards? Various card games will also suffice in this pursuit. One of the most popular card games is Scrooge Your Neighbor. This game relies on cards to determine multiple actions, including freezing, unfreezing, blocking a steal, and even unwrapping gifts.
You could also consider the Pick-A-Gift game, which allows the players to pick cards randomly. Each card denotes a specific action, including stealing, unwrapping, or swapping a particular gift. The game will go on until everyone gets a present.
Secret Santa
This list of games would be incomplete without the Secret Santa game. Well, there will be no perfect answer to the question, what are some Christmas gift exchange ideas to consider? It is a longtime tradition whose popularity keeps surging, thanks to how straightforward and fun it is.
The game starts with all the participants drawing their names on a hat. Each player will then need to guess or identify who their secret Santa is once the gifting starts. However, if they cannot identify who this secret Santa is, Santa will reveal himself.
Santa’s Helper Gift Exchange Game
This game requires you to indulge the help or services of a different person when looking for Christmas gifts. However, the participants will first need to share their likes and dislikes, giving their Santas specific gift ideas. You’ll then go out to look for an excellent gift for your preferred person. This game is hilarious, straightforward, and worth trying.
Holiday Trivia
What are some Christmas exchange gift ideas? Holiday trivia will, undoubtedly, be one of them. This trivia requires the participants to come with their presents and place them in a specific place. You will then decide on a trivia that matches your personal preferences. A winner takes one of the gifts presented. However, once you select the gift, you are out of the game.
Travel
What are some Christmas gift exchanges you’d want apart from games? Travel comes in close. Here, you’ll choose from multiple options at hand. Players can choose to sponsor each other to specific destinations. Preferably, such destinations must be one of the preferred destinations of the given recipient.
You could also consider making the entire process a little more mysterious. That means players can choose random destinations from a hat. The sponsors will also choose what to sponsor from a different hat. Perhaps you could consider deep sea fishing.
However, it would be fair to mention that this game is elitist. The players must be financially stable to sponsor some vacations. On the other hand, you can opt for local treats that are a little more affordable. Dates and night-outs could also come in handy. Going to the golf course or trying straight bourbon whiskey in a new place could also help.
Gift Auction
So much fun comes with a gift auction. It allows the players to place bids for specific gifts, where the highest bid wins the day. However, the host must start with rearranging the gifts into various bags. The goal is to disguise the presents. This way, the bidder does not know what they are bidding for. Instead, they will judge the gift per the package. That means the bid could be of a significantly bigger value than the price of the gift.
Remember, the bid is not necessarily in monetary value. Instead, each player gets allotted a specific amount of Christmas cash, preferably between $80 and $100. Once the player runs out of cash, they cannot bid anymore.
Sometimes, having a grand prize will help. This grand prize allows everyone to compete for it, where the person with the highest bid wins.
At the same time, you could opt for a gift guess. This game requires that the players guess what is in a specific package. Whoever wins will get the present. However, they get out of the game as soon as they get this gift.
Joint Gift
Everyone looks forward to getting the ultimate treat. Opting for a gift that will ensure every member enjoys such a treat will often be a great move. First, you all need to agree on what treat, date, or night-out you want. Some people could opt for a spa day, coffee shop, nail salon, or a day in the wilderness. Whichever option you choose, it would help if you prioritized fun and entertainment.
Once you settle on the perfect gift for everyone, you’ll need to contribute to it. Get this gift on time to ensure that no one gets disappointed. It should also be done at a time that is convenient for everyone.
Book Exchange
This idea is an excellent choice for a group of friends who love books. Most people in such categories will be willing to read as much as they can. Getting a gift that allows them to get information about something will be perfect for spicing up their festive season. Well, what are some Christmas gift ideas, if not books?
Ensure that all the participants come with books to the event. They will then put all the books in a specific place. Next, players will pick or draw the names of the books out of a hat. Whichever book they select from the hat, they pick it as their gift.
However, sometimes, someone might have already read the book they drew from the hat. In this case, it would be best to consider exchanging it with someone else. This way, everyone goes home satisfied.
Charity Exchange
What are some Christmas gift exchange ideas apart from book exchanges? Well, a charity exchange would be a perfect alternative. This option allows you to be a part of the community, sponsoring various charity initiatives to help the less privileged. Usually, the participants will decide what charity program to pick during the festive season.
For instance, suppose you decide to visit a rehab facility, prison, or a children’s home. In this case, you’ll need to make a small donation to help the individuals in these facilities. That means the participants will need to contribute a specific minimum amount, allowing the group to get all the necessary items they’d want to buy or use during the mission.
Gift Train
What are some Christmas gift exchange ideas for remote workers? A gift train will suffice in this case. This exchange idea requires that an employer buys gifts and places them in a box. This box will then be sent to one of the remote workers to pick up a present. The box will then move to the second person to get their gift, and so on. This will go on until the box is empty.
Sometimes, a gift train comes with no assorted products. Instead, every remote worker gets a specific item. While this is not entirely fun, it helps remove the mystery and dissatisfaction among most people.
Stick to a Theme
Sticking to a specific theme will often help improve your experience in the long run. The theme will depend on what most participants like or the level of fun you want to have. Some of the top themes people would appreciate include crafts, gift card exchanges, and board games.
Suppose you choose a board game theme. In this case, you will be sure to play various board games after the gift exchange. Alternatively, you could have people competing for specific gifts. Whoever wins walks away with the gift and gets out of the game.
You can rely on a local florist, hardware store, or closet organizers to help create a perfect theme for your session.
Rules
Perhaps you still want to ask, what are some Christmas gift exchange ideas today? As you look for these ideas, you will need to keep in mind a few rules. These rules will ensure that the whole process is much more straightforward.
- Ensure that the gift is much simpler. That means you can eliminate guesswork and even buy recurring gifts.
- The gift exchange should take a relatively long time. That means you’ll need to incorporate various elements into the program. Whether you choose to play games or go on a treasure hunt, let the session take long enough to provide you with maximum fun.
- Ensure that the gift is affordable. It will put less pressure on other participants.
In conclusion, gift exchange ideas are many. Yet, you need to be picky. This way, you can know what are some Christmas gift exchange ideas and be confident of maximum fun.