White Elephant Rules: How to Play, Steals and Turn Order

White Elephant rules in one line: everyone brings a wrapped gift, players take turns in a random order, and on each turn you either open a new gift or steal one someone has already opened. A player who is robbed goes again straight away. Three extra rules keep it moving: a cap on steals per gift, no stealing straight back, and a final swap for the first player. The helper below draws the order and keeps count for you.

How do you play White Elephant?

1. Everyone brings one wrapped gift within the agreed budget and puts it on the pile.
2. Draw the turn order. The first player opens any gift from the pile.
3. Each player after that either opens a new gift or steals one that is already open.
4. A player whose gift is stolen straight away opens a new gift or steals a different one, and the turn passes on once they have a gift.
5. When everyone has a gift, the first player may swap with anyone once. Then the game ends.

Nobody is assigned anybody, which is what makes it better than Secret Santa for a group that does not know each other well: you do not have to guess a stranger's taste, only bring one gift that is genuinely funny or genuinely wanted.

The three rules that stop it dragging

• Cap the steals. After 2 or 3 steals a gift is frozen and stays with whoever holds it. Without a cap, a popular gift goes round forever. The helper freezes a gift at the cap you choose and shows a snowflake next to it.
• No stealing straight back. If your gift was just taken, you cannot take that same gift back on the same turn. Without this rule two players can lock the game in a loop.
• The first player gets a final swap. They opened blind with nothing to steal, so once everyone has a gift they may swap with anyone whose gift is not frozen. It costs nothing and removes the one unfair seat in the game.

How many steals can you do in White Elephant?

Most groups allow 2 or 3 steals per gift. When a gift reaches the cap it is frozen and stays with its holder. There is no official number, so agree it before the first gift is opened and say it out loud. Three is the common default, and 2 makes a shorter game.

How to use the White Elephant helper

1. Type the players, one per line, from 3 to 50.
2. Choose the steal cap and whether the first player gets the final swap.
3. Press Draw the turn order. The screen then says whose move it is and lists the gifts they are allowed to steal.
4. When someone opens a gift, type what was inside, or leave it blank, and press Open a new gift. When someone steals, tap the gift.
5. Made a mistake? Undo steps back one move at a time. The game is saved on the device, so a reload does not lose it.

White Elephant, Yankee Swap and Dirty Santa

The names are used for close to the same game. Yankee Swap usually means numbered turns and gifts people actually want; Dirty Santa and Thieving Secret Santa are regional names for the stealing version. White Elephant is traditionally the comedy version, with gag gifts. The rules above work for all of them; only the gifts change.

What qualifies as a White Elephant gift?

Anything wrapped, inside the budget, and safe to hand to a stranger in the group. It can be funny, useful or both. Skip anything that needs the recipient's size, taste or allergies, and anything that would embarrass someone at work.

Budget and gift ideas

Pick a budget and say it in the invitation, as a number. Gifts that work in the stealing version are the ones two people will want: good chocolate, a board game, a cosy blanket, a gadget under budget. Gag gifts are fine if the whole group knows that is the game.

Playing White Elephant over a video call

Everyone opens their own gift on camera, and a steal means the gift is posted to the new owner afterwards, or the two swap addresses. A digital gift sidesteps the post: a Telegram gift is a real item that appears in someone's profile, sent in a chat, and how to send a Telegram gift covers the steps. For drawing names instead of stealing, use the Secret Santa generator, and for more party formats see Christmas party games.

Frequently asked questions