When festivities are around the corner, the excitement begins with all the traditions you follow with your friends, loved ones, or colleagues. When discussing the topic of celebrations, holidays are incomplete if you are not planning or participating in a gift exchange party.
Gift exchange parties are a fun and economical way to spend your gift-giving holidays without worrying about buying everyone a gift. About gift exchanges, you might have heard of the Secret Santa, where individuals make guesses about who gave them a personalized gift.
But Secret Santa is not the only gift exchange. You will come across various others like Dirty Santa or White Elephant. With new names and confusing rules, you may get puzzled. But don’t let your anxiety get the best of you if you are hosting or partaking in these gift exchanges.
This guide will define Dirty Santa vs. White Elephant and all the nitty-gritty details.
A Brief on White Elephant Gift Exchange
The idea behind a White Elephant is to make the party more entertaining. While other gifts share similar intentions, they cannot compare to the presents from White Elephant. These presents fall more on the humorous and weirder side.
These could be absurd gadgets, quaint artwork, comic gag objects, or even useless items that a person no longer needs in their house. You can describe the White Elephant as the art of possessing something troublesome or useless. The whole point is to entertain and make people laugh.
Additionally, White Elephant gift exchange may also mimic a competition. Everyone tries to one-up another for who got the best gift.
How Does It Work?
When discussing Dirty Santa vs. White Elephant, you must know how they work. You may come across multiple alterations for the White Elephant theme for gift exchange. However, according to the game’s basic rules, you need a minimum of 4 to 6 participants. Every person comes to the party with a nicely wrapped present, generally a playful item or a gift that has no use.
These gifts are then kept in a middle area for everyone to see them. Each person will pull a number to determine the order of selecting gifts. If you pick number one, you will get to pick a gift and open it first. Now, the second person in the order can either open a second gift or steal the gift from number one.
The third person may also choose a new present or steal from number one or two. And this continues until the last person and all the gifts are open. These rules can get as complex as possible. You can choose unlimited gift swapping or add more possibilities to steal presents.
Game’s Origin
The term White Elephant originates from the idea of giving someone something useless or burdensome. Many assume the idea came from a famous story of the King of Siam (now in Thailand), an evil genius who had humorous methods to settle the score with his displeasing courtiers.
The king would give them an albino elephant. It may seem like an extraordinary present, but these were high-maintenance, back-breaking, and expensive elephants. As a result, the individuals would run into financial problems. This fatal gift’s story has traces from the 1850s, but no one can tell if the tale is valid.
What Really is a Dirty Santa Gift Exchange?
Dirty Santa is quite ruthless and funny. The presents are more distinct, great in taste, and are brand new. Returning to Dirty Santa vs. White Elephant, Dirty Santa stands out because these gifts are not all useless but something the recipients would love to have.
Unlike Secret Santa, where individuals guess who bought them a special gift, Dirty Santa adds an evil yet fun twist. The game turns competitive when the “Santas” the game participants who will steal attractive gifts from one another. This theme is perfect to play with your friends or family. It is ruthless as you might end up snatching a gift that someone truly desires.
How to Play?
When it concerns Dirty Santa vs. White Elephant, Dirty Santa is not so far apart from Yankee Swap or White Elephant in how it works. You may argue that Dirty Santa presents are more valuable and desirable for the participants than the hilarious, impractical, and weird White Elephant presents.
Additionally, Dirty Santa allows multiple rounds of gift swapping and stealing to make the game even more fun and evil.
History & Tradition
Dirty Santa vs. White Elephant in origin shows some dissimilarities. While the origins of the Dirty Santa tradition are debatable, you can discover a few fun facts about this exciting gathering. Dirty Santa originates from two popular traditions. Since many started celebrating it during Christmas, people commonly connect it to this magical holiday.
No one knows why it uses the term “Dirty Santa.” But many believe the idea of participants coming to the party with a gift, opening a random one, and stealing each other’s gifts gives it its creative name.
Giving everyone a gift at a large gathering is impractical and expensive, especially if you have several coworkers and friends. Dirty Santa deals with this obstacle by contributing a limited amount and having fun by taking one present home.
This tradition is quite popular in America, Europe, and a few regions in Asia, where people follow the practice of gifting to their loved ones or colleagues during festivities. Considering the ancient origins, the Dirty Santa vs. White Elephant commonly shares the old tale of the King of Siam, which now comes under Thailand.
Wording the Invite
If you host a gift exchange party, regardless of Dirty Santa vs. White Elephant, you must be clear on your invite so your guests know what they can expect. To not confuse people, you must word your invite with great clarity.
Dirty Santa is generally for your family and friends. They can play gift exchange and steal other players’ gifts to possess a desirable present at last. The presents for Dirty Santa have a spectacular taste and are fun and unique. These items are something the participants can use and desire.
A friendly White Elephant swap also involves participants stealing each other’s presents to find a favorite and less useless gift. However, White Elephants are more entertaining, impractical, and for the comical gag.
When inviting wording, you must make sure everyone knows the rules. It will help avoid the situation where one person brings a gag-worthy fake beer fanny pack to the party while another wraps a valuable hydrating conditioner and shampoo set.
Regional Differences in Dirty Santa vs. White Elephant
The only significant contrast when discussing Dirty Santa vs. White Elephant is the terminology used to refer to them. While some replace it with another, the terms generally differ by location. Looking at the relative popularity, White Elephant is a common term used by people all over America. However, Dirty Santa is more prevalent in the nation’s Southern region.
What is the Dollar Limit?
Whether you are hosting Dirty Santa or White Elephant for your gift exchange part, ensuring a dollar limit for the gift is a great idea. A limit helps keep the idea of having fun intact and allows participants to spend a limited amount. You can ensure the gift limit falls between 10 USD to 25 USD.
Why Should You Host A Gift Exchange Party?
Regardless of your pick from Dirty Santa vs. White Elephant, hosting a party for exhilarating festivities for your big family or coworker group is invariably an astounding idea. Here is a list of reasons to choose an amusing exchange theme and minimize the number of people you will give the presents to.
1. Reasonable: Regardless of how exciting and enjoyable the holiday season seems, it weighs heavy on your pockets. The maximum part that costs a lot is the gift-giving tradition. It is no lie that you would love to give each one of your loved ones a memorable gift. However, this can be financially pressurizing.
Therefore, with gift exchange, you only need to buy a gift for one person within the price limit. Feel free to select a nice gift that falls under your budget.
2. Entertaining: In your quest to understand Dirty Santa vs. White Elephant, you must know how fun and exciting gift exchanges make your festive parties. There is no doubt that Secret Santa is lovely, but having the idea to pick a gift or steal from someone already possessing a nice present is crueler and more hilarious.
The main idea is to add joy to your festive experience. These traditions also make the event competitive and amusing.
3. Environment-Friendly: While purchasing a few Christmas gifts helps save money, it is also good for the environment. Gifting limited items helps lower the waste you produce with the wrapping or packaging. Choosing an environmentally friendly gift exchange ensures that recipients get what they like and adds a hint of fun to the whole experience.
They help make a significant impact on the environment. You may also send invitations online to reduce carbon emissions or paper waste and spread the word about your party without hassle.
Summing It Up
Festivities like Christmas come with party traditions like gift exchange themes. It is most likely impossible to celebrate the holiday season without getting invited to a gift-swapping-themed party or hosting one. While people popularly talk about Secret Santa, other themes include White Elephant or Dirty Santa.
This guide explains the difference between Dirty Santa and White Elephant. These games add a twist where you exchange the gifts, but the other participant has the right to steal the present from you. White Elephant gift exchange adds to the fun by including impractical, comical gags and jokey gifts.
Conversely, Dirty Santa involves unique, impressive, and desirable gifts that people may want. But the fun is when one participant tries to steal a great gift from another. These gifts also have a limit, making the game affordable.
Do not forget to word the invite properly so your guests know what they can look forward to.
Frequently Asked Question
Is the White Elephant Gift Exchange Suitable for Kids?
The party theme will determine whether these parties are suitable for the kids. If you have an appropriate gift theme, there won’t be any issue with including children in the party or letting them participate in gift-swapping. While it’s all right for kids to join your White Elephant exchange party, ensure they do not have access to alcoholic drinks.
Can I Steal My Present Right Back After Somebody Stole It from Me?
No. Whatever you choose between Dirty Santa and White Elephant, if someone steals your gift, it is impossible to steal it back immediately. You must first pick an option from the pile or steal a gift from other participants. This rule also helps feed the curiosity of knowing what the unopened gifts are all about and reveals the complete stash quickly.
How Many Times Can Participants Steal the Same Gift for Dirty Santa?
No one can steal a gift over three times. If you are hosting a Dirty Santa exchange party, you must watch closely how many times the participants stole each gift. Announce when a gift is no longer available to steal or “dead.”
How Many Players Should Be Present to Play the White Elephant Game?
The White Elephant game requires at least six players to make the exchange party fun. A smaller number of people may make this exchange end quickly. So, the more the merrier. No actual limit exists on how many people can participate in this game. However, ensure the number is manageable.
What are Some of The Best Gifts for The White Elephant or Dirty Santa Gift Exchange Party?
No matter which game you host for your party, Dirty Santa vs. White Elephant, you want to be the one with the best gift in the group at the end of the day. There is no rule for your present, except that it should meet the dollar limit.
