How To Host A Virtual White Elephant Gift Exchange

There are often times when everyone can’t get together for Christmas in person. You may have family that lives in another state and isn’t able to travel, or work might prevent family from taking a short road trip for a gift exchange at your home. No worries! It’s time to think outside the box and figure out How To Host A Virtual White Elephant Gift Exchange so you can still get together and have fun, although you’re far apart!

The Virtual White Elephant Gift Exchange is a fun way to avoid breaking the bank on gifts for everyone. Instead, you purchase one gift, at a set dollar amount, and watch the craziness ensue!

Will you be celebrating Christmas in person? Check out the White Elephant Gift Exchange Game!

How To Host A Virtual White Elephant Exchange

This is where the fun comes in! You get to make the rules and come up with an awesome virtual gift exchange that works for your situation.

1. Choose a date and time that will work for your party guests.
2. Make a guest list and invite guests to join you online at the specified time. You can share your meet-up link through text, email, or your usual group chat. (Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams are all good options for hosting a Virtual White Elephant Gift Exchange.)
3. Let your guests know they should each purchase a White Elephant gift, wrap it, and have it in view for the meet-up. Be sure to specify a dollar amount for the gift. Alternatively, they may wrap a picture of the gift and have it sent directly to the recipient from Amazon or another retailer.
4. Decide which activities and games you will play. The White Elephant Gift Exchange will be played, but do you want to add other Christmas Party Games to keep the boisterous laughter going? Do you want to make it an Ugly Sweater Virtual Party?
5. Gather a few prizes. If you plan to play games, besides White Elephant, grab a few prizes to mail to the winners.
6. Make or print a copy of the Virtual White Elephant Gift Tracker. If you’d like to record White Elephant gifts, as the host, on paper, you can print it here: Virtual White Elephant Gift Tracker – Hard Copy. If you’d like to use Google Sheets to record gifts on your shared screen, you can make a copy here: Virtual White Elephant Gift Tracker – Google Sheets.

What Is The Difference Between White Elephant And Dirty Santa?

According to Wikipedia, the distinction between White Elephant and Dirty Santa has been blurred. Originally, the difference between the two was the type of gift brought by partygoers.

White Elephant Gifts

White Elephant Gifts are usually humorous ‘gag’ gifts or something a person has lying around the house and no longer wants. They are generally more funny than useful.

Why Is It Called White Elephant?

The White Elephant is defined as a possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of. Supposedly, the King of Siam gifted rare albino elephants to courtiers who had displeased him, so they might be ruined by the animals’ upkeep costs.

Dirty Santa Gifts

Dirty Santa Gifts are generally fun, new, unique, and in good taste. They are usually items others will want and actually use.

Why Is It Called Dirty Santa?

Despite its name, the Dirty Santa Gift Exchange is a family-friendly game where participants steal gifts from each other, trying to end up with the best gift. It is called Dirty because participants steal gifts from each other.

Dirty Santa tends to be more popular in the South, and White Elephant is not tied to a specific region.

Both White Elephant and Dirty Santa gift exchange games are played in a similar way, so it is easy to understand how the lines have blurred.

Gameplay Options

There are many variations of the White Santa Gift Exchange that people have come up with over the years.

No-Steal Virtual White Elephant

Stealing is what makes the White Elephant Gift Exchange boisterous and fun. If you choose to host a No-Steal Virtual White Elephant Party, what you’re really doing is more like Secret Santa. Call it what it is!

Steal-Friendly Virtual White Elephant

This is the way White Elephant was meant to be played! However, you could do variations of the White Elephant Gift Exchange, such as:

• Gifts have a certain theme.
• Gifts are all from one company, like As Seen On TV.

Virtual White Elephant Rules

At the predetermined time, log into your meet-up and welcome your guests. Share your screen with the White Elephant Gift Tracker Google Sheet.

1. Fan your White Elephant Game Card #’s out, facing the screen, so you can’t see the numbers.
2. Call on a guest and pick a number for them.
3. Record their name next to the coordinating number on the White Elephant Gift Tracker. It would be nice to have each person say a little about what they’re up to, as you record their number.
4. To start the game, #1 chooses a person to unwrap their gift. (For example, #1 may choose Sally Sue to unwrap her gift.) The host records the Gift, next to the gifter’s name and the person who chose the gift under the Recipient column. The gifter should keep the gift in view for all to see.
5. Each subsequent number has two options: steal a gift that has already been opened or choose an unopened gift. If a gift is stolen, the host should record the person’s name next to the gift stolen, under the appropriate column: Steal #1, Steal #2, or Frozen.
6. If a guest’s gift is stolen, they may steal an opened gift from another guest or choose an unopened gift. They may not steal the gift back in the same turn. The host will record their name next to the gift they chose.
7. Gifts can be stolen up to three times and are frozen with the fourth owner.
8. If number one has the same gift they started with, they may trade with any unfrozen gift.
9. Each gifter will mail their gift to the giftee, following the party.

Tips On How To Pick The Best White Elephant Gift

You want to pick the best gift. The gift that will get stolen so many times that it becomes frozen. How do you know what that gift is?

• Take the White Elephant Party Attendees into consideration. A Virtual White Elephant Gift that would be perfect for a friend gathering may not be appropriate for family or work.
• Ditch the idea of Grandma’s flowered wall clock in favor of a gift that will bring a smile to the recipient’s face every time they use it.
• Choose a gift that is funny and takes up more space than it’s worth but yet has an actual use.
• Purchase a humorous gift that you would steal, and you think others would steal, too.
• Abandon the idea of a real gift … you don’t want to be the person who brought a real gift to a Virtual White Elephant Christmas Party.
• Find a gift that is useful but ridiculous because of the space it takes or the laughs it will invoke from others.

White Elephant Gift Ideas Perfect For A Virtual Exchange

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If you’ll be mailing your White Elephant Gifts after the party, you’ll want to keep in mind the shipping costs. While the Squatty Potty may be a great gift idea, it might be best to have it shipped directly from Amazon to the giftee, since its size may make it a significant expense to ship.

Virtual White Elephant Gift Tracker

Download your Free Virtual White Elephant Gift Tracker here!

Virtual White Elephant Gift Tracker – Google Sheet

Make a copy of the Free Virtual White Elephant Google Sheet Gift Tracker here!

More White Elephant Ideas

• Whether you’ve hosted many or are new to White Elephant, these White Elephant Gift Exchange ideas will guide you in all aspects of White Elephant!
• If you’re hosting a White Elephant party, these White Elephant Rules And Numbers will help you keep the gift exchange organized and on track.
• These White Elephant Gift Ideas come with different price tags to fit different White Elephant party limits.
• When you’re headed to a budget-friendly gift exchange, these $10 White Elephant Gift Exchange Ideas will help you find just the right gift.

More Virtual Christmas Party Ideas

• If you’d rather gift useful things at your gift exchange, a Virtual Dirty Santa Gift Exchange is a better option for you!