Blog: affordable and fun ways to exchange gifts this Christmas
Written by Student Content Shaper Natalie
Gift exchanges are a fun addition to any Christmas get-together. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to fit gift-buying into our budgets as students, but this doesn’t mean we should miss out on the fun!
Buying a gift for everyone can add up but here are some fun money-saving gift exchange games that you and your friends (or housemates) can play this Christmas.
Secret Santa
Secret Santa is a Christmas classic! Write everyone’s names on a piece of paper and fold them up. Then place all names into a hat (a Santa hat if you’re feeling extra festive) or bowl. One by one have everyone pull a name out... but don’t show anyone, it’s a secret!
Once you’ve agreed on a budget for all gifts, you can then go off to put together a gift for the person whose name has been pulled. Make sure to clearly mark who your gift is for so that when the time comes to exchange presents, everyone has a gift with their name on it under the tree.
Not only does every friend get a personalised gift, but you save money because you only have to buy one. It’s also fun to try and guess who bought yours!
White Elephant
The cheapest option of them all, White Elephant doesn’t cost a penny! A White Elephant gift can be anything you find around the house, making it the perfect time for regifting without fear of being caught out.
Bring a wrapped gift and place it under the tree and then let the games begin!
- Draw numbers to determine what order you and your friends will choose gifts in.
- Friend 1 chooses a gift from under the tree and unwraps it to reveal what is inside.
- The next friend has a choice to make. They can unwrap a new gift or steal a gift already revealed. Anyone who gets stolen from has the same choice. Here's the catch... each gift can only be stolen three times during the game (and you can't steal a gift back on the same turn it was stolen from you), so steal wisely!
White Elephant is a game full of presents, laughter, and sabotage. What more could you want at a Christmas get-together?
Switch, Steal, Unwrap
For Switch, Steal, Unwrap, each friend only needs to bring one wrapped gift to the Christmas get-together. Grab a dice and get everyone to sit in a circle. Pass the dice around and get rolling! Take the action assigned to whatever number you roll:
- Switch your gift with the friend to your right.
- Switch your gift with the friend to your left.
- Switch your gift with a friend of your choice.
- Everyone passes their gift to the right.
- Unwrap your gift.
- Everyone passes their gift to the left.
The game is played until all the gifts are unwrapped. Whatever gift you’re left with is yours to keep!
The Cling Film Ball Game
If you want to add some competition into your Christmas festivities, the Cling Film Ball Game is for you! Put together a pile of small gifts (candy, fuzzy socks, stationery) and one small but more exciting gift that everyone will be hoping for (like a gift card).
Start wrapping cling film around the exciting gift. Every so often, throw in another one of the gifts and keep wrapping until you have a giant ball of cling film with gifts hidden inside. Rip the cling film every once in a while, and start wrapping from a new spot to make it more challenging.
To play the game, sit in a circle with a pair of oven gloves and a pair of dice. Have one friend put on the oven gloves, and give the person to their left the dice. The friend wearing the oven gloves can have a go at the cling film ball, unraveling it as much as they can until the friend with the dice rolls doubles. As soon as doubles are rolled, pass everything to the left. The person who was rolling should now have the gloves. Move fast! Anything that falls out of the cling wrap ball on your turn is yours to keep.
As the ball gets smaller, and you get closer to the exciting gift in the middle, the stakes get higher. Warning: dice may go flying!
Which one of these games will you try with your friends or housemates this year? For more affordable ways to enjoy Christmas, check out the ‘Christmas on a budget’ intranet pages.