Switch Steal Unwrap Gift Exchange – The Christmas Game

We display the gifts for this game on the coffee table in the family room, keeping them separate from the other Christmas gifts.  It makes a festive Christmas display, too.

First, collect inexpensive presents for everyone who will be at the Christmas party and wrap them.  Most of the gifts I purchase are $10.00 or so.  Cash or gift cards can be hidden in some of the gifts.  After Christmas sales and clearance items throughout the year are great places to pick up gifts for this game.  One of the gifts will have a more significant amount of cash to make it more interesting.   I only wrap one gift for each person each year with a couple of extras just in case we have a last minute guest.

First, the person with number one chooses a gift and opens it.  Number two goes next.  That person can choose another gift from the pile or steal an opened gift from someone else.  The person with the stolen gift can either choose another gift from the pile or steal from someone else.  A gift can only be stolen two times and can’t be stolen again.
But, this year, we will try the Switch, Steal, Unwrap Gift Exchange just for fun!

Switch Steal Unwrap Gift Exchange

Scanning Pinterest is one of my favorite past-times.  There are so many great ideas.  I saw the idea of using dice for the Christmas game a few weeks ago.   Wouldn’t that add a little interest to our game this year?

So, I created a card with the dice game moves.  When I started this card, the white background just seemed to be too much.  Don’t you love the faded classic Santas in the background?  You can get a free download of the game cards ◄ here if you want to print your own. 

The download has two 5 x 7 cards on a page.  You might want to print a few on cardstock to pass around so everyone will know the moves when it’s time for his or her turn.

How To Play The Switch Steal Unwrap Gift Exchange Game

You can play this game and have everyone bring a ‘White Elephant’ gift but I really enjoy buying gifts and making the cheesy cards.

Since we only buy one gift per guest, we will only be using one of the dice.  If you have two or three gifts per person, you can use two or three dice.  It would make the game even more interesting.

Depending on how many guests and family you’re expecting, you can personalize the game.  You can choose to have all of the guests pass their gifts to the right or left on “Switch right” or “Switch left”, or have only the person rolling the die switch with the person sitting on the right or left.  We’re starting this off simply this year.  We’ll see how it goes and maybe add some additional moves to the card next year!

When you steal a gift, you give your gift to the player whose gift you stole.  Then, you open the gift you stole.

If a player rolls a 5 or 6 and his gift is already unwrapped, he may choose another player to unwrap the gift he or she has.

After all of the gifts are opened, the game ends.  The gift in hand is yours.