White elephant gift exchange: virtual and in-person events

Hosting a virtual white elephant gift exchange is easy, particularly if you work through a hosting service like CourseHorse. The standard white elephant gift exchange event is a great way to ensure that everyone has a good time around the holiday season. An experienced host will handle the process of explaining the rules, running the event and making sure that everyone has a gift on the way to their homes by the end of the event. Since this is a virtual event, attendees won’t even need to leave their homes, making it even easier for everyone to get into the holiday spirit.

If the idea of having someone else handle the hard work of running a white elephant gift exchange sounds like something you want to do, you can still opt to hold the event at your office. A skilled event host and coordinator will come to your office or other location and run the event in-person just like they would in a virtual setting. In this event, you can choose to only hire an emcee to run the event or you can have the provider take care of everything from organizing the event to acquiring and sending out the gifts. If you let the provider take care of the gifts though, you should be aware that they won’t be present at your office, so that is something to consider when deciding on which option to choose.

When organizing a white elephant gift exchange, you’ll have the choice to hold the event online or in-person. Holding the event in-person seems like an obvious choice, but it comes with a few considerations that you’ll want to account for. You’ll need to find a suitable place to hold the event (which can be your team’s office or wherever your institution happens to hold regular in-person events) and you’ll need to find a time that works for everyone to be present physically. This shouldn’t be too much of an issue, but during the holidays, organizing yet another in-person event can be difficult. The draw of an in-person event is that everyone can come together and enjoy their company as they play the game with one another, rather than feeling disconnected by the distance of screens. 

Online events come with their affordances and limitations, particularly the advantage of allowing everyone, including remote team members or just people away for the holidays to participate. In addition, an online event is less demanding in terms of space and allows you to have a wider range of gifts in the pool without turning the game into an exercise in identifying the best gift by the size and heft of the package. In addition, you can include gifts that you may not have already purchased (or will be purchased for you by the organizer) since the gifts will be sent directly to the recipients’ homes. Online white elephants are also easier to run in terms of the physical process of opening and keeping track of the various gifts on hand.

Average white elephant group sizes

Another important consideration when deciding how to go about a white elephant gift exchange is group size and composition. Gift exchanges start to get unwieldy after a certain size, especially if they are being held in-person with physical gifts. This means that you’ll want to consider breaking your team members off into smaller groups if you start to push against a cap of about 20ish participants. Numbers get easier to handle the more you streamline the process (including playing the game virtually or using simple, easy to exchange gifts in an in-person setting) but at a certain point, you need to divide your participants up in order to help the event run smoothly.

If you are running an event virtually and using a service provider to cut out the work on your part, you can even set things up to duplicate gifts across small groups, so everyone will have a chance at the same loot and no one will worry about being put into a group with people who didn’t exactly take the event all that seriously. This will help further streamline the process and it is ideal for organizations that are looking to host an end-of-year celebration that will adequately scale to the size of the teams. You can also break your groups off into smaller teams based on things like department in order to ensure that people are playing the game with the team members that they are most engaged with.

Advantages of running a white elephant event

There are a lot of reasons that running a white elephant exchange is a good way to celebrate the end of the year and an excellent way to reward your team members for all of the hard work they have done. It is also a fairly versatile kind of event, since you can set the expected cost of gifts, the tone of the event and the ways in which you want attendees to participate. In addition, you are sure to have a lot of buy-in, especially if attendees are able to just show up and start stealing one another’s gifts on the day of the event. This is doubly true if the event is held online, since attendees won’t even have to worry about carting their gift home or figuring out a way to get to the office for the in-person exchange. 

These events are also really great additions to the normal festivities of an end-of-year holiday party, since white elephant exchanges don’t take particularly long (compared to some other end-of-year activities) and there isn’t a lot of work or mental investment on the part of your participants, which can make the event run even more smoothly. White elephant exchanges are always a popular event because the commitment is actually very low on the part of participants, so they are encouraged to attend, and the game itself is a particularly fast-paced and exciting exchange.

These events also provide attendees with a chance to build bonds and socialize with their team members, given that the name of the game is about stealing. Everyone will have a blast as popular gifts move around, people debate whether or not to steal from one another and participants weigh known prizes against “what's in the box.” This will get participants chatting and joking with one another, making suggestions to other players (potentially to protect a gift they hope to leave the event with) and having a light-hearted social experience as they find themselves invested in the game. This combination of ease of entry and deep investment is sure to make this game a smash hit (and it helps that everyone will leave the event with something new).

Traditionally, white elephant gift exchanges were more about the social experience than the gifts themselves. This usually meant that everyone was encouraged to do their best impression of the apocryphal king of Siam and come with gifts that were either impractical or comic. This can include everything from ugly Christmas sweaters and kitschy home decor to gag gifts and more X-rated fare (if that is the kind of event you are wanting to hold). However, more and more white elephant events are opting for more practical and desirable gifts, particularly those that are held as team-building events or end of year parties at an office or institution. Here, good gift ideas are practical things that more or less anyone would want, like books, electronics, or even gift cards (often, exchanges are just swapping gift cards with one another).

The only real restriction that is usually put in place is that there is a reasonable spending limit and floor placed on any individual gift. This is done to ensure that everyone is leaving with something roughly of the same value and that there aren’t hard feelings when someone takes the 30 dollar recommendation and spends 200 dollars for the clout.

Assuming you want your event to feel like a celebration, it is important to consider what kinds of gifts you intend to offer as part of the exchange. This usually means that gag gifts, X-rated gifts or something boring like gift cards is right out. You’ll also need to ensure that the gifts are relatively practical for anyone to end up with, so some common gift options, like clothes or tech adaptors.add-ons are probably not the best options available. Rather, you want to choose gifts that are generally going to be acceptable regardless of who ends up with them and you are going to want the gifts to be largely desirable, since part of the fun of the white elephant is the stealing, trading, backstabbing and general chaos caused by the format.

While it might not seem all that flashy, artisanal home goods, particularly things like soaps, candles and body washes are great gift ideas since they are going to be popular enough that people will want to consider them, but they are unlikely to get moved around every single round or get locked out too quickly. They are also versatile gifts in terms of spending ceilings, since there are a lot of packages, bundles or baskets containing collections of home goods at a wide range of different price points. 

Gift baskets make great gifts because they are incredibly varied in their content, so you can be sure to find a collection of goodies that will certainly be desirable. Gift baskets range from aforementioned soaps and home goods to artisanal chocolates, coffees, beers, teas, perfumes and fragrances, even things like pastries or candies. Gift baskets make great gifts for white elephant exchanges because there will certainly be a few people in any given group who are interested in sampling the contents of the gift and anyone who isn’t a fan of chocolate, tea or whatever is in the basket can simply look towards other gifts.

There are quite a lot of people who would love the opportunity to cook more elaborate meals, but they balk at the prospect of buying the necessary kitchenware if they aren’t entirely sure how things will turn out. This makes kitchenware a great idea for a white elephant gift exchange, since anyone who thinks that they might want to be more adventurous in the kitchen can try and secure something like an air-fryer, a pizza maker, a panini press, or something like a dutch oven. Adding a new device to one’s kitchen is always a great gift, which means that adding one to the pool of a white elephant gift exchange can also be a great idea.

A white elephant gift exchange can be a good place to introduce creatives to new and interesting artistic forms that they might not otherwise have considered. This can range from things like acrylic paint sets or a mini-canvas to something more esoteric, like a calligraphy set, terrarium-building kit or even something like a knitting kit for aspiring crocheters. These kits usually contain everything that a newbie needs to start exploring the medium and they tend to give instructions for beginners who are just getting started. While not everyone is going to be rushing to get these gifts, anyone who wants them will really appreciate the chance to steal them once they are opened.

There are so many quality of life improving tech gizmos available that it becomes easy to lose track of them all. Not everyone is going to get every smart device for their home, car, office or what have you, but adding one to the pool of a white elephant gift exchange is a good way to remind people “hey, I might want that.” Things like wireless keyboards and head-sets, high quality webcams, e-readers and even smart devices like watches or thermostats are sure to be popular gifts during a white elephant exchange and they are useful enough that just about anyone can end up with one and still be happy with their gift.

Not all gifts need to be something that a person takes out of a box and sets up in their homes. While something like an Amazon gift card is a bit underwhelming to put into a white elephant event, something like a complimentary round of golf, a gift card for a spa day or passes to a local attraction are a good alternative to getting something like a gift basket or cash. You could also consider adding something like a gift card to one of the many providers of classes (such as art classes and cooking classes) available through the CourseHorse platform.

Normally, white elephant gift exchanges ask all of the participants to provide gifts, which is a good way to bring people together and get some buy-in from everyone who is playing. This also means that you won’t have to do a lot of logistical work to ensure that everyone who participates has a gift or that too many gifts have been purchased, since everyone who is playing will bring a gift to the exchange. This does, however, risk lowering turnout, as the holiday season can be pretty busy and people may either forget to purchase a gift or not feel up to adding another bit of shopping to their already hectic end-of-year schedule. 

The alternative is to take care of the gift purchasing yourself, which makes the event feel like a reward or a gift at the end of a long year of work with your team. This strategy is obviously more expensive, but it can also make the event feel more like a gift at the end of the year. This also will help you ensure that every gift is roughly of equal desirability and that a similar spending limit has been abided by. One of the major advantages of signing your group up for a white elephant gift exchange (rather than running one yourself) is that this part of the process is handled for you. Rather than needing to purchase gifts, you’ll be able to rely on the organizer to purchase a collection of suitable gifts that can be customized to fit your price range and general theme.

Running a white elephant exchange is just one of many different ways to celebrate the end of the year and you’ll want to consider all of your options if you are hoping to host a successful team building event or party near the end of the year.

The most obvious point of comparison to a white elephant exchange is a secret santa exchange. The main difference between the two is straight-forward; in a white elephant exchange, you are buying a general gift that could end up in anyone’s possession, while in a secret santa, you know exactly who is going to get your gift and therefore you can tailor the present to them specifically. This is good for tight-knit teams who know each other well, but new teams, large groups or new team members might not have the same level of familiarity as longer established groups. In addition, the “cost” of non-participation is much higher, since, during a white elephant, gifts will either be provided or you’ll only be able to participate if you bring a gift. With a secret santa, it isn’t inconceivable that someone will forget to buy a gift and they will still receive a gift while someone else has to be left on the sidelines.

If you are interested in hosting a secret santa event for your group, there are in-person and virtual hosting options available to help you make running the process, assigning gift-givers and reminding everyone of the event significantly easier. The virtual secret santa event offered through CourseHorse is the perfect way to host a large and complex secret santa event while still making your holidays as stress-free as possible. An experienced facilitator will handle all of the major concerns for you, including assigning gift-givers and running the event to make sure that everyone has a good time beyond just exchanging their gifts. If you want to bring your team members more into the gift giving experience, this is the event for you. The event can also be held in-person for NYC, LA and Chicago clients.

For example, if you are looking for a fun virtual game to play with your team members, consider a virtual Escape the Office Christmas Party escape room (or one of many themed escape rooms). In this thrilling adventure, team members will work together to solve puzzles, collect clues and ultimately escape an office Christmas party that has taken a turn for the worse. This thrilling escape game is a perfect way to cap off the year and it is sure to be a hit with your team members (and it is a good way to ensure that your office Christmas party isn’t one that they want to escape from).

The holiday season can be a particularly stressful time as so many events are happening and everyone needs to rush from place to place getting everything ready. One way to lift a bit of this stress is to combine a fun team building event with one of those stressful tasks that tend to fall by the wayside, like cooking dinner. In one of these cooking classes, an experienced host will guide your team members through a virtual recipe (or set of recipes) for the meal of your choosing. This can be a holiday affair, like Christmas cookies or a festive pie, or it can be something that your team members will want to prepare year round, like sushi, pizza or handmade pasta. This event is sure to be a hit as everyone attending will get to have a fun evening of camaraderie, learn a new skill and get to have a nice dinner (with all the supplies provided for them).

If you are looking for a more tactile end-of-year activity, you can sign your team members up for an in-person or live online gingerbread house event. Here, each member of your team will get a specially designed gingerbread house and decoration kit that they can use to create a festive display piece that is perfect for the holiday season. Participants will have a chance to make a sugary sweet gingerbread abode as they listen to music, socialize with one another and play Christmas-themed games. There are also holiday-themed cookie decorating classes, wreath-making experiences or even holiday mixology classes to give participants a wide-range of different options for their experience.

A number of non-seasonal games and activities can also take on a holiday theme if your goal is to make them a part of your end-of-year celebration. For example, you can host a movie trivia night that focuses entirely on Christmas movies (can anyone on your team identify the difference between A Christmas Prince and A Prince for Christmas) or you can host an online karaoke event where everyone belts out their favorite holiday songs. These events are great ways to bring festive cheer to any team building event and hosting one alongside a white elephant gift exchange is sure to create a holiday that no one on your team is soon to forget.

If you want to give your team members a chance to combine creative expressions with sweet holiday treats, you can consider signing up for a virtual Christmas cookie decorating workshop. Everyone on your team will have all of the cookies, icings, treats and supplies (like piping bags) sent directly to their homes and an experienced host will guide participants through the process of making beautiful, edible holiday treats. Whether your participants want to follow along and make perfectly uniform cookies or create their own, unique abstract holiday decorations, this event will be a fun and relaxing end of season get together, especially since everyone will get to show-off their creations and enjoy the sugary fruits of their labor. You can also sign your team members up for a whole host of different cooking classes to celebrate the season.

If you are looking for a less intensive dinner experience, consider a wine and cheese tasting event (or perhaps a wine and chocolate event, or just an evening of wine tasting). Add an air of sophistication to your end of year event by hosting a tasting for your team members. They will get the chance to sample a collection of wines and cheeses selected by experienced sommeliers and cheesemongers and they’ll learn about the science and history of American and European wine and cheese traditions as they sample some excellent wine and cheese pairings. These events are a wonderful reward for the end of the year and a good way to give your team members a chance to relax, socialize and enjoy themselves during the holidays.

If you are looking for a more intense holiday escape room experience, you could consider the escape from the North Pole event, wherein small groups of your team members will work to solve puzzles and piece together the tools they need to survive an accident that has left them stranded in the arctic wastes. If you are looking for something more light-hearted, there are also Santa-themed escape room challenges and every one of these escape rooms can be truncated for a 45-minute run if you don’t think that your team is going to want to spend the full 90 minutes on their adventure.