The hilarious Christmas Stocking Gift Exchange Game is a fun take on a holiday White Elephant game where Christmas party guests can leave with a filled Santa stocking. It’s a fun alternative to boring gift swap games and great for teen holiday party games / youth group games, kids present games, or fun family Christmas Eve games. Don’t miss our fun Christmas gift exchange ideas stocking stuffers ideas for teens, kids, and adults, too!
The Hilarious Steal & Fill Your Christmas Stocking Gift Exchange Game
This is such an easy holiday party game with just a few game supplies.
This is also a fun game to play for Thanksgiving games or New Year’s Eve games for all ages!
Objective Of The Dice Stocking Gift Exchange
GOAL: Through stealing and swapping, try to fill your stocking with as many gifts as you can before the game is over.
Roll the dice and follow the rules for stealing a gift, grabbing a gift from the gift table, or giving a gift. Try to fill your stocking so you get to keep the most prizes at the end AND win the gift swap game!
Watch out, though! Naughty player rolls can make everyone swap their entire stuffed stockings — no matter how much you love the presents stuffed in the stocking!
IMPORTANT PARTY TIP: Not all guests will end up with the same amount of gifts!
Christmas Stocking Dice Gift Exchange Game Supplies
To play this funny holiday game, you’ll need:
- Cheap Christmas Stockings (head to a dollar store for Christmas shopping or buy them in inexpensive bulk groups like this for a large group party game). Just be sure to get ones large enough to fit gifts in! (Not the mini stockings.)
- Small Wrapped Christmas Gifts (That Guests Bring) – don’t miss ideas for gifts after the game rules
- Dice (one die)
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Christmas Gift Swap Game Rules
1. Organizing Gifts for the Game.
Ask each guest attending the Christmas party to bring two to three small wrapped gifts for swapping. Remind them that the size needs to fit into a Christmas stocking.
The gifts can be serious, silly, funny or… whatever. Each gift should be wrapped separately and not together as one gift.
Do not put names or identifying information on the packages.
PARTY TIP: Set a low gift cost and let guests know that all together the gifts cannot cost more than $10 or $15 dollars total! You can still get fun gifts for $15! Think: two $5 gift cards and a pack of playing cards. SEE OUR LIST OF SWAP GIFTS SUGGESTIONS BELOW.
If I’m hosting the holiday party, I will also throw in extra gifts for those who forgot or just to have an uneven amount. (This also allows people who forgot to bring gifts to still play the game.)
As guests arrive at the party, have them place all their gifts on a table near where you will be playing the game.
2. Playing The Dice Stocking Swap Game.
All players sit around a table. (It’s easier to play around a table because everyone has to roll dice.)
Hand out empty stockings to each player.
Each player will take turns rolling dice and performing the action based on the die number.
The first player (just choose someone) rolls the one die and follows the rules for that number.
You can make up whatever you want each number to mean, but we follow present swap dice roll rules like these:
- Roll a 1: Pick 1 gift from the gift table and put it in your stocking without unwrapping it.
- Roll a 2: You’ve been nice and get 2 gifts! Steal 2 total gifts – steal one gift each from 2 other people. (If other players don’t have gifts to steal, take 2 gifts from the gift table.) Put them in your stocking without unwrapping them.
- Roll a 3: Take one gift (of your choice) out of your stocking and give it to a person across from you. If you don’t have any gifts in your stocking, lose this turn.
- Roll a 4: Choose a gift from the gift table, unwrap the gift, and either swap with a another person’s gift or put it in your stocking to keep.
- Roll a 5: You’ve been naughty! Empty your stocking! Put all your gifts back on the gift table! They’re up for grabs again!
- Roll a 6: Everyone passes their entire stocking (empty or filled) to the right. (No gifts chosen for this roll.)
PARTY GAME TIP: You can write out cheatsheets for the game rules, make a game rules printable, or just have a “caller” (like the host) who reads off what each number means when rolled. Just an FYI, most people want to know what each number means, so it’s good to have little rule sheets they can look at during the game.
Play passes to the next person, who rolls one die and follows the corresponding action on that die.
Continue clockwise around the players.
3. Ending the Game.
The game ends when a player takes the last gift on the gift table and there are no gifts left on the gift table.
This player should roll the die and follow the rules on the roll to complete the game. For example, if they roll a 1, they would take the last gift from the gift table, put it in their stocking, and then the game ends.
Once all the gifts are gone from the gift table, everyone keeps the stocking they’re left with and all the gifts in that stocking. (They get to take home the stocking and all the gifts in their stocking.)
Players will end up with different number of gifts. Some players may end up with full stockings and others may end up with only 1 or 2 stocking stuffers. In some rare cases, there may be a player that ends up with no gift.
Give guests time to open the gifts from their stocking. (Guests love seeing others open the gifts they brought!)
BONUS CHRISTMAS GIFT GAME TIP: I also like to give a small gift or game prize to the person with the most gifts in their stocking (like a $10 gift card). Before party guests start opening all the gifts, ask them to count their gifts. If there are two (or more people) with the same amount of gifts in their stocking, make them roll the die. Person with highest roll wins the extra prize! You can even give a prize for the person with the least number of gifts as a little extra something for them.
MORE FAMILY CHRISTMAS GAMES AND GIFT SWAP GAMES TO TRY THIS YEAR:
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Popular Minute To Win It Christmas Games For Family Holiday Fun
How To Play The DIY Christmas Bow Game With Spatula
How To Play The Christmas Unwrap the Gift Game
How To Play The Candy Bar Game
Free Printable Dice Christmas Gift Exchange Game For All Ages
Small Gift Exchange Ideas Under $20
I always get party guests who ask for Christmas present ideas for exchange games. I try to be very conscious of budget constraints and give affordable gift ideas / prize ideas.
Remember, tell guests that they cannot spend more than $10-20 dollars on all their gifts total (not each!). You’ll be surprised at the creative gifts and funny presents people come up within that price range.
Also, be sure to remind them to wrap each gift.
Here are some gift examples that have been popular at our December Christmas parties:
Gift Exchange Ideas for Kids
- Miniature board games or card games
- Christmas party poppers like this
- Holiday-themed stickers or sticker books
- Colorful mini flashlights or glow sticks
- Cozy socks with fun patterns or holiday designs
- Hot cocoa mix packets with mini marshmallows
- Small craft kits, like friendship bracelet sets or ornament decorating kits
PARTY TIP: I always see these on holiday sales at craft stores, so check there for cheap gifts!
- Scented markers or crayons
- Mini plush toys
- Lip balm with fun holiday flavors
- Pocket-sized storybooks or holiday comic books
- Christmas-themed pencils, erasers, and notepads
- Mini LEGO sets or building kits
- Fidget toys like pop-its or spinners
- Tiny jars of slime or modeling clay packs like this
- Character or holiday-themed socks
- Ornament charms for a charm bracelet or Crocs charms (Jibbitz)
- Mini snow globes
- Glitter wands or Goo Tubes
- Chocolate coins or holiday candy
- Oversized suckers
Gift Exchange Ideas for Teens
- $5 gift card
- Cozy holiday socks or fuzzy slipper socks
- Glitter pens
- Mini journals or pocket-sized notebooks
- Scented candles in holiday fragrances
- Earbuds or cool phone cord organizers
- Lip balm or lip gloss in seasonal flavors
- Small fidget toys like mini cubes
- Hot cocoa bombs or gourmet hot chocolate packets
- Fun enamel pins or patches for bags or jackets
- Stanley mug stickers
- Travel-size beauty products
- Mini skincare items like sheet masks or hand creams
- Funny phone stand
- Mini selfie light
- Cute keychains, pop sockets, or phone grips
- Holiday-themed scrunchies or hair accessories
- Pocket-sized card games like Uno or Phase 10
- Essential oil roller blends or mini perfumes
- Small puzzles, like a Rubik’s cube or mini brain teasers
- Reusable metal straws
- Unique bookmarks or mini book lights
- Cozy hand warmers or heat packs
- Fun-sized snacks like holiday chocolates or holiday Nerds
GIFT GAME TIP: If you find multi-packs of items, you can wrap each one separately for multiple gifts and save money!
Gift Exchange Ideas for Adults
- $5 coffee shop gift card
- Mini bottles of gourmet hot sauce
- Mini bottles of alcohol
- Backscratchers
- Cozy holiday socks or compression socks
- Holiday cookie cutter with a favorite family recipe card
- Mini candles in winter scents like pine or cinnamon
- Gourmet chocolate truffles
- Mini bottles of hand lotion or hand sanitizer
- Travel-size coffee or tea blends with a honey sticks
- Keychain multitool or mini screwdriver set
- Pocket-sized notebooks or planners
- Small fidget gadgets like stress balls or worry stones
- Wine stoppers or bottle openers
- Mini essential oil roll-ons or travel perfume sprays
- Miniature puzzles or desktop games
- Holiday-themed teas or single-serve coffee packs
- Mini recipe books or cocktail recipe cards
- Holiday-themed drink coaster
- Christmas ornament with the year
ALSO CHECK OUT: HOW TO THROW AN UGLY SWEATER CHRISTMAS COOKIE PARTY
I hope you enjoy the Christmas Stocking Gift Exchange Game!