Yankee Swap!

One of my favorite holiday games to play with a large group of people is a Yankee Swap! Below I have outlined how you play and some go-to gift ideas. 

Yankee Swap:

1. Everyone in the group brings a wrapped present worth the agreed upon price ($15-25 is usually a good price range)
2. All presents are placed in a common area
3. A number is written down on separate pieces of paper. As many people as there are, that’s how many numbers to write down.
4. Fold up all the numbers and place them into a bowl
5. Every member takes a number and opens it.
6. Number 1 goes first – opens the present for all to see!
7. Number 2 goes second – opens the present for all to see! Number 2 can now trade gifts with Number 1 if they wish
8. Number 3 goes third – opens the present for all to see! Number 3 can now trade with Number 1 or Number 2 if they wish!
9. This pattern continues until all presents are open
10. Number 1 then gets final pick out of all the present options and can trade with any gift available!

There are many different versions of this game. There is one where you do not open the presents until after the swap. There is one where all the gifts are funny and not meant to be wanted. I have also heard the game called many different things: White Elephant Swap and Dirty Santa to name a few. I always play the nicer version. Swapping (or stealing if you look at it that way) all depends on the group your with! The past two years when I have played this with my coworkers, everyone is super friendly and no one ever trades. On the complete other hand, when I play every year with my family for Christmas Eve, it gets nasty. My uncle will flat out insult a gift if he deems it bad and causes all sorts of mayhem and swapping!

So you are going to have a Yankee Swap and need some go-to gift ideas! Here are some of the gifts that always seem to be a hit for the young adult – adult crowd. Always follow the rule: would I be ok being stuck with the item I brought? If the answer is yes, then it’s probably ok! Here are some of my swap go-tos:

• Big Fluffy Blanket – no matter what your age, you cannot go wrong with bringing a blanket. 
• Bottle of Wine – This gift is classy and can be purchased no matter the price range. Obviously be mindful if your group has member that are underage
• Kitchen/Household Goods – Some good examples: A waffle iron, a nice glass piece or something decorative. A quick sweep of bed bath and beyond will help you find some home gadget worthy of the swap.
• Scratch tickets – This is always a risky gift. Obviously you could be gifting something worth nothing… but there is the chance it could be valuable!

Hope some of these ideas work out for you! Happy Swapping! <3WC