The holidays are all about celebrating—and holiday gifts are the medium du jour to show those we love just how much we care about them. But if you’re anything like me, the stress of finding just the right gift for everyone—from my kids to my mother-in-law—not to mention trying to keep my budget intact, can get to be too much. A solution? The oh-so-wonderful gift exchange! And boy, do we have some fun and creative gift exchange ideas for you.
Picking an idea for a gift exchange ahead of time reduces these stresses because you can decide on a price point and a theme that everyone agrees on. Plus, using a theme can make the gift exchange more meaningful and representative of the people who make up the group. After all, the whole reason for a gift exchange is a reason to get together and celebrate the season. Many of the gift exchange ideas below are tested and approved by my family and friends who have tried out these exchanges in their holiday gatherings, while others are ones we’re looking forward to trying next. Pick one to try with your friends and family this year for a new twist on gifting—check out the list below, plus how each exchange works!
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A Quick Guide to Picking a Gift Exchange Idea
- When you want the gift exchange to be funny: White Elephant
- When you want the gift exchange to be thoughtful: Secret Santa
- When you want the gift exchange to be inexpensive: Favorite Things
- When you want to avoid more stuff: Experience Exchange
- When you want to be festive: Ornament Exchange
- When you want to exchange meaningful gifts: Give-Back Exchange
1. Coffee Mug Exchange
Moms can never have too many coffee mugs. Decide whether you want to preselect who you’re gifting a mug to or go with a white-elephant type of exchange. One thing is for sure: a coffee mug will be used on those busy mornings—maybe pair it with your favorite bag of coffee beans, too.
2. Hobby Exchange
With grandma hobbies totally in this season, it’s time to share the creativity amongst your closest friends with one of the craftiest gift exchange ideas. For this exchange, have everyone bring supplies that correlate with their most cherished hobby. Love to crochet? It’s the perfect opportunity to gift a beginner crochet kit. Or if you’ve recently gotten into Mahjong, bring a how-to book on the game or gift a new set of Mahjong tiles. Decide how you’d like to complete the exchange beforehand. Regardless of what you decide, each person will be leaving with a new hobby at the end of the night.
3. Wine Exchange
The promise of wine is a great way to get any group of adults together, whether hosting couple friends, coworkers, or your girlfriends. Everyone comes to the group gathering with two wrapped bottles of wine—one to gift and one to taste. The two bottles can either be the same or different.
For the tasting, the bags are numbered, and everyone tries to guess each type of wine and also ranks their favorite based on a 1-5 scale. The tasting ends with two winners: one for who brought the best wine, and the other for the person who guesses the most types of wine correctly. The host can then supply a small gift for the winners, such as a candle, mug, frame, or throw blanket. After the tasting, the gift exchange starts with the second bottle. The two winners get to pick a wrapped bottle from the pile first and may be introduced to their new favorite wine!
4. Favorite Things Party
I’ve participated in a favorite things gift exchange for the past couple of years with a group of friends, and it’s GREAT. For a favorite things party, everyone brings three of the same $5 item (or whatever price point you choose). If my favorite item is a $5 lip gloss, I would buy three of the same lip glosses and bring them to the party. Everyone at the gathering writes their name down three times on slips of paper, and all of the names go into a bowl. Rotating around the room, everyone has a chance to stand up, explain their favorite item, and then draw three names for the recipients of their items. Everyone leaves the party with three new items representing their friends’ favorite things!
5. Ornament Exchange
It’s always a treat to get a new, special touch for the tree. For this gift exchange idea, everyone comes to the party with an ornament that represents themselves in some way. The host can pick rules for how to exchange, whether it’s drawing numbers, exchanging based on birthdate closest to and furthest from the event, or playing the left-right Christmas game. After the swap, everyone leaves with a meaningful ornament that represents a friend or family member!
6. Recipe Exchange
Because the holidays also mean that it’s the most splendid time of the year for the most delicious baked goods and heart-warming dishes. This year, participate in a recipe exchange with friends and family, and have them bring their favorite go-to dish along with a copy of the recipe. Decide on whether you want it to be themed, like the best holiday dishes, or assign people appetizers, main dishes, or desserts. Make it extra special and have everyone share why they love the dish they brought—sometimes food can have the most heartfelt story tied to it. And if you want a game element to this delicious exchange, have everyone vote on their favorite one, too.
7. Experience Exchange
This is a great option for the group that wants to get together but doesn’t want any more stuff (with all the toys on the ground already, the last thing you need is another thing). Everyone picks out an experience, whether it’s a dinner date to a favorite restaurant, tickets to a show, an outing to the group’s favorite sporting event, or a destination for your next girls’ trip. Drop all the suggestions into a hat, and then the fun part begins: one by one, have everyone pull a suggestion—and the last remaining experience is the activity your group will do for your next get-together.
8. White Elephant Exchange
Prepare for big-time laughs with this gift exchange that’s all about the gaudiest gifts out there. Known as a White Elephant, Yankee Swap, or Dirty Santa, everyone brings a wrapped, cheap gag gift (my personal favorites are giant elf slippers or the entire box DVD set of Twilight). Each guest draws a number for the order of opening, and the first “player” gets to open the first gift. The next player can either open a new gift or “steal” the open gift. This gift exchange is great for those mom friends who need to let off a little steam and you know will bring the most hilarious trinkets.
9. Themed Exchange
Sometimes a White Elephant can be too broad, while bringing just wine or candles is too specific. A themed exchange is a perfect balance—get your girlfriends together and bring gifts that tap right into your favorite things, like self-care or Christmas cheer. When you focus on just the things you love, everyone leaves with something they truly love, and it will make the season extra special.
10. Cookie Exchange
Whether your friend group is full of culinary geniuses or amateurs, a cookie exchange is a fun way to do a gift exchange differently. Everyone can prepare a different kind of cookie and make enough for everyone in the group. By the end of the night, everyone will be going home with a full plate of Christmas cookies but only having to bake one type! Exchanging edible gifts is a great option for when you’re not looking to go home with any more stuff.
11. Cocktail Swap
Speaking of edible exchanges, another fun option is a themed cocktail night. Have everyone come prepared with a cocktail recipe and all the fixings. Spend the night sampling everyone’s creations and find your new favorite holiday cocktails!
12. Secret Santa
An oldie but a goodie, as they say! Prior to the party, everyone involved will be assigned one person to purchase a gift for. This can be done by physically drawing names or by using an online platform like Elfster, which will randomly select names for everyone. Guests will show up with their gifts and, as they’re being opened, recipients will guess who their gift is from. This makes for a fun mystery game and ensures that everyone buys something for just one friend. A Secret Santa gift exchange is also a great option for larger extended families at Christmas.
13. ‘Give Back’ Party
Let’s face it: we’re pretty fortunate to have everything that we have. Around the holidays, it’s easy to get caught up in the gift-giving for those we love. But when we know what’s under our own trees at home, all the stuff and great privilege can get overwhelming. There’s no time like the holidays to give back to those who are less fortunate than we are, and there are so many options for how to do that!
For starters, you and your friends can collectively pool funds to support a cause you care about. Another option is adopting a family in need in your area and fulfilling their Christmas wishlist. Truly, gratitude and generosity are two of the best feelings, and giving back will feel like a gift in itself.
14. Handmade Gift Exchange
Pull inspo from Monica and Chandler’s Valentine’s Day exchange on Friends and make the presents! This time around, put everyone’s special talents to good use. From sugar scrubs to poetry to baked goods, this theme will feel extra special and thoughtful among all of you.
15. Book Exchange
A must-do for a bookworm friend group! It’s very simple—everyone hands out their favorite book. This could also serve as a great beginning to a book club that lasts well beyond the holiday season. If you’ve got a smaller group, it shouldn’t be too difficult for each person to bring a few copies of their favorite read. For bigger groups, though, there’s always the option of playing this Secret Santa-style. Kick things up a notch by incorporating other little things into the gift. Maybe a themed bookmark, cozy socks, and relaxing tea.
16. Eco-Friendly Gift Exchange
Keep the environment in mind while celebrating this year by hosting an eco-friendly gift exchange. Everyone can bring their favorite products, like beeswax food wraps, reusable straws, and reusable bags. The best part about this gift exchange idea is that guests may be introduced to new products and new ways to keep the environment in mind in their day-to-day lives.
17. Ugly Sweater Party
For an exchange that’s solely intended for some good laughs, look no further than this idea! Pick out names beforehand and have everyone show up with an ugly sweater for their recipient. Make it a contest and hand out a prize to the most hilarious sweater. If sweaters aren’t your thing or you want a more budget-friendly option, try T-shirts or hats instead.
18. ‘As Seen on TV’ Product Swap
Another option for fun gift exchange ideas—that could get outrageously funny (while still being functional!)—is an “as seen on TV” product exchange. We’ve all seen those hour-long infomercials that dive deep into a “must-have” item as well as the innovative products that come out of Shark Tank. For this exchange, guests will pick up one of those and gift it to another lucky recipient. And don’t worry, you don’t actually have to buy the product by calling the number on your TV screen—plenty can be purchased in places like Walmart or ordered on Amazon!
19. Re-gift Exchange
Have you ever received a gift that you were thankful for but never used? A re-gift exchange is the perfect opportunity to make something that was unuseful for you, a treasure for someone else. Just be sure not to regift an item that was given to you by someone in the group!
20. Giftcard Pileup
Sometimes the best gift is a gift card. After all, doing some perusing on your own to find something you actually like can be fun. Plus, a gift card forces you to get a little treat for yourself. Have everyone bring a gift card from their favorite store, and be sure to set a dollar limit that everyone can agree on. Make it easy and have each guest draw a gift card from a hat, or make it into a scavenger hunt.
FAQs About Gift Exchange Ideas
How much should you spend on a gift exchange?
This is dependent on the group and is helpful when a host sets a price limit. If you’re hosting, consider privately asking each guest what price point works for them and opt for the lowest amount or take a quick anonymous poll with ranges.
What is a good gift exchange for a large group?
I’d go with a Secret Santa, favorite-things, or a white elephant gift exchange for a large group of people.
What is a good gift exchange for coworkers?
A cookie exchange or recipe exchange is a great idea for coworkers you may not know as well.
What is a good gift exchange for families?
For families who know each other well, a Secret Santa gift exchange makes things extra special because you put a little more thought into the present you’re gifting.
What are good inexpensive gift exchange ideas?
Inexpensive gift exchange ideas include a favorite things party (with a price limit), a white elephant gift exchange, or a re-gift exchange (which doesn’t require buying anything!)
Brigette Marshall, Contributing Writer
Brigette is a mom of two little girls and works full-time in project management, both at home and in the office. She loves book clubbing, antique shopping, watching documentaries, and convincing her husband to cook gourmet meals for her.
Patty Schepel, Associate Editor
As the Associate Editor, Patty works with The Everymom’s team on pitches, creating original articles, updating existing content, photo sourcing, writing shopping product descriptions, editing freelance articles, and more. With Patty’s passion for writing, experience as a mother of two, and expertise as a pediatric nurse, she brings a thoughtful and informative perspective to The Everymom.
