How this white elephant generator works
Paste your players, choose your steal limit and press the button. The tool shuffles the list with an unbiased Fisher–Yates shuffle, so every possible order is equally likely, and numbers the players from first to last. Underneath it prints a short rules card that matches the options you picked. Read it aloud before the first gift is opened: disputes in this game almost always start with rules that were unclear when the game began.
The rules, in plain English
White elephant is also known as Yankee swap, dirty Santa, or “pass the parcel with attitude”. Each guest brings one wrapped gift of a similar price and puts it in a pile. Players take turns in numbered order. On your turn you either open a wrapped gift from the pile, or you steal a gift someone else has already opened. When your gift is stolen you get another turn right away, and you are not allowed to take back the gift that was just taken from you. That one rule stops the game from becoming a two-person tug of war.
Most groups cap how many times a single gift can move. The common version is three steals per gift: after the third steal the gift is “frozen” and its holder keeps it. Many groups also give player 1 a final swap at the end, because they went first and never had a chance to steal. Frozen gifts stay where they are even during that final swap. These are popular conventions, not official laws; the published one-page rules from SecretSantaMatch describe exactly this standard version, so the defaults here follow them, while Wikipedia notes that a limit of two steals is also common. If your office has its own rules, pick the closest option and agree changes before starting.
Choosing a steal limit
- 1 steal: fast, good for large groups or when time is tight. The first good gift is lost quickly.
- 2 steals: a middle ground that keeps the game moving but still allows some drama.
- 3 steals: the standard. It rewards great gifts without letting one item circulate for ever.
- Unlimited: chaotic fun, but agree an end time or a maximum number of rounds, or the game may not finish.
Before the party
Set one price range and announce it with the invitation. Wrapping should be anonymous: no names, and ideally no obviously recognisable paper from one person’s house. Ask people to avoid gifts that are only funny once, and to bring something they would genuinely like to receive. Our guide to white elephant rules and variations explains dice games, timers and other twists, and the guide on gift budgets helps you choose a fair price cap.
Remote white elephant
You can play it over video, too: each person has their gift shipped to themselves or shows a described item, and the host keeps the turn order on screen. When a gift is stolen the two players agree to swap by post after the call. Our remote exchange guide covers the logistics.