White Elephant

Settle the stealing before anybody wants the waffle maker

Joinue shuffles the pick order for your gift swap and writes the house rules down where everyone can see them.

Start a White Elephant Read the rules Read the rules

Gift swap

2 steals per gift

On the table

-Maya
-Jordan
-Sam
-Priya
-Alex

Five people said they're coming. Five wrapped gifts on the table.

1 of 10

Free, no ads
Guests don't need an account
Printable rules card

The rules card

Try the card your guests will see

Most swap arguments are over rules nobody agreed to. Set yours, then print it for the table.

Steals per gift

After this many steals, a gift is locked with whoever holds it.

First picker gets a final swap

Whoever picked first never got to steal, so they get one last swap at the end.

Other house rules

Gift swap

White Elephant rules

Everyone brings one wrapped gift.
Draw pick numbers. Number 1 goes first.
On your turn, open a wrapped gift or steal one that's already open.
If your gift is stolen, open a new one or steal a different one.
The game ends when the last wrapped gift is opened.

House rules

A gift can be stolen 3 times, then it's locked.
Whoever picked first gets one last swap at the end, since they never got to steal.

The house rules read word for word like the card on a Joinue White Elephant event. Nothing here is saved.

How it works

Step 1: Make the event
Pick White Elephant, and put the budget in the house rules.
Step 2: Send the link
Guests reply with their name and don't need an account.
Step 3: Shuffle the order
Reshuffle as often as you like. Nobody sees a number yet.
Step 4: Send the numbers
Tap Release and everyone gets a number, with the whole order.

When the numbers go out

Everybody finds out at once

The order is a fair shuffle of everyone who said Going or Maybe, so number 1 can only blame the shuffle.

Anyone with the app gets a notification.
Link guests see theirs on the phone they used.
Everyone in the swap sees the whole order.
Guests who left an email are emailed.
Late yes? We remind you to add them.

Two friends in holiday headbands grinning as one of them unwraps a small red gift box, a Christmas tree behind them.

The stealing is all yours

Questions people ask

No. Only the host needs a free account. Guests answer from the link with their name, and once the numbers go out they see theirs and the whole pick order on the invite.

Yes, as often as you like before the numbers go out. A reshuffle after that replaces every number, and everyone holding one is told again.

As many times as your group decides, and two or three is the usual limit. On Joinue the host picks no limit, no stealing, or 1 to 5, and the card says when a gift locks.

Often, yes. Number 1 opened blind and never got to steal, so they get one last trade at the end. On Joinue it's a switch, and the card explains it so you don't have to.

No. Joinue shuffles the order and writes the rules down. The turns and the steal count happen in the room, out loud.

Yes, and so is Dirty Santa. The name changes by region and the game doesn't. Secret Santa is the different one, where each person buys for a name drawn in advance.

The full rules

White Elephant rules and the variations people playSteal limits, locked gifts, budgets and big groups.Read the guide

The waffle maker is up for grabs

Free, no ads, and guests don't need an account.

Start a White Elephant Doing Secret Santa instead?

White Elephant

Settle the stealing before anybody wants the waffle maker

Joinue shuffles the pick order for your gift swap and writes the house rules down where everyone can see them.

Start a White Elephant Read the rules Read the rules

Gift swap

2 steals per gift

On the table

-Maya
-Jordan
-Sam
-Priya
-Alex

Five people said they're coming. Five wrapped gifts on the table.

1 of 10

Free, no ads
Guests don't need an account
Printable rules card

The rules card

Try the card your guests will see

Most swap arguments are over rules nobody agreed to. Set yours, then print it for the table.

Steals per gift

After this many steals, a gift is locked with whoever holds it.

First picker gets a final swap

Whoever picked first never got to steal, so they get one last swap at the end.

Other house rules

Gift swap

White Elephant rules

Everyone brings one wrapped gift.
Draw pick numbers. Number 1 goes first.
On your turn, open a wrapped gift or steal one that's already open.
If your gift is stolen, open a new one or steal a different one.
The game ends when the last wrapped gift is opened.

House rules

A gift can be stolen 3 times, then it's locked.
Whoever picked first gets one last swap at the end, since they never got to steal.

The house rules read word for word like the card on a Joinue White Elephant event. Nothing here is saved.

How it works

Step 1: Make the event
Pick White Elephant, and put the budget in the house rules.
Step 2: Send the link
Guests reply with their name and don't need an account.
Step 3: Shuffle the order
Reshuffle as often as you like. Nobody sees a number yet.
Step 4: Send the numbers
Tap Release and everyone gets a number, with the whole order.

When the numbers go out

Everybody finds out at once

The order is a fair shuffle of everyone who said Going or Maybe, so number 1 can only blame the shuffle.

Anyone with the app gets a notification.
Link guests see theirs on the phone they used.
Everyone in the swap sees the whole order.
Guests who left an email are emailed.
Late yes? We remind you to add them.

The stealing is all yours

Questions people ask

No. Only the host needs a free account. Guests answer from the link with their name, and once the numbers go out they see theirs and the whole pick order on the invite.

Yes, as often as you like before the numbers go out. A reshuffle after that replaces every number, and everyone holding one is told again.

As many times as your group decides, and two or three is the usual limit. On Joinue the host picks no limit, no stealing, or 1 to 5, and the card says when a gift locks.

Often, yes. Number 1 opened blind and never got to steal, so they get one last trade at the end. On Joinue it's a switch, and the card explains it so you don't have to.

No. Joinue shuffles the order and writes the rules down. The turns and the steal count happen in the room, out loud.

Yes, and so is Dirty Santa. The name changes by region and the game doesn't. Secret Santa is the different one, where each person buys for a name drawn in advance.

The full rules

White Elephant rules and the variations people playSteal limits, locked gifts, budgets and big groups.Read the guide

The waffle maker is up for grabs

Free, no ads, and guests don't need an account.

Start a White Elephant Doing Secret Santa instead?

Settle the stealing before anybody wants the waffle maker

Try the card your guests will see

White Elephant rules

How it works

Step 1: Make the event

Step 2: Send the link

Step 3: Shuffle the order

Step 4: Send the numbers

Everybody finds out at once

Questions people ask

The full rules

The waffle maker is up for grabs

Settle the stealing before anybody wants the waffle maker

Try the card your guests will see

White Elephant rules

How it works

Step 1: Make the event

Step 2: Send the link

Step 3: Shuffle the order

Step 4: Send the numbers

Everybody finds out at once

Questions people ask

The full rules

The waffle maker is up for grabs