In recent years we have started a tradition on Christmas Eve. Instead of buying a lot of gifts for everyone and placing them under the Christmas tree, we have started to play a game that is not Secret Santa. It is a dice game that has become quite popular here in Sweden in the past few years. It is a Christmas Gift Game. There are several versions of this game. The best thing is that it is easy to make adjustments so that it fits the company you are in.
Christmas Gift Game: Our Rules
As I mentioned, there are several versions of this game and you will probably find adjustments where you see fit. However, this is how our family has been playing for the last years. Most of the participants have enjoyed this way!
Game Preparations
There are some preparations required for everyone participating. While planning we set a value for each gift (for example 50 SEK/5 EUR/5 USD). Then each participant buys two gifts according to that value. Everyone then makes sure that the gifts are properly wrapped.
Time to Play
It is time to play the Christmas Gift Game. here is a short list of what is needed:
- A table that is big enough for everyone – everybody should also have some free space in front of them.
- Two dice
- All the gifts standing in the middle of the table.
First Round
The first round is to spit the gifts between the participants. During this round, the two dice go around the table (clockwise). The person who gets a double on the dice will get to take a gift of their choice from the middle of the table. The round continues until all gifts in the middle of the table have been taken.
Second round
It is in the second round that the game really starts. A timer is set for a specific time, we usually go for 10-15 minutes. During this time the two dice continue around the table. Once someone gets a double this time that player gets to pick a gift of his/her choice from someone else. The only catch is that you are not allowed to take the last gift from someone. In other words, each participant should have at least one gift. The game continues until the timer ends or until everyone has received at least one gift.
Once the game is over, everyone can start unwrapping their winnings and see what they have been fighting so hard for the last minutes.
Christmas Gift Game: Other Versions
There are so many other versions of this game that someone will probably tell us that we are doing it all wrong. Our comment on that is that nothing is written in stone and after all it is Christmas. We buy two gifts each and our rule is that you are not allowed to take the last gift from anyone. That way everyone ends up with at least one gift. However, there are people who only buy one gift each for the game and then everyone fights for the few gifts that are available.
There are also versions where the players are allowed to open their gifts between the first and second round. They then know what they are fighting for during the second round. We were 16 players this year and had the addition of another set of dice to make it playable. It is really possible to make any adjustments that your group feels are needed.
We really hope that you will enjoy this Christmas gift game in case you decide to try it.
I’m a Finn but born in Sweden and I never heard about this game. It sounds a lot of fun and next year I’ll set it up too. We just didn’t do any presents, but this sounds fun!
I love this idea! But you need at least 5 or 6 people to play it, i guess?
I would say a minimum of four, but best is probably around 5 to 6 as you say. 🙂
We have a variation of this game in the United States of America. It’s a lot of fun!