A White Elephant gift for exchange can be just about anything! Generally they are a type of gag gift but can also be a gift you received that you do not want, something from your home that is no longer of use or an item under a certain dollar value purchased new. The type of gift is generally decided on ahead of time and written in the invitation to the exchange. An example of an exchange might be a Dollar Store White Elephant exchange where all items are purchased at the Dollar Store. A White Elephant exchange has also been called Dirty Santa, Yankee Swap, Thieving Secret Santa, and Thieving Elves depending on where you live and what others are familiar with. The general idea of the exchange is the same, each person brings a unmarked wrapped gift and chooses one but can opt to “steal” another persons unwrapped gift.
Every one that attends brings a wrapped gift for the pile. Then each person would take a number to designate the order in which they will choose or steal a gift. The order of picking is determined by the number you are given to pick. Numbers can be picked out of a hat or box, the order in which you arrived to the party or the order in which you pick your seat. However you choose is up to you as long as it goes in some sort of number order and you do not loose your place in who goes next.
The rules are pretty basic, each person gets a turn to choose a wrapped gift or steal another person's unwrapped gift, unless you are the first person. Then you can only choose a gift but should someone steal yours then you are free to choose or steal. A gift may only be stolen 3 times otherwise this game can go on for hours.
After the first person has chosen their gift, unwrapped it and shown it to everyone, the second person then has the decision of “stealing” the first person's gift or picking one from the “pile”. If your gift is “stolen” that person then would get to choose another gift from the pile or “steal” someone else's gift. If they decided to “steal” another gift then that person would then have the choice to “steal” or pick an unwrapped gift. The “stealing” of gifts can go on for an uncontrolled amount of time. Gifts are “stolen” and chosen until all gifts in the pile are gone and everyone has their White Elephant.
