White Elephant rules for a living-room party

White elephant, Yankee swap, and Dirty Santa are the same game. Everyone brings one wrapped gift. You draw an order. The first person opens a gift. Each later person opens a new gift or steals an open one.

Decide the steal limit before the first gift is touched. Two steals keeps a living room moving. Three is livelier and a little longer. When a gift hits the limit, it is frozen and stays put.

Number 1 opens the first gift. The last turn waits the longest and usually has the most to choose from. Some parties give player 1 one final swap after the last turn. Say yes or no before you start.

Use a white elephant order draw so nobody has to pull numbers from a hat. Draw the names, share the link, and reveal one person at a time if you want the room to lean in.

If you want the order on a screen, the reveal video includes both versions: who goes first, and a countdown that ends on #1. Delivered when you choose, with a TV file and a phone file.

A printed rules card on the table saves the argument. Price limit, steal limit, and whether player 1 gets a final swap. That is the whole card.