With winter comes the holidays, and the holidays bring the joy of gift giving and receiving, unless you’re the Grinch, of course. Instead of following in his footsteps, gather around with friends and family to play White Elephant or Secret Santa. These holiday activities create cherished moments that can be told in future tales. 

The event name, White Elephant, originates from a petty story about the kings of Siam — modern-day Thailand — who would give white elephants to anyone who had annoyed them. Though the gift was extravagant and rare, the new owners would become financially distressed with the cost of the uptaking that the elephants required. 

Similarly, the term has been used to deem certain gifts as useless or unworthy of the attention that it needs. However, it is most commonly defined as the fun and oftentimes competitive game that both children and adults alike enjoy playing. 

The basic rules are simple, but there are multiple twists that can be made to make the game increasingly interesting. The basic steps are as follows:

1. Each player contributes a gift that is bought within the agreed price range. The average amount is $20, but feel free to make the price as low or as high as the party wishes. 
2. Players draw numbers or a host draws names to decide what order they go in. 
3. Players should sit in the order in which they were picked, facing the gifts. 
4. The first player chooses a gift and opens it, making sure that everyone can see the item. 
5. The following player gets to decide if they want to choose a new gift to open, or steal the previously opened gift. The same goes for anyone who has their gift stolen from them. 
6. To ensure that the game does not continue on forever, if someone has a gift taken from them they cannot immediately grab it back; they must either open a new one or steal from someone else. A present can only be stolen three times, and on the third steal the present can no longer be taken. 
7. After all players have had a turn, the first person has the opportunity to exchange a gift with another opened present, as long as the person with that present has not been stolen from yet. The game ends once someone chooses not to swap a gift. 

For the last extra turns, the three-steal rule does not apply, and everyone can continue to exchange until one person decides not to. White Elephant is an enjoyable game for the holidays, and can be a replacement for buying individual gifts.

While White Elephant is an entertaining party activity, Secret Santa is a traditional game that brings an air of mystery to the usual gift-giving. Not only that, it puts away the stress of having to buy multiple presents as well. Elizabeth Shneyvas (9) adds that “…Secret Santa brings people together because you have to think about what to get for your chosen person, and that allows you to learn more about them.”

Secret Santa is exactly what it sounds like — each participant is a Secret Santa and has a Secret Santa of their own. The rules are simple, and the larger the group, the more enjoyable it is to figure out who each person’s Secret Santa is. 

1. Put slips of paper with each person’s name into a hat or bowl OR use an online Secret Santa generator.
2. Choose a piece of paper and make sure not to reveal your giftee to anyone. 
3. Everyone can share their wish-lists with the group, and secret Santas can look at their respective lists, though they are not limited to them. 
4. Find a day when the entire party can meet to exchange the gifts. 
5. Once everyone has met up, put the presents in a pile and have one person hand them out to the recipients. Thus, the opening of gifts and the guessing of Secret Santas can begin.

Start or finish off the season of giving with these two activities and bring cheer to all, even including Mr. Grinch. White Elephant and Secret Santa are equally rewarding and entertaining to participate in for people of all ages. Most importantly, they keep the holiday spirit by spreading smiles and joyousness by creating ways to spend time with friends and family.