Christmas Eve Gift Exchange Ideas

[Vintage81]

Every year (except last year) my family gets together on Christmas Eve. I'm hosting this year and I'm stumped on what to do for the gift exchange for the adults. In the past, we've either exchanged small gifts or gift cards ($25 limit). We've also tried different games to go along with the gifts...like the one where you draw numbers and steal. Nothing is ever super fun and a white-elephant won't work either. My mom would be the one to bring a "normal" gift and end up with something like toilet paper and be really upset. The gift cards didn't work either because we ended up with 90% Amazon gift cards. 

So this year I was thinking of scrapping the whole thing and doing something different. My sister suggested instead of gifts, asking everyone to donate to Wreaths Across America and make the donation in memory of my grandparents. (My grandfather, who was in the military, passed away last year and my grandmother passed in 2019.) I thought that was a good idea, but looking at their website I can't figure out how to do that. 

Anyways, I may still go with the wreath donation idea, just without the whole "in memory of" thing. Do y'all have any other ideas? Or are there any fun traditions you do with your families?

[freesia]

This isn't exactly your situation, but it's an idea to think about.  My immediate family (dh, me and kids) contribute to a can of money that, on Christmas Day, we decide how to use.  We use the World Vision catalogue and chose things from it like goats or educating a child or mother/infant care.  Sometime we get a lot of things, sometimes we choose one big gift.  We then cut out the pictures and put them in the Nativity set up as gifts for Jesus.  I don't know your faith background, but maybe there is something that would work like that with each family choosing something and making a donation and cutting out a picture and then glueing them on a piece of paper if the Nativity idea wouldn't work.

[QueenCat]

Is a part of the point of the activity to give the adults something to do together? If so, donating to any type of cause might not work. Here's another game that my family found fun. It's a Dice Christmas game called "Switch, Steal, and Unwrap". We had 7 in our game (6 adults and 1 older teen). Each of us brought 4-5 gifts in the range of $3-5 to contribute to the game. It was hilarious and different from the typical stealing game.

https://www.playpartyplan.com/dice-gift-exchange-game/

[Vintage81]

11 minutes ago, QueenCat said:

Is a part of the point of the activity to give the adults something to do together? If so, donating to any type of cause might not work. Here's another game that my family found fun. It's a Dice Christmas game called "Switch, Steal, and Unwrap". We had 7 in our game (6 adults and 1 older teen). Each of us brought 4-5 gifts in the range of $3-5 to contribute to the game. It was hilarious and different from the typical stealing game.

https://www.playpartyplan.com/dice-gift-exchange-game/

Yes, ideally it would be nice to have something to do together, which is a snag with the donation thing. Thanks for the game idea…I haven’t heard of that. I’ll check it out! 

[HS Mom in NC]

I announced we wouldn't do gift exchanges anymore and instead I would bring lots of fireworks for everyone who wanted to participate. The kids liked it, some parents participated and others enjoyed the quiet inside while we were outside with the kids. It can be memory making for those who want to participate, and if people don't want to participate in the merry making, oh well.

I divided up the fireworks and matches (sooo many fireworks) into the same number of bags as people at the event. Participants got their own large gift bag and I divided up the leftover bags between them as we started lighting the fireworks. Adults hovered around the littler kids and the older kids were free to set them off at will in the designated area.

OOPS, this paragraph got cut off in the final edit before posting.  Look up on Youtube a demonstration of the game Left, Center, Right.  We played that too.  Everyone (up to 30 people) brought 3 one dollar bills but you can play with quarters or whatever. You can buy the dice at Walmart.

Edited December 6, 2021 by HS Mom in NC

[fairfarmhand]

We do a dirty santa type gift exchange where all the gifts are "real" gifts. No pranks.

So gift cards are one thing that is brought, but there are other things too. Fancy food baskets. Those soft throw blankets. Last year my sil put together a bag with a small waffle iron, waffle mix, etc. A tool kit. The knives were popular with the fellows.

This year, I bought microwavable slippers.

One of my dd's will take a wooden bread basket that is has a dishtowel along with it that says "well butter my buns and call me a biscuit." 

Another dd will bring a bag with a pretty throw, scented candle, and some bath salts.

My ds will bring a bluetooth speaker.

There are about 20 of us and everyone participates. We range in age from 46 down to my youngest niece who is 10. We all enjoyed it so much last year.

I think the thinking here is that everyone wants to compete to have the gift that everyone wants to steal. That's where we're starting so people have been thinking about it for awhile.

 

 

[AmandaVT]

What about a family board game to play together on Christmas Eve plus a cookie exchange or something along those lines?

[Catwoman]

Can you do a Secret Santa gift exchange? That way, everyone gets a “real” gift.

[Toocrazy!!]

Ornament exchanges can be fun. 

[LifeLovePassion]

We stopped exchanging with siblings and parents a while ago, so take this fwiw...I like the idea of a theme. Board games, family meal night ,( pizza, pasta, etc), movie night, ornaments, etc. This way everyone gets an item vs a gift card and hopefully there is a little thought put into being creative on a budget. 

[mom31257]

Listening in...we are going to exchange $50 gifts; however, I don't know how we're going to exchange them yet. Two of the family members are very opposed to a game involving stealing gifts. 

[fairfarmhand]

Oh, ornaments are good. inexpensive, but could be very fun and creative!

[KungFuPanda]

What if you skipped gifts and had a table to make an ornament?  Everyone would go home and have the same ornaments on their tree and remember the year you made them together. You could make it easy enough that if someone wasn't crafty/interested then someone else could make an extra for them. 

[Toocrazy!!]

4 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

What if you skipped gifts and had a table to make an ornament?  Everyone would go home and have the same ornaments on their tree and remember the year you made them together. You could make it easy enough that if someone wasn't crafty/interested then someone else could make an extra for them. 

This could be fun! An activity is always a good thing. And it could really be switched up for ages/interest.

 

[Ditto]

My idea is cookie decorating.  You could have sugar and gingerbread and maybe have family members provide different kinds and colors of frosting and decorations.  It might be nice to even pair off or do teams and have the teams decorate for a "rival" team or have a cookie decorating contest. 
 

[mmasc]

8 hours ago, mom31257 said:

Listening in...we are going to exchange $50 gifts; however, I don't know how we're going to exchange them yet. Two of the family members are very opposed to a game involving stealing gifts. 

If you still want to do something different, but where no stealing is involved, one year I attended a party where all of the gifts were on a table numbered (like 1-20 or whatever). Then we all drew numbers from a sack and got whatever gift was that number. Alternatively, NONE of the gifts are numbered but are all sitting in a pile/table. The guests draw numbers and then we get to go CHOOSE a gift in whatever order our numbers are. That’s kind of fun bc you get to pick based solely on size/wrapping/shape. Obviously all gifts must be ok for the whole age range of people this way though. 

[kristin0713]

Do you all exchange gifts with everyone else?  We do a secret santa with my siblings and it is really fun.  My brother sets it up online through draw names.com.  This way we are only shopping for one gift, it's personal and specific. 

[marbel]

I like the idea of a Secret Santa best, rather than a random gift exchange. People can be more thoughtful when they know who they are buying for. 

Also, the ornament idea mentioned above. One year we had a big Christmas party and I had set up an ornament-making table for the kids. That lasted about 15 minutes before they all ran off to play. A few minutes after that I saw a bunch of the dads sitting there working on ornaments of their own! They seemed to have a blast making ornaments to take home. You could get kits from a crafts store or Oriental Trading to keep it easy on yourself. 

Someone I knew once did a book exchange. Everyone brought a copy of a book they liked or thought someone else would like, and did an exchange. I don't remember if it was Secret Santa or random, but they said it was a lot of fun and everyone was happy to get a new (to them) book.

[mom31257]

1 hour ago, kristin0713 said:

Do you all exchange gifts with everyone else?  We do a secret santa with my siblings and it is really fun.  My brother sets it up online through draw names.com.  This way we are only shopping for one gift, it's personal and specific. 

I like the idea; however, my extended family that gets together is very small. Half of the ones who will attend are my immediate family, so we could end up just buying for each other.  We've never tried this before, so it might be a flop. We'll see. 

Edited December 7, 2021 by mom31257

[fairfarmhand]

1 hour ago, marbel said:

I like the idea of a Secret Santa best, rather than a random gift exchange. People can be more thoughtful when they know who they are buying for. 

Also, the ornament idea mentioned above. One year we had a big Christmas party and I had set up an ornament-making table for the kids. That lasted about 15 minutes before they all ran off to play. A few minutes after that I saw a bunch of the dads sitting there working on ornaments of their own! They seemed to have a blast making ornaments to take home. You could get kits from a crafts store or Oriental Trading to keep it easy on yourself. 

Someone I knew once did a book exchange. Everyone brought a copy of a book they liked or thought someone else would like, and did an exchange. I don't remember if it was Secret Santa or random, but they said it was a lot of fun and everyone was happy to get a new (to them) book.

Or a movie exchange might be fun too! 

[mommyoffive]

10 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

What if you skipped gifts and had a table to make an ornament?  Everyone would go home and have the same ornaments on their tree and remember the year you made them together. You could make it easy enough that if someone wasn't crafty/interested then someone else could make an extra for them. 

That is a super fun idea. 

How about a Gingerbread house contest?  Everyone gets a premade kit and then gets to make one?  Or break into teams? 

Cookie making contest? 

 

[Spryte]

I like the ornament making idea. 

We spent a holiday week with our very extended, holiday-happy family a few years ago, and there were a lot of games and activities that various families set up. We still cherish the ornaments we made. 

My other two favorite “gift games” … the one with wrapped gifts in a basket—like a PP mentioned, we drew numbers and took a gift, but anyone after could take it, like a white elephant game. And we all had a blast playing the Saran Wrap ball game. But I’m not sure how those would work for OP, since she’d be setting them up and this needs to be an exchange with others bringing gifts, too.

[lmrich]

I was also going to suggest a gingerbread house contest. 

Games like Bunco are fun and do not involve skill or put together a minute to win it Christmas edition 

For Thanksgiving, I found a puzzle, murder mystery kit at TJ Maxx. It was something to do together and all ages seemed engaged (I was cooking and out of the loop  for most of it) but it was a big hit. 

[mom31257]

1 hour ago, lmrich said:

I was also going to suggest a gingerbread house contest. 

Games like Bunco are fun and do not involve skill or put together a minute to win it Christmas edition 

For Thanksgiving, I found a puzzle, murder mystery kit at TJ Maxx. It was something to do together and all ages seemed engaged (I was cooking and out of the loop  for most of it) but it was a big hit. 

I found this free murder mystery (for 6 players) and we did it at Thanksgiving. It was a lot of fun. You can purchase it for more people. 

And I just bought a couple of village gingerbread kits so that we could have a contest for Christmas. There are several small buildings in those. I'm getting extra decorating things, too.