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White Elephant House Rules Generator

Choose a preset such as Classic, Yankee Swap, Dirty Santa or Cozy, then adjust the steal limit, final swap, budget and theme. The generator writes your house rules in plain English. Share them as a link before the party or download a one-page PDF.

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House rules

Rules

Your rules card

White Elephant house rules

Budget: $25

  1. Bring one wrapped gift worth about $25. Put it in the pile.
  2. Draw numbers to set the turn order.
  3. Player 1 opens a gift from the pile and shows it to everyone.
  4. On your turn, either open a wrapped gift or steal a gift someone has already opened.
  5. If your gift is stolen, you go again right away: open a wrapped gift or steal a different one.
  6. The turn ends when someone opens a wrapped gift. Then the next number goes.
  7. A gift can only be stolen once per turn, so no instant steal-backs.
  8. A gift is frozen after it has been stolen 3 times. Whoever holds it then keeps it.
  9. Final turn: after everyone has gone, player 1 may swap their gift with any opened gift. The person they swapped with may then swap with someone else who hasn't been swapped with yet. It ends when someone keeps what they have. Frozen gifts are fair game in the final turn.

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How to use it

  1. Pick a preset.
  2. Adjust any rule: steals before a gift freezes, steals per turn, steal-backs, the final turn, cozy mode.
  3. Add your event name, budget and theme.
  4. Copy share link to send the rules to guests, or Download PDF to print.

What the presets mean

  • Classic: freeze after 3 steals, no instant steal-backs, swap chain at the end.
  • Yankee Swap: classic, with a single final swap.
  • Dirty Santa: no freeze, but a turn ends after 3 steals.
  • Cozy: freeze after 2, one steal per turn, gentler wording, no final swap.
  • Speed round: 45-second turns, fewer steals, no final swap.

Each one is explained on the variations page and in the full rules. Bring something good: start with useful gift ideas. The virtual game uses the same presets, and the steal tracker runs them on one phone at an in-person party.

Frequently asked questions

Why write house rules for White Elephant?

Because every group plays slightly differently. Sharing the exact rules before the party prevents arguments about steal limits and the final swap.

Can guests open my shared link?

Yes. The rules are encoded in the link itself, so anyone who opens it sees the same rules. Nothing is stored on a server.

Which preset should I pick?

Classic for most groups, Cozy for coworkers or sensitive crowds, Dirty Santa for competitive friends, and Speed for large groups.

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