22 Gift Exchange Ideas That Everyone Will Love, From White Elephant to Secret Santa

With celebrations shared with friends, loved ones, and even acquaintances all on the horizon, you may be struggling to come up with gift exchange ideas for each event. While your coworkers might love a white elephant gift exchange, your book club friends might prefer a book swap. Alternatively, you may just looking for a new gifting tradition to start. Either way, present swaps are a fun (and usually inexpensive way) to bring more even more fun to holiday gatherings.

Below, see several gift exchange ideas and games that everyone will want to participate in this year.

Gift Exchange Ideas for Coworkers

You may not know coworkers as well as friends and family, but that doesn't mean a gift exchange needs to be boring. These ideas are perfect for a group of colleagues, and you may even end up with something you love.

Secret Santa

Most people are familiar with secret Santa, and it's a great gift exchange game to do with your colleagues. Set a spending limit, and have everyone choose a name (you can either have people choose out of a hat, or go with a digital matcher like Elfster). Don't let your giftee's name slip before the exchange happens!

White Elephant

The idea behind a white elephant gift exchange is sort of similar to secret Santa—but with a twist. "White elephant is a game where each participant brings a wrapped gift to the exchange and takes turns picking gifts from a designated area," says Billy Parker, director of GiftDelivery.co.uk. Choose the order in which guests choose gifts, and subsequent participants then have the option to choose a gift from the pool or "steal" from another person.

Cookie Swap

Show off your baking skills and try a cookie swap. Each participant should bake enough cookies so that everyone leaves with at least one or two of everyone else's cookie creations. (Generally, a dozen cookies per person attending is adequate.) Bring festive tins, sparkly gift bags, or pretty paper sleeves for everyone to pack up their cookies to bring home.

Regift Game

We all have gifts we've received that we're not enthusiastic about. Save those gifts and create an entire gift exchange around them. Everyone will be happy to pass along their unloved gift to someone who might enjoy it more, and you might receive something more suited to you. Just make sure you don't regift something that you received in the same social circle!

Giftcard Pileup

Have everyone bring a gift card in a nominal amount for local coffee shops, restaurants, etc. Toss them into a basket and then have each person pick a new gift card to enjoy as they please.

Grab Bag

Set a spending limit, and have participants each bring a small, wrapped gift. Toss each gift into a bag and, come exchange time, have each participant take a surprise gift from inside.

Buy One, Give One

During your gift exchange, have your group also bring an extra gift that can be donated. Ideas could include bringing unwrapped toys for a toy drive or canned goods for a food bank.

Coffee Mug Exchange

Keep your office crew well-caffeinated with this unique gift exchange idea. Have everyone purchase or thrift a cute, kitschy, or holiday-themed mug to exchange.

Recipe Exchange

Ask everyone to bring a recipe card of one of their favorite recipes, plus a basket full of the ingredients needed to make it. Swap, and then everyone can make their meals over the holiday break.

Gift Exchange Ideas for Friends and Family

When exchanging gifts with friends and family, there's room to be more intimate and intentional. These exchange ideas are also thoughtful enough to become cherished traditions.

Ornament Exchange

Swap pretty, beautiful ornaments in an activity that can become an annual holiday tradition. Ornaments can range from sentimental and handmade to vintage baubles and personalized pieces. You can even set up an ornament craft station at your party, and have each guest make a DIY ornament to give later on.

Book Swap

Perfect for your book club or a group of avid readers, hosting a book swap can be as simple as gifting your favorite read of the year. Package it with a beautiful book mark and a gift card for coffee or tea at your favorite coffee house to give the recipient a cozy afternoon.

Accessories Swap

"One of my favorite gift exchange ideas is an accessories swap," says Taryn Scarfone, founder of Joy Filled Eats. "Everyone brings a few new or like-new accessories like purses, scarves, and necklaces. You can choose as many items as the number you brought, one at a time. If there are things no one claims, donate them."

Craft Exchange

Handmade gifts are sometimes the best and offer the most sentimental value. Set up a theme for your holiday craft exchange and have your crafty friends bring their projects to swap, secret Santa-style.

Furniture Bingo

"Another great idea is 'Furniture Bingo,'" says Alexander Havkin, manager at Ecoline Windows. "Create bingo cards with different types of furniture or home décor items listed in the squares. As each item is called out, guests can mark their cards. Winners can choose from a selection of small, decorative pieces you've prepared, like decorative cushions, elegant table coasters, or plant pots."

Small Plant Exchange

"Instead of traditional gifts, each participant brings a unique plant they love," says Pranav Nair, operations manager for British D'sire, a luxury lifestyle shop. "Attach a note explaining the plant's usefulness, symbolism, and care instructions, and gift it to the recipient. It's an everlasting gift that keeps growing with time, like the relationship between the participants."

Gift Basket Swap

"Instead of exchanging individual gifts, participants can curate themed gift baskets," explains Nair. "Each person in the exchange draws from a range of themes, like 'cozy night in,' 'adventure time,' or 'gourmet delights.' Then, they'll Ccrate a gift basket filled with items related to the selected theme for the recipient."

Cocktail Swap

Have each guest bring the ingredients needed to create their favorite holiday-themed cocktail or mocktail in a fun gift bag. It's a little more fun than just the usual bottle of wine!

Favorite Things Gift Exchange

For this themed gift exchange, instruct participants to re-buy and wrap one of their favorite items that they've purchased this year. Be it a new skincare serum or super sharp vegetable peeler, the idea is to give someone else one of your tried-and-true favorite products of the year.

Gift Exchange Ideas for Children

With gift exchanges for children, the fun is more in the process than the gift itself. Turning it into an activity will keep the young ones busy and guarantee delight.

Trinket Treasure Hunt

Send the kids on a treasure hunt for holiday trinkets through the house. Like hunting for Easter eggs, give the kids a basket or Christmas stocking to collect their trinkets from room to room.

Spin the Candy Cane

Have the kids sit in a circle with a large novelty candy cane in the middle. Give the candy a spin and whoever it lands on, gets to open gift. Play until everyone scores a goodie.

Holiday Bingo

Play holiday bingo with the little ones. After each round, the winner gets to choose a small gift or trinket from a grab bag.

Plastic Wrap Ball

The plastic wrap game is simple: Wrap small gifts, chocolates, ornaments, and more inside a ball of plastic wrap. Have each child take a turn unwrapping a layer to reveal a gift. The best gift should be reserved for the middle of the ball.