It must have been well over 20 years ago that I played my first game “Dirty Santa.” For the record: I’ve never called this game “White Elephant.”
If you have been living under a rock or are unfamiliar, it is a fun gift exchange game traditionally played at Christmas parties. The game is played when everyone buys a gift (usually worth a certain amount of money that is agreed upon by the participants ahead of time) and brings them to a party wrapped. Everyone draws numbers to establish when they will be allowed to pick.
There are a lot of different styles played and it seems like most people have their own house rules when it comes to certain procedures.
One of the rules that a lot of my friends will play by is that whoever draws the number one spot (the person who picks first) has the option to trade their gift at the end of the game. The number one can be a truly coveted spot.
And of course, the game wouldn’t be fun without the element of treachery where people can steal gifts. Many people will say a gift can only be stolen a certain amount of times. Most recent games I have played, a gift can only be stolen twice after it has been picked.
I’ve also recently played where rules were set that while picking a person is not allowed to shake the gift as to try to find out what it is but lifting the gift to feel the weight was allowed. It’s funny things like this that make the game interesting with different house rules.
So now that I have explained the game to the people who may not be familiar, let me tell you about some of my experiences playing.
The first time I played it was when I was a kid. We played it in my church youth group (which now, looking back, seems kind of weird considering it’s a game that involves stealing). It was all in good fun, though.
I remember some of the gifts back then were things like Koosh balls, Uno cards and rubix cubes. I recall getting a Magic 8-Ball once and being so excited about my gift. It was decidedly so.
As I got older, the types of gifts people bring to a Dirty Santa gift exchange have changed a little bit.
In my early and mid-twenties, I would enjoy attending Christmas parties with friends from college. There were countless times I remember many gifts being a bottle of liquor or wine. Every now and then there would either be something unique or something extremely ludicrous. I was guilty of bringing many a gag-gift to a Christmas party.
For example, one year, when I was out on an errand for my old job, I had to make a run to a medical supply store. I was at the front desk and noticed a product called Go Girl (it’s a product for women who need to go, look it up) and thought it would make a great Dirty Santa gift. I thought while kind of funny, it could still be useful, but a friend girl ended up getting it and she was not happy about it.
Me on the other hand, I probably took home a bottle of tequila or something. That was the norm for a little bit when I used to play. I would always fight over a bottle of liquor. I would also bring a holiday gift pack from the liquor store.
It was not many years ago, I realized I didn’t like winning a bottle of booze at Dirty Santa so much. It was just something I would take home, drink and have nothing to remember.
Now I’m not knocking the bringing of booze to a game of Dirty Santa. Don’t get me wrong. I’m just saying that I think I’m getting older and personally don’t want those things. That hasn’t stopped me from bringing a nice bottle of wine and a nice little set of wine glasses in years past.
Since changing my strategy (so to speak), I’ve been gifted blankets, mugs, a French press, portable speakers, puzzles, games, and more.
At one of the most recent Christmas parties I attended, there was a $20 limit on gifts and not a single person brought a bottle of alcohol. I brought a nice little set of Pyrex that was stolen a couple times early on in the game.
I really enjoy bringing gifts that are useful and something people will really want.
I think I have matured in that sense, but I still enjoy watching people get stuck with something ridiculous.
So, cheers to all my friends who dig playing Dirty Santa. May you take home the gift you really want and will enjoy.
Jamie Massengale, is a man about town.
