Yankee Swap Rules

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Yankee swap rules are simple enough to explain in a minute and just ambiguous enough that every group argues about the same three points. Everybody brings one wrapped gift, everybody draws a number, and on your turn you either open something from the pile or take a gift somebody has already unwrapped. The arguments are always about stealing: how often, from whom, and whether you can take back what was taken from you.

The builder above writes a rule sheet with your answers on it, which you can print and put on the table. Below are the standard rules, the three decisions worth making before you start, and how the game differs from the other names it goes by.

The rules of a yankee swap

Here is the standard game, in the order it happens.

Every player brings one wrapped gift and puts it in a pile. Nobody puts their name on anything, because the anonymity is what makes the stealing bearable.

Players draw numbers for turn order. Number one has the hardest turn and the best ending, which the next section explains.

Player one opens a gift from the pile and shows it to the room.

From then on, each player in turn either unwraps a new gift from the pile or takes an opened gift from another player. Anyone whose gift is taken immediately goes again, with the same choice.

A gift is frozen once it has been taken three times. It stays with whoever is holding it and cannot move again.

When the last wrapped gift has been opened and that turn resolves, player one gets one final swap. They may take any unfrozen gift in the room, or keep what they have.

Whatever you are holding at the end is yours.

Why player one gets a final swap

This is the rule most often left out, and leaving it out is what makes the game feel unfair.

Player one opens the very first gift with no information and no choice. Everyone after them gets to see what has already been unwrapped. Without a final swap, drawing number one is simply the worst position in the game, and everyone can see it.

The final swap fixes that. It turns number one from the worst draw into an interesting one, because you spend the whole game watching a gift you want and hoping it does not get frozen before your turn comes round again.

If you drop this rule, expect somebody to point out the unfairness before the game is half over.

The three decisions to make before you start

Almost every yankee swap argument comes from one of these being left unstated.

How many times a gift can be taken. Three is the standard and it works. Set it to one and the game dies, because gifts stop moving after a single round and there is nothing left to play for. Set it to unlimited and the game never ends. The builder above has a steal simulator that runs your chosen limit with six players so you can see the difference before you commit.

Whether you can take straight back. The usual answer is no. If somebody takes your gift you cannot immediately take it back from them, or two players will simply pass one item between themselves until everybody else loses interest. Say this out loud before the first steal.

What the spending limit is, as a number. Around twenty five dollars is the most common. A vague instruction to bring something small is how you end up with one guest bringing a candy bar and another bringing a coffee machine.

Yankee swap rules for a large group

Above about fifteen players the standard game runs long, because every steal triggers another turn and the chain can go round the room several times.

Three things help. Lower the steal limit to two rather than three. Set a hard rule that a player holds only one gift at any moment, handing over what they had when they take something. And consider running the game with a die instead, where a roll decides what happens on each turn rather than a person choosing, which removes all deliberation and roughly halves the running time. Our dice version of the game has the rules and a roller.

Yankee swap, white elephant, dirty santa

These are the same game. The name depends on where you are rather than on any difference in play.

Yankee swap is the New England name for the same game, and the differences are conventions rather than rules. Our yankee swap rules page covers it under that name, with its own printable rule sheet, and yankee swap gifts covers what to bring.

What does vary is the expectation about gifts. Yankee swap groups usually bring something genuinely nice, and the game is about wanting what somebody else got. White elephant groups more often lean toward funny or useless gifts, and the humor is the point. That is a convention rather than a rule, and it is worth saying which one you mean in the invitation so nobody turns up with the wrong kind of gift.

Secret santa is a different game entirely. There each person is assigned one recipient and buys for them specifically. No pile, no stealing.

If your group calls it white elephant, our white elephant rules page covers the same game under that name with its own rule sheet builder.

If your group calls it dirty santa, that is the southern name and the rules are identical. Our dirty santa rules page has the game under that heading, and dirty santa gift ideas covers the shopping.

Printing your yankee swap rules

Put the rules on the table rather than explaining them. Somebody always arrives late, and the person explaining the rules from memory is also the person who has to arbitrate the first dispute.

The builder above turns your answers into a printable rule sheet. Set your steal limit, decide whether taking straight back is allowed, add your spending limit, and print it. There are number cards on the second page for drawing turn order, so you do not have to write numbers on scraps of paper.

Before the day

Send the invitation three to four weeks out for a December swap, with the spending limit written as a number and a line saying whether gifts should be nice or funny. Our invitation maker writes and prints one.

If people ask what to bring, yankee swap gifts has ideas by budget and by group.

Yankee swap rules FAQ

What are the rules of a yankee swap?

Everybody brings one wrapped gift and puts it in a pile, then draws a number for turn order. On your turn you either unwrap a gift from the pile or take an opened one from another player, and anyone whose gift is taken goes again straight away. A gift freezes after three steals. At the end, player one gets one final swap, and whatever you are holding is yours.

How does a yankee swap work?

It works on the tension between opening something unknown and taking something you have already seen. Because every steal gives the victim another turn, one good gift can move around the room several times before it freezes.

How many times can a gift be stolen in a yankee swap?

Three is standard. After the third steal the gift is frozen and stays where it is. One steal makes the game end too early and unlimited steals mean it does not end at all.

Can you steal back in a yankee swap?

Usually not. If somebody takes your gift you cannot take it straight back from them on your next turn, or two players will pass one item between themselves indefinitely. Agree this before you start.

Does the first person get another turn?

Yes, and it matters. Player one opens the first gift with no information, so at the end they get one final swap for any unfrozen gift in the room. Without that rule, drawing number one is simply the worst position.

What is the difference between a yankee swap and white elephant?

The name only. Yankee swap is the New England term, white elephant is the most common name nationally and dirty santa is the southern one. The rules are the same. Yankee swap groups do tend to bring nicer gifts and white elephant groups tend more toward funny ones, but that is convention rather than rule.

How much should you spend on a yankee swap gift?

Whatever the organizer sets, and around twenty five dollars is the most common. Say it as a number in the invitation rather than describing it, or the gifts will vary wildly in value.

How many people do you need for a yankee swap?

Six is enough for stealing to be interesting. Under six there are too few gifts in play for anything to move. Above fifteen, drop the steal limit to two or the game runs long.

Do you need to wrap yankee swap gifts?

Yes, and in something that gives nothing away. The whole game depends on nobody knowing what is in the pile, so a gift in its original box or an obvious shape loses most of its value straight away.

When does a yankee swap end?

When the last wrapped gift has been opened, that turn has resolved, and player one has taken their final swap. Everything after that is quiet trading, which undoes the game and is worth ruling out in advance.

What happens if someone forgets a gift?

Keep one spare wrapped gift as the organizer. It costs a few dollars and saves somebody a genuinely uncomfortable few minutes.