74 days to Christmasdays

Dice Gift Exchange

Roll a die to send wrapped gifts around the group, with each number triggering a different exchange action.

Players
6–20
Ages
7+
Time
about 20 min
You need
Something to buy or bring

Set up

Let the die decide where the presents go

Everybody sits in a circle holding a wrapped gift. One person rolls, the whole group passes the way the die says, and the die moves on. Nobody chooses and nobody steals — you keep whatever you are holding at the end.

How many people are in the circle?
8

The board needs this to tell you whether the gifts have really moved. This game works with 6 to 20.

Which version?

You still need the gifts. The die is the only thing this page is replacing.

How the Dice Gift Exchange works

Everyone brings one wrapped gift and sits in a circle holding one. A player rolls, and the number tells the whole group how far to pass and which way — one place left, two places right, and so on. Then the die moves to the next person. Nobody picks a gift and nobody steals one, which is what makes this the gentlest of the gift exchanges.

The awkward part has always been remembering what each number means, which is why the rules tell you to keep the six actions visible. The board above keeps them visible and rolls for you. It also counts something nobody at the table can: because every action rotates the whole circle, the rolls can cancel out and leave everybody holding the gift they brought. It will tell you before you unwrap anything. These are the rules the game is built on.

What it is

Dice Gift Exchange is a Christmas gift game in which a roll of the die determines how wrapped presents move around the group. Players take turns rolling, and each result tells everyone how far and in which direction to pass their gift.

Unlike a traditional White Elephant exchange, nobody chooses a gift to steal from someone else. The randomness of the die controls the action, making the game easy to follow and giving children, families, friends and coworkers the same chance of ending up with any of the presents.

Setting up

Ask every player to contribute one wrapped gift within an agreed budget or theme. Arrange everyone in a circle with one gift each. Either place a six-sided die where everyone can reach it, or open this page and roll on it, which keeps the six exchange actions on screen so nobody has to remember what each number means.

How to play

  1. Give each player one wrapped gift and choose someone to make the first roll.
  2. The player rolls the die and the whole group follows the action assigned to that number.
  3. Everyone completes the pass at the same time, moving the gift directly to the person the required number of places away.
  4. After the action is complete, pass the die to the next player.
  5. Continue around the circle until every player has rolled once.
  6. If the group wants a longer exchange, play a second complete round.
  7. When the final agreed round ends, each player keeps and opens the gift they are holding.

Rules

  • 1 — Everyone passes their gift one place to the left.
  • 2 — Everyone passes their gift one place to the right.
  • 3 — Everyone passes their gift three places to the left.
  • 4 — Everyone passes their gift two places to the left.
  • 5 — Everyone passes their gift two places to the right.
  • 6 — No gifts move; pass the die to the next player.
  • For passes of two or three places, hand the gift directly to the person that number of seats away rather than passing it through intermediate players.
  • Complete each exchange action before the next player rolls.
  • Keep gifts wrapped until the final round has ended.
  • Agree on the gift budget and any theme before participants choose their gifts.
  • For workplace exchanges, keep gifts appropriate for the group and workplace.

Variations

  • Two-Round Exchange: Give everyone exactly two rolls before the exchange ends.
  • Fast Exchange: Set a short overall time limit and keep rolling around the circle until time expires.
  • Simple Exchange: Use only the one-place left, one-place right and no-move actions for a more repetitive version that is especially easy to follow.
  • Themed Exchange: Set a gift theme such as ornaments, useful gifts or funny gifts before the gathering.

Keep playing

More games for your group

Three that go well after Dice Gift Exchange — or let the Finder choose.