Anyone have any good "Secret Santa" twists?

[The Goon]

We're throwing a Secret Santa for our friends (eight in total) along with a Christmas dinner.

Everyone has instructions to get a gift up to $25 and the plan is to draw a name, then the second person can either get a gift from under the tree or "steal" the first person's gift ("Theiving Secret Santa").

I'm wondering if anyone on CP knows of a good twist to throw into this mix so it's not the same year after year. I've been put in charge of this so I'd like to do something a little different.

[foofighter15]

if you are going to steal, and the person wants to keep it you have to thumb wrestle for it. Winner gets it, and loser doesn't get to steal

[Flashpoint]

Ours is the same. It is pretty fun with all the stealing and plotting.

We make a pile of the gifts, then draw numbers. #1 gets to choose a gift. #2 gets to either steal that gift, or choose another unopened box. If #2 steals, #1 opens a new gift. Then #3 can either steal from #1 or #2, or open a new gift.

The only rules are:
No stealbacks - if your gift was just stolen, you can't steal it back if you are next to choose.

No item can be stolen more than twice. After it is stolen the second time, it is "locked".

If nobody steals #1's gift, then when everything is finished, he gets to steal if he wants - even if the gift is "locked" (otherwise #1 could pick a crappy gift, and then wind up sitting there for 45 minutes doing nothing).

Don't do this game with old people or kids. They get hurt feelings too easy.

The booze is always a hot item. A couple years ago a guy filled a huge box with styrofoam popcorn and taped a restaurant gift card to the bottom. That was pretty funny to watch our accountant dig through.

Lottery tickets make a good topic for discussion. It could get ugly if one of them wins a million.

This year I bought the USB Hello Kitty desk mate with magic wand and glitter sparkles. I work for a company that is almost exclusively male. That ought to mess with some shizzle.

[The Goon]

After what I did last year (a box of penis-shaped chocolates from the Naughty but Nice Sex Show), the "no joke gifts" rule was implemented. Alas.

I like both the thumb wrestling idea and the "locking" of gifts. I also have an 8-sided die and I'm thinking about doing something where people can choose to roll the die and they would switch gifts with the person whose number they rolled.

[Flashpoint]

Originally Posted by The Goon

After what I did last year (a box of penis-shaped chocolates from the Naughty but Nice Sex Show), the "no joke gifts" rule was implemented. Alas.

Why do some people have to be so lame?

I always wanted to get one of those automatic inflateable life rafts and wrap it up with the pull cord as part of the wrapping. Lord would that be funny.

[foofighter15]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

Why do some people have to be so lame?

I always wanted to get one of those automatic inflateable life rafts and wrap it up with the pull cord as part of the wrapping. Lord would that be funny.

That would be hysterical! How much do those things cost.

[MissTeeks]

We do this in my family but it always ends badly with shouting matched from arguing about the correct rules. It's better to play with gifts you've bought new though. For some reason, we have to bring gifts that are from around the house, no one wants your old junk! And, if you do use recycled gifts, make sure it isn't a family heirloom, it leads to entitlement awkwardness, I speak from experience.

[Tron_fdc]

Our office has been doing this for years, and we've lerned from experience that the best way to do it is:

- you can't have the same gift more than 2 times the entire time the game is on
- only 3 steals per round then the next person has to go under the tree

Use all the same rules, implement those 2, and the game finishes quite quickly and no one gets too upset.

[FlamesKickAss]

when you do the swap is the gift unwrapped? Whenever I have done it, the gifts are still wrapped so it is a crap shoot what you get. much more fun

[Flashpoint]

Originally Posted by FlamesKickAss

when you do the swap is the gift unwrapped? Whenever I have done it, the gifts are still wrapped so it is a crap shoot what you get. much more fun

Yeah, wrapped is the way to go.

[foofighter15]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

Yeah, wrapped is the way to go.

Plus then no one gets pregnant