Are you looking for a different way to exchange gifts this Christmas? Whether your family is on a budget or not, these unique Christmas gift exchange ideas will work for you! They work for big and small families.
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12 Days of Christmas Gift Exchange
Instead of buying lots of large gifts for your kids and spouse, try buying small gifts that fit in a stocking.
As a family, we each open one gift every day leading up to Christmas.
It is a lot of fun to be able to open gifts for so many days, and it doesn’t break the bank!
Small gifts could be:
- candy
- fancy pens and markers
- socks
- CD’s
- gift cards
- small figures
- small toys
- board books for children
- chapstick
- Christmas ornament
- and many more things!
See our stocking stuffers post for more ideas!
Vacation at Christmas
Instead of giving gifts, consider taking a vacation!
My kids were home-schooled for many years, so we were able to take a vacation before school was out for Christmas holiday.
We were able to pay cheaper hotel rates among other things since not a lot of people are thinking of vacation at that time of year.
We took the vacation instead of giving presents.
It doesn’t even have to be a big vacation!
One year we spent 3 days in Chicago. We went to museums and enjoyed looking at everything decorated for Christmas.
Everyone got to pick out one present from a museum store.
Want to save money on vacation? Check out these other posts by us:
- Save Money on Museums and Other Big City Attractions
- 4 Ways to Save Money on Your Next Trip to the Museum
- Save Money On Everyday Life With This One Tip
White Elephant Christmas Gift Exchange
A white elephant Christmas gift exchange is when every person brings one gift for an anonymous person.
Everyone sits in a circle for this gift exchange.
One person starts the exchange by unwrapping a gift from under the Christmas tree.
The next person has the choice to unwrap a new gift from underneath the tree or to steal the gift from another person.
This continues all the way around the circle.
The person who unwrapped the first gift has the option to choose from all the gifts that were opened.
A lot of people give the rule that a gift can only be stolen 3 times in order to prevent the same gift from being stolen every time.
White Elephant Variations
This Christmas gift exchange can have a lot of variations.
We have given white elephant gifts on both sides of the family for the last 4 or 5 years.
Usually, we say that you can’t spend more than $5 on your gift.
We like it best when the gifts are funny, but you can decide on what you want to do based on your family.
Maybe you could say that gifts have to be homemade or come from a garage sale or thrift store.
You can make it however you want.
Secret Santa Christmas Gift Exchange
The way this exchange works is that everyone draws a name and buys gift(s) for that one person.
I have done it where you buy 3 gifts and you give them out secretly on 3 different days.
Then, at a family gathering, each person tries to guess who their Secret Santa was.
You could also just get one gift and put it under the tree at your family gathering.
One Large Christmas Gift
This is always an option especially if you have older children who like more expensive items.
You buy one family gift for everyone to use.
It could be a video game system like Wii or a large TV.
One year we used this idea and bought a treadmill for everyone to use.
This is a great idea if you don’t have a lot of money to spend on everyone.
Theme Christmas Gift Exchange
My sister is very good at themed gifts.
She will put together themed baskets for each family.
One year it was an international theme.
We received some international food items that we had never tried plus chopsticks and special bowls.
There are many different themes that you could come up with depending on what people like.
Your theme could be really simple like everyone gets a game or a book.
Food Christmas Gift Exchange
If you are a family that likes to cook, you could bring items you have canned or cookies you have made and exchange them with each other.
Then, everyone goes home with different food items.
This is a great idea if you don’t want to spend a lot of money, and everyone gets something that they will use.
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What are your Christmas gift exchange traditions? Share with us in the comments below!
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There are lots of inexpensive ideas of fun crafts you can do with your kids that will provide a neat gift for relatives. Two of my favorite projects we ve done in recent years were painting tea towels and doing handprints on canvas bags. I try to think of gifts that are useful so they don t become clutter. While our family doesn t do any Santa traditions (you can blame my parents for never doing any 40 with us), I know other families really enjoy them.
Thank you for your ideas!
My favorite is the themed gift idea also! How fun! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the kind words Amy! Glad you enjoyed reading it 🙂
I love the idea of a themed gift exchange! The possibilities are endless, and there are lots of fun ways to come up with gifts for a specific theme. It’s much more creative than just swapping gift cards, which is what my family usually does. Thanks for sharing!
There really are so many possibilities! Thanks for reading Sandy! 🙂
These ideas are so much fun. I tried the vacation many times, instead of spending money on something we might not need. But the exchange tips might happen this year. ☺️
Thank you Andrea! Let us know if you try one of the exchange ideas. We would love to know how it goes!
I love these ideas!!! It’s always fun to think of different ways to love your people through giving and receiving gifts. A trip is definitely a family favorite! Making memories will always be better than things for me <3
Thank you Rachel! We agree! Making memories with your family is much better than receiving physical gifts 🙂