A Complete Guide to Virtual White Elephant Gift Exchange Events for Groups and Teams

Once the holidays start to approach, you may be looking for festive options to celebrate with your team members. While there are many different holiday events you can host, since gift-giving tends to be a key part of the season, you may want to consider hosting a white elephant gift exchange.

White elephant gift exchanges have been part of the holiday season since the late 19th century, drawing on a probably apocryphal story of the king of what was then Siam giving elaborate and unwieldy gifts to dignitaries who displeased him. These gift exchanges typically involved everyone bringing some kind of comic or undesirable gift to the event. Then, in a predetermined order, participants would either open a sealed gift or steal a gift from someone who had already opened theirs (and the person whose gift was stolen would then open a new one or continue the chain of theft). The idea has since broadened, and now there are fewer gag gift exchanges and more “gifts people will legitimately want to steal, ” which adds an extra layer of fun to the proceedings.

Nowadays, group team-building white elephant exchanges usually bypass the process of each person bringing a gift in favor of working with service providers who handle running the event and distributing the gifts as part of a holiday group event. This takes much of the preparation work out of the equation and ensures that everyone can participate without the stress or obligation of finding a gift. It also ensures there’s a fun variety of gifts to open and steal, making the white elephant more than a glorified grab bag.

Why Host a Virtual White Elephant Gift Exchange

White elephant gift exchanges make for excellent holiday events and are a great way to celebrate the end of the year while rewarding your team members for a job well done. These low-stakes gift exchanges require very little from participants and allow everyone to engage in a shared holiday experience by simply showing up to a virtual meeting space. They’ll have the chance to chat, play fun holiday games, and answer trivia questions before diving into the gift exchange portion of the event.

These events are easy to run: once you get an accurate headcount, there’s nothing to do but tell your team when to show up and how to log into the virtual space. Being virtual also comes with several advantages, especially the ability for your team members to participate from the comfort of their own homes—eliminating the need to travel or carry gifts. Additionally, since everyone is already at home, their families can help weigh in on which gifts are worth stealing, and participants can be more relaxed. If someone wants to join in wrapped in a cozy blanket with a hot cocoa or a glass of wine, they’re free to relax and enjoy the evening.

Host a White Elephant Gift Exchange with CourseHorse

If you're looking to host a virtual white elephant gift exchange for your team, you can sign up for either a standard or a premium version of the event:

• Standard White Elephant Gift Exchange: This virtual team-building holiday event costs $70 per person and can accommodate up to 200 participants. All gifts are curated by CourseHorse.
• Premium White Elephant Gift Exchange: This virtual holiday gift exchange costs $150 per person, accommodates up to 200 participants, and primarily differs in the price of the curated gifts.

Host a Secret Santa Gift Exchange

When hosting a gift exchange, you typically have two options: the aforementioned white elephant, or the popular Secret Santa gift exchange. A Secret Santa involves each participant being randomly assigned another person for whom they’ll secretly select a gift. Then, everyone gathers—either at a holiday party or just for the gift exchange—to share their Secret Santa gifts. Usually, this includes games and guessing who had whom. These events are popular because they are relatively hands-off and can be made even easier by working with service providers like CourseHorse, who will run the event for $70 per person and help each participant customize their gifts.

Advantages of a Secret Santa Gift Exchange

Running a Secret Santa exchange may put slightly more responsibility on participants, but it helps ensure everyone receives a gift that feels more personal than the random gifts in a white elephant exchange. It also promotes team-building, as participants often need to ask around and learn more about their giftee. This can make the gifts feel more meaningful and help participants feel more engaged in the event.

Advantages of a White Elephant Gift Exchange

White elephant exchanges often feel lower stakes and more inclusive, mainly because participants don’t need to stress about personalizing a gift for someone in the office. There’s also less risk of someone being disappointed due to miscommunication or someone forgetting to participate. While the event may be less personalized, removing the gifting responsibility from participants can make the experience more fun and less stressful during the busy holiday season.

6 Alternative Holiday Events to Consider

While white elephant exchanges are a fantastic way to celebrate the holidays, they’re far from the only option. Consider any of these virtual holiday team-building activities:

• Virtual Escape Room: The Office Holiday Party: Solve puzzles, collect clues, and work together to escape a virtual holiday party. This event starts at $400 and can accommodate up to 200 participants (split into smaller teams).
• Holiday Mixology (Kit Included): At $115 per person, your team members will receive all the tools and ingredients needed to craft holiday cocktails from home. A professional bartender will guide them through making a trio of festive drinks.
• Virtual Wine and Cheese Tasting: For only $95 per person, participants will receive a curated selection of wine and cheese delivered to their homes. A virtual host will walk them through a guided tasting and provide insight into pairings and flavors.
• Virtual Holiday Trivia: Test your team’s knowledge of holiday traditions, culture, and history in this trivia challenge. Starting at $400, this event adds a dose of light-hearted competition to your holiday fun.
• Virtual Minigame Showdown (Holiday Edition): For variety, consider this event starting at $400, where your team will play quick games ranging from trivia to price-guessing challenges.
• Virtual Holiday Card Workshop: At $80 per person, participants will receive supplies at home and join a crafting session led by an expert to create festive holiday cards for friends and family.

Should the White Elephant Exchange Be Held Online or In-Person?

When organizing a white elephant gift exchange, you’ll need to decide whether to hold the event online or in-person. An in-person event may feel more engaging, but it comes with logistical challenges: finding a suitable venue and a time that works for everyone, which can be tricky during the holidays. The main benefit is the opportunity for everyone to gather and enjoy each other’s company face-to-face.

Online events offer their own benefits. They make it easier for remote or traveling team members to join and reduce the need for physical space or gift transportation. Gifts can be sent directly to recipients after the exchange, simplifying logistics. Online white elephant games are also easier to run since participants can clearly see which gifts have been opened and by whom, all without handling physical items.

Average White Elephant Group Sizes

Another factor to consider is group size and composition. Large groups can make exchanges unwieldy, particularly with physical gifts. If your participant count is high, consider breaking into smaller groups to streamline the process. This is especially useful if you're running the game virtually or want to ensure smooth gameplay.

Service providers can help further simplify large virtual events by duplicating gift pools across groups so that everyone has a similar experience. This prevents one group from feeling short-changed and makes the event scalable for large organizations. You can also organize groups by department so participants are playing alongside colleagues they work with regularly.