White Elephant vs Secret Santa
Secret Santa, white elephant, Yankee Swap, Pollyanna, Kris Kindle, Kris Kringle: the names overlap and people often mean different things by them. This page sorts out which games are really the same, which are different, and which one suits your group.
Know what you want? Draw Secret Santa names now
The short answer
There are really only two kinds of game behind all these names:
- Draw-a-name exchanges. Before the event, each person is secretly assigned one other person to buy for. Everyone gets one gift chosen for them. Secret Santa, Kris Kindle, Kris Kringle and most Pollyannas work like this.
- Pick-and-steal games. Everyone brings one gift for an anonymous pile, and players take turns opening or stealing. Nobody buys for a particular person. White elephant and Yankee Swap work like this, and some groups use “Pollyanna” for this kind too.
Side by side
| Feature | Secret Santa | White elephant | Yankee Swap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who you buy for | One assigned person | Anyone (gift goes in a pile) | Anyone (gift goes in a pile) |
| When names are drawn | Weeks before | Numbers drawn at the party | Numbers drawn at the party |
| Stealing | No | Yes, usually with limits | Yes, rules vary by group |
| Gift style | Personal, from a wish list | Broadly appealing or funny | Broadly appealing or funny |
| Needs everyone present | No | Yes (or a video call) | Yes (or a video call) |
| Time on the day | As short as you like | Grows with every player | Grows with every player |
| Best for | Families, offices, remote groups | Parties where everyone is present | Parties where everyone is present |
These are general tendencies, not rules. Small groups can play white elephant, and huge groups can do Secret Santa.
Secret Santa
Merriam-Webster defines Secret Santa as “a group gift exchange in which each person is secretly assigned to give a gift anonymously to one other person in the group”, with a first known use in 1986. The draw happens in advance, usually by paper slips or an online Secret Santa generator, and each person has time to choose something for their match.
Strengths: everyone gets a gift picked for them, wish lists work, it suits remote groups, and it doesn’t need a long party. Weaknesses: it needs some organizing, and a gift for someone you barely know can be hard to choose. The questionnaire helps with that.
White elephant
In a white elephant exchange the gifts aren’t for anyone in particular. Each player brings one wrapped gift to a pile, numbers are drawn, and each player in turn opens a new gift or steals one already opened. See the full white elephant rules, including steal limits and how the game ends.
Strengths: no advance draw, very little organizing, and the stealing makes it a lively party game. Weaknesses: some people dislike having a gift taken away, it takes time with big groups, and everyone has to be there.
The name comes from the phrase “white elephant”, which Merriam-Webster defines as, among other senses, “an object no longer of value to its owner but of value to others”.
Yankee Swap
Yankee Swap is another name for a pick-and-steal gift game. In practice it is played much like white elephant: a pile of wrapped gifts, a random turn order, and the choice of opening or stealing. Groups that use the name often have their own house rules about steal limits and a final swap, so the sensible approach is the same as for white elephant: agree the rules before you start, whatever you call it.
Pollyanna
“Pollyanna” as a name for a gift exchange is regional. The word-history site World Wide Words, citing the Dictionary of American Regional English, says it is now heard mainly in and around Pennsylvania, and that it can mean either drawing lots for who buys for whom, or drawing lots for wrapped gifts. The word itself comes from the cheerful heroine of Eleanor H. Porter’s 1913 novel Pollyanna; how it came to mean a gift exchange isn’t well documented.
If someone invites you to a Pollyanna, ask which kind they mean. For the draw-a-name kind, the Pollyanna gift exchange page has a free draw.
Kris Kindle and Kris Kringle
These are other names for Secret Santa itself. Both come from the German Christkindl, “Christ child”, the traditional gift-bringer in parts of the German-speaking world. The Irish Independent describes Kris Kindle as the traditional name for the exchange in Ireland, and the Macquarie Dictionary lists Kris Kringle as another name for Secret Santa in Australia. In the United States, Kris Kringle is better known as a name for Santa Claus himself.
The game is identical: draw names, buy one gift, keep it secret. Use the Kris Kindle generator or the Kris Kringle generator if you prefer the local name in your messages.
Which one should your group choose?
| Your situation | Good fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Family who know each other well | Secret Santa | Gifts can be personal; wish lists help |
| Office with mixed budgets and holidays | Secret Santa, low budget | Quiet, inclusive, one gift each |
| Party with friends who love games | White elephant | Stealing is the entertainment |
| Remote or international team | Secret Santa | No need to be in one room |
| Big group, little prep time | White elephant | No advance draw needed |
| Kids and adults together | Secret Santa (kids draw kids) | Avoids tears over stolen gifts |
Can’t decide? Do both: a Secret Santa draw for one personal gift each, and a separate, cheaper white elephant game at the party. Make the two budgets clear.
Before you decide: a quick checklist
- Will everyone be in the same room (or on one call)?
- How many people, and how long can the game run?
- Do people want personal gifts, or a game?
- Will anyone mind having a gift stolen?
- How much time do you have on the day?
- Is everyone clear which name means which game?
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between Secret Santa and White Elephant?
In Secret Santa, everyone is assigned one specific person to buy for, and the giver is usually kept secret. In a white elephant exchange, everyone brings one gift for the pile, then players take turns opening a gift or “stealing” one that’s already been opened. Secret Santa is about a thoughtful gift for one person; white elephant is a party game, often with funny gifts.
Which is better for a big group: Secret Santa or white elephant?
Secret Santa scales well because the draw happens in advance and the exchange takes as long as you like. White elephant is a party game, and every extra player adds another turn, so very large groups can find it slow. For big offices, a Secret Santa draw or several smaller white elephant games usually work better.
Can we do Secret Santa and white elephant together?
Yes, but keep them separate: run the Secret Santa draw for personal gifts, and ask everyone to bring one extra, cheaper wrapped gift for a white elephant game at the party. Make the two budgets clear so nobody brings the wrong gift.
What is Kris Kindle?
Kris Kindle is another name for Secret Santa: the same draw, where each person secretly buys for one other. It’s closely related to Kriss Kringle, an American name for Santa Claus that Merriam-Webster traces to the German Christkindl, meaning “Christ child” and also “Christmas gift”. You can use this generator for a Kris Kindle draw as it is.
What is Pollyanna?
Pollyanna is a name some families in the United States use for a Secret Santa–style draw. The word itself comes from the heroine of Eleanor H. Porter’s 1913 novel Pollyanna; how it came to mean a gift exchange isn’t well documented. The rules are the same as Secret Santa, so this generator works for it.
How does a white elephant exchange end?
Usually when the last player has taken their turn. Many groups then give the first player one final chance to swap, because they had nothing to steal at the start. Groups also limit how many times one gift can be stolen (for example three times), so the game can’t go on forever. Agree the ending rule before you start.
How many times can a white elephant gift be stolen?
There is no single official limit; groups choose their own. Some groups “freeze” a gift after its second or third steal; the Macquarie Dictionary describes a version where no present can be stolen more than once. Decide before you start and say it out loud.
Should you reveal yourself?
It’s up to the group, so agree in advance. Some groups reveal at the party, often by having people guess their Secret Santa first; others keep it secret forever. If your group hasn’t decided, it’s polite to stay secret unless asked.
Sources
- Merriam-Webster, “Secret Santa” (definition; first known use 1986): www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Secret%20Santa
- Merriam-Webster, “white elephant” (definition and the Siam story, told as “one story”): www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white%20elephant
- Merriam-Webster, “Pollyanna” (from the 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter): www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pollyanna
- World Wide Words (Michael Quinion), “Pollyanna” (gift-exchange sense, citing the Dictionary of American Regional English): www.worldwidewords.org/qa-pol2.html
- Merriam-Webster, “Kriss Kringle” (etymology: German Christkindl): www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Kriss%20Kringle
- Irish Independent, “Secret Santa traditions from around the world” (Kris Kindle as the traditional name in Ireland): www.independent.ie/storyplus/secret-santa-traditions-from-around-the-world/37601439.html
- Macquarie Dictionary, Word of the Week: “Secret Santa” (also known as Kris Kringle): www.macquariedictionary.com.au/secret-santa/
Updated · Written by the GiftShuffle team