White Elephant invitation
White Elephant invitation wording
In a White Elephant or Yankee Swap, the invitation decides whether it ends up funny or awkward. These templates settle the limits of the joke before anyone shops.
- Three templates: friends, office and swap round
- What is welcome and what is off-limits, in the text itself
- Fits a secret draw with personal links
Friends
Template for a party with friends
The standard template for private parties: relaxed in tone, clear on limits. Fill in the placeholders and adjust the off-limits list to your group.
Friends template
Hi everyone, This year we are doing a White Elephant! Everyone brings one wrapped present that is odd, useless or wonderfully ugly. Things from the loft and bad buys are very welcome. Off-limits: anything broken or gross, anything aimed at one particular person, and anything the receiver would have to throw straight away. Budget: [£10 or €10], or buy nothing and give away something you already have. Party: [date] at [place]. We will draw in secret beforehand who gives to whom, and you will each get your own link. Please only open yours. See you there! [name]
Tone
- relaxed, with limits
- loft finds allowed
- say what not to bring
- link note at the end
Office
Template for the Christmas do: tighter, just as funny
Among colleagues the text needs firmer guard rails: no alcohol, nothing suggestive, nothing that hints at one person. In return, the question “what is sitting at home waiting for a second life?” works especially well at work.
Office template
Hi team, At the Christmas do on [date] we are doing a White Elephant. Bring one wrapped present that deserves a second life: bad buys, oddities, unused gadgets. To keep it fun for everyone: nothing broken, nothing suggestive, no alcohol, nothing about individual colleagues. Budget: no more than [£10 or €10]. Giving something you already have is fine too. Please tell [name] by [date] if you are in. Who gives to whom is drawn in secret beforehand; everyone gets their own link. Best wishes, [name]
At work
- add a sign-up date
- no alcohol, nothing suggestive
- nothing about one person
- offer a buy-nothing option
Swap round
An extra paragraph if you swap, steal or roll
If your group steals presents Yankee Swap style or rolls a die at the table, say so in the invitation. Otherwise someone brings a personal present that ends up with the wrong person. Add this paragraph to one of the templates:
Your group sets the swap rules itself. Wichtlify only draws the secret pairs beforehand; rolling, swapping and stealing happen at the table.
Swap paragraph to add
Important: after unwrapping we swap and steal, so your present may well end up with someone else. Please bring nothing personal. We will explain the rules at the party.
When to add it
- a dice round is planned
- stealing is allowed
- presents move around
- nothing personal
Why it needs its own
A White Elephant invitation has more to settle
For a normal Secret Santa, a budget and a date are enough. A White Elephant adds the tricky question: what counts as funny, and what hurts? A good invitation answers that before anyone buys a present.
So three things belong in every White Elephant invitation: what is welcome (odd, second-hand, useless), what is off-limits (broken, gross, aimed at one person), and whether presents get swapped or stolen at the end.
Must be in the text
- what is welcome
- what is off-limits
- budget, or “buy nothing”
- whether you swap
After the invitation
Replies first, then the secret draw
Once you know who is in, create the group and draw in secret. How that works with exclusions and personal links is shown in organise a White Elephant.
Wording for a normal Secret Santa, reminders and the message with the personal link is in the Secret Santa invitation texts.
In this order
- send the invitation
- collect replies
- draw in secret
- share links one by one
Next steps
Explore Wichtlify
White Elephant
The whole exchange: gift rules, secret draw and versions of the game.
Organise a White ElephantWhite Elephant dice rules
The rule table from 1 to 6, if your swap round uses a die.
See the dice rulesSecret Santa invitation texts
Templates for a normal Secret Santa: invitation, reminder and link message.
See more templatesFAQ
Frequently asked questions
How is a White Elephant invitation different from a normal one?
It also has to say which kind of present is welcome, what stays off-limits and whether presents get swapped or stolen after unwrapping. Without those points, the awkward surprises happen.
Should the text name a budget when it is about joke presents?
Yes, especially then. A maximum, or the explicit option to spend nothing, stops one person buying something while another clears out the loft.
How do I announce the swap round?
Say that presents may move around at the end, so nobody should bring anything personal. You can explain the actual rules at the party.
Does the draw come before or after the invitation?
After. Only once the replies are in do you enter the people taking part and draw in secret; otherwise someone draws a person who is not coming.
Send the White Elephant invitation
Copy the right template, settle limits and budget in the text and then draw in secret.
Create a White Elephant group