Secret Santas
Secret Santa is a Western Christmas traditional game in which members of a group are randomly assigned a person to whom they must randomly give a gift to. All of the participants' names are placed into a hat, box, etc. and are scrambled. Each person then chooses one name from the box, but doesn't tell anyone which name was picked; they are responsible for giving the person they choose a present of their choice. The identity of the gift giver to stay anonymous and not be revealed. Originating from the Christian tradition, the ritual is known as Secret Santa in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Caroling and Songs
A Christmas carol, also referred to as a noël, from the French word meaning 'Christmas', is a song or hymn whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas, and which is traditionally sung on Christmas itself or during the surrounding holiday season. Christmas carols may be regarded as a subset of the broader category of Christmas music. During caroling season, groups of people go around neighborhoods singing at the doorstep of many different houses for them to enjoy. In older times, caroling children asked for and were given edible gifts such as dried fruit, eggs, nuts or sweets; during the 20th century this was gradually replaced with money gifts – ranging from small change in the case of strangers to considerable amounts in the case of close relatives. Caroling is also done by marching bands, choirs, school students seeking to raise funds for trips or charity, members of folk societies, or merely by groups of well-wishers. Many internationally known carols are 'Silent Night', 'O Tannenbaum,' and 'Jingle Bells'.
Click here for some popular caroling songs.White Elephant
A white elephant gift exchange, also known as a Yankee swap, is a party game where special gifts are exchanged during festivities. Each participant supplies one wrapped gift, and they are placed in a central location.The first player opens a wrapped gift, and the turn ends. On subsequent turns, each person has the choice to either unwrap a new present or to 'steal' another's. When a person's gift is stolen, that person can either choose another wrapped gift to open or can steal from another player. To avoid never ending circles, each gift can only be stolen once per turn.