Secret Santa in Australia and other Western cultures has its origins in the Scandinavian tradition Julklapp, or “Christmas knock”. Secret gift givers would knock on someone's door and try to quickly throw a present inside as the door opened, and then run away before their identity was discovered.
Deriving from the Christian tradition, the ritual is known as Secret Santa in the United States and the United Kingdom; as Kris Kringel or Kris Kindle (Christkindl) in Ireland; as Wichteln, Secret Santa, Kris Kringle, Chris Kindle (Christkindl) or Engerl-Bengerl in parts of Austria; as Secret Santa or Kris Kringle in ...
You might know it as a Yankee Swap or a White Elephant, but around the world, from office conference rooms to holiday house parties, gift exchange games have become a not-to-be-missed tradition amongst friends, families, and coworkers. But there's really only one king of the Christmas gift exchange: Secret Santa.
Kris Kringle (or K.K.) starts by putting the names of all employees in a hat. Each person draws out the name of a colleague and that is the person that they need to buy a gift for. K.K. is also referred to as “Secret Santa” and the idea is to not tell anyone whose name they have drawn.
The Yankee Swap – Also known as Dirty Santa or White Elephant, this one brings out the Grinch in everyone. Each player brings a gift within a set price limit that every other player would enjoy. Participants take turns either selecting a gift or stealing one from a player who has already chosen one.
A white elephant gift exchange, Yankee swap or Dirty Santa is a party game where amusing and impractical gifts are exchanged during festivities. The goal of a white elephant gift exchange is to entertain party-goers rather than to gain a genuinely valuable or highly sought-after item.
The Tradition of Secret Santa
From the German 'Christkindl' (meaning “Christ Child”) the name Kris Kringel is also used in Australia and Great Britain to refer to a secret Santa gift exchange.
Santa Claus—otherwise known as Saint Nicholas or Kris Kringle—has a long history steeped in Christmas traditions.
In the US and Canada, some people call him Kris Kringle, which originates from the German word Christkind (Christ child). Here, it's custom to leave milk and cookies to keep him going. He's got a lot of presents to deliver, after all!
Don't: Get gifts that are personal.
Avoid personal items such as perfume that can be considered romantic, especially if given from a male to female colleague. "Anything you would buy for your significant other should be avoided," says Oldham. Although it's Christmas, Oldham says to stay away from religious items.
If the name “Secret Santa” is what is offending you, then it is a good idea to suggest any other common name for the exchange that doesn't relate to a specific tradition. If you just feel strongly about not exchanging fun, modest gifts with colleagues regardless, then you can politely decline.
Is It OK To Give Gift Cards for Secret Santa? “Gift cards are also great,” Parker said. “We always can bring a personal touch with a card and express our wishes for the new year.
We're not sure where the name "Dirty Santa" originated, but it's meant to refer to game participants, the "Santas," stealing desirable gifts from each other. As opposed to Secret Santa, where participants are trying to guess who their personalized gifts are from, Dirty Santa adds a fun, competitive twist.
Whoever drew #1 selects a gift from the mysterious pile of gifts, opens it, and reveals what it is to everyone. Whoever drew #2 can either select a gift from the pile or choose to steal #1's gift (this is where the dirty in "Dirty Santa" comes in). If #1's gift is stolen, they must choose a new gift.
For those who don't know, Secret Santa is a gift exchange done in the spirit of old St. Nick. The idea of the game is to play Santa himself, but you can't tell anyone who you have! Secret Santa can be a lot of fun and is an excellent way to get the whole staff together for the holiday season.
Claus (also known as Mrs. Santa Claus or Mrs. Santa) is the legendary wife of Santa Claus, the Christmas gift-bringer in Western Christmas tradition.
When is Santa's birthday? SantaClaus.com states that Santa's birthday is on March 15. Mark it on your calendar for next year! Santa Claus is older than you think!
If you think, judging by that white beard and hair, Kris Kringle might be around 70 or 80, the truth is he's far, far older. According to History.com, the monk who over time would evolve into Santa Claus was born in what is now modern-day Turkey in 280 A.D., making him a whopping 1,741 years old!
Kids from outside the U.S. can dial Santa's phone number in one of the 13 countries below: Australia: +61 (0) 3 8672 0121.
The children in Australia believe in Santa Claus. However, since it is summer, it would not be unusual to see Santa dressed in a lighter, cooler version of his red and white suit. Shorts can even be seen! Santa does use reindeer to pull his sleigh when delivering gifts to children in Australia.
Australia. Australian children set out cookies for Santa, but instead of milk, they leave him an ice-cold glass of beer. After all, December is summer in the land Down Under. The children leave carrots for Santa's reindeer to munch on, too.
'Bad Santa' Kris Kringle
Whoever gets number one gets to pick a present and unwrap it, and so on. The catch is that anyone who unwraps a present can steal a gift from the person before them. If family member number two decides they don't like the present they've unwrapped, they can swap it for yours instead!
White Elephant Rules
White elephant is a gift exchange, so each person must bring one wrapped present to the Christmas party. Once everyone is assembled, have each person draw a number. The person with number "one" chooses a present to unwrap.
White Elephant is a gift exchange game that is very similar in style to Yankee Swap, although the emphasis is to “steal” gifts rather than swap them. Most often, this type of gift exchange takes place at a party with other participants in attendance.