These sock exchange Christmas sock gift ideas are great for playing the Santa sock game (aka: Christmas Sock game, sock share, holiday sock swap, or Christmas sock exchange), a fun holiday party group game, kids activities for Christmas parties, or great alternative to the White Elephant gift exchange! We’ll cover game play rules, what to put in Christmas socks, and everything you need for how to host a Christmas Sock Exchange Party!
Sock Exchange Christmas Sock Gift Ideas for Holiday Party Games
This Christmas game exchange is fun for sock games for youth group, great idea for games for holidays with friends and family members, holidays games for work, and games to play with socks with kids of all ages.
It’s also a fun way to break the ice for a group who doesn’t know each other very well.
If you’ve heard people talking about playing sock games for Christmas or referring to that game with socks, this is it! It’s a wonderful idea for a group Christmas gift game!
What do you put in a Christmas sock exchange?
Christmas Socks Gift Ideas:
- Gift cards
- Mini books
- Christmas tree ornament
- Poo emoji stress ball or unicorn poo stress ball
- Mini framed picture of pet
- Candy canes
- Card games
- Gloves
- Beef jerky snack packs
- Rudolph glowing nose
- Holiday Candy
- Soaps
- Gourmet chocolates
- Lotions
- Mini flashlights
- More new socks! (Like Santa socks!)
Sock exchange gifts can be fun gag gifts, funny presents, or useful gifts. If you’re attending a Christmas socks party and you’re not sure about the socks gift exchange types, ask the party host!
Keep reading for full how to play the holiday sock exchange game including Christmas sock exchange rules and more sock stuffer ideas for adults and kids!
All About The Sock Exchange Christmas Party Activity
If you’re new to this holiday gift exchange, you may be wondering what is a sock exchange or what is a sock party?
What Is A Holiday Sock Exchange?
The holiday sock exchange game, also called the sock swap game or sock exchange Christmas game, is a variation on White Elephant games with a wrapped gift. (Some people call it the White Elephant sock exchange.) You don’t swap socks that you’ve worn! This game is new Christmas socks stuffed with gifts that you exchange with others during game play.
It one of those super fun Christmas gift exchange themes!
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How does the Christmas sock exchange work?
For this Christmas game, bring new holiday theme socks filled with gifts and trinkets. Guests then take turns selecting and trading socks until everyone has a gift. You go home from the holiday party with a fun sock Christmas gift of Christmas themed socks and some fun sock gifts ideas inside!
- On your holiday party invitations, instruct guests that you will be playing the White Elephant sock exchange game (or Christmas stocking exchange). Let them know if it’s a silly sock Christmas exchange or if they can put anything they want in the socks.
- Set a budget / price limit for the sock gift exchange, which should include the price of the holidays socks plus the gifts to go in them. (Most people set a budget of $10-$25.)
- Tell your guests not to worry about sock wrapping paper! The socks should be tied at the tops with ribbon or twine (so you can’t see inside) and then both socks tied together so they don’t get separated. (The pair needs to stay together for the party.)
- Each guest who intends to participate in the gift exchange must bring a stuffed pair of socks.
- Stuck both socks with fun holiday goodies. Have fun with the sock exchange gift ideas and get creative with your fill a sock Christmas exchange ideas!
- As guests arrives, number each pair of socks. Play the gift exchange with dice and socks! (There are different ways to play, but this is really fun for Christmas dice game gift ideas!)
See full rules for the game of socks tips and more what to put in socks for sock exchange ideas below!
These are also fun game stocking exchange ideas if you want to use Christmas stockings instead of socks.
Want another game for exchanging gifts?
GET FREE CHRISTMAS GIFT EXCHANGE BINGO PRINTABLE CARDS FOR BINGO GIFT SWAP:
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE HOLIDAY PRINTABLE BINGO CARDS
(This was one of our favorite gift exchange game parties one year!)
What do socks have to do with Christmas?
Socks have a long root in the history and tradition of Christmas. The night before Christmas (Christmas Eve), children would hang their everyday socks (stockings) on the fireplace mantel to be filled with candy and fruit by St. Nicholas. Later, the tradition expanded to special Christmas Santa stockings made especially for the day!
ALSO PLAY THIS FUN CHRISTMAS PARTY GAME: Christmas Fish Bowl Game
Secret Santa Sock Exchange
If you don’t want to play this as Christmas sock exchange games, you can use the same concept as a Secret Santa swap. Secretly assign each guest one of the other guests to fill fuzzy sock gift ideas and bring to the party. You can tailor Christmas sock exchange filler ideas to the person you are buying for and festive socks to meet their personality.
For example, if your Secret Santa partner loves GOT, try to find them Game Of Thrones Christmas socks.
You can even stuff religious Christmas socks with a mini Bible and Christian tree ornaments, etc. for unique Christmas socks for a church youth group party.
Put the name of the person receiving the gifts on the socks and place them in a basket as you arrive at the party. Then, the party host hands out Santa’s secret socks and they receiver has to guess who is their Secret Santa from the gifts inside.
It’s another variation for stuffed Christmas sock exchange ideas and makes for a fun party secret sock exchange instead of exchanging gifts.
YOU’LL ALSO HAVE FUN WITH THESE GAMES FOR CHRISTMAS:
Best Family Games For The Holidays
Let’s get to how to play Christmas sock exchange game without a Christmas sock exchange story.
How Do You Play Christmas Sock Exchange?
There are several ways to play the sock exchange party or Christmas sock games.
Some play with sock exchange game story or as a Left Right game, but we play with dice or slips of paper with numbers written on them.
Also, some people reveal the goodies inside the socks right away for everyone to see. We think it’s more fun to keep the socks wrapped until the game is over. That way players are sock swapping based solely on what the socks look like.
(You can have a lot of fun with this by putting gag gifts inside a really nice pair of socks with a really nice bow.)
You can even make up your own Christmas sock game story that tells people when and how to sock swap.
Sock Exchange Rules
The object of the game with socks is to pick a set of socks out of the pile of socks or steal another person’s set of socks. At the end of the game play, everyone has a Christmas sock set stuffed with goodies to take home!
How to play the sock exchange game:
- Put all the socks from party guests into a basket or on a table. IMPORTANT: Each sock needs to be tied together with their mate to form a pair. Each guest will pick a pair of socks (and not one individual sock). Let guests know on the party invite to tie a bow or ribbon around their socks to make sure they stay together.
- Label each pair of socks with a number (equaling the total number of sock pairs you have). I like to use these cute tag with twine like this.
- Place all of the socks in a basket or on a table where you will be playing.
- To play the holiday sock game, have everyone sit around a table. The first player rolls a die and picks a pair of socks matching the number. (If you have more than 6 sock pairs, use two dice and add them for a total, or add as many dice as needed. – OR – You can use numbered pieces of paper. If you don’t have 6 players, you can make a stinky sock option and when someone rolls the 6 they get the stinky sock.)
- The person places the socks in front of them on the table. No peeking or unwrapping the socks yet!
- The next player rolls the dice and one of two things will happen: They either pick the corresponding number from the basket or table or socks, or they steal the socks from the person matching the number on the die. If socks are stolen, the person who was stolen from, rolls the dice again and repeats the process.
- The game play continues with the next person who hasn’t rolled.
- Continue game play until there is one pair of socks unclaimed in the basket / on the table. The person left without a filled sock pair rolls the dice and gets to choose between the last sock pair left or to steal the sock sets that match the number on the dice. If they steal from a person, that person gets the last set of socks and the game ends.
- Everyone now gets to unwrap the socks and keep the gifts inside and the socks! (Another fun ending to this game is to see if players can guess which person their socks came from and then win another little prize if they’re correct.)
It’s so much fun to play as a dice game exchange because the pair of Christmas socks you end up with is so random!
Need ideas for Christmas socks? CHECK OUT NEW PAIR OF SOCKS HERE (There are even family Christmas socks set ideas and funny fuzzy Christmas socks!)
One of the things I love about the sock game for Christmas is that party guests of all ages have fun with it!
SOCKS GAMES VARIATIONS:
Ornament Exchange Game: This would also be fun to play as an ornament exchange for the holiday season where everyone puts ornaments in holiday socks (instead of random gifts).
Stinky Sock Gift Exchange: It’s fun for the party host to make up a pair of holiday socks called the Stinky Socks. Use ugly Christmas socks or crazy socks and funny gag presents (like lumps of coal, used candy wrappers, etc., before they get to the little gifts in the toe of the sock).
Now that we covered how do you play the sock exchange game, let’s get to more sock stuffers for the Christmas socks game and cozy sock gift ideas.
These are creative Christmas sock exchange ideas to make for a fun swapping socks game for everyone!
Use these for sock exchange party ideas for different ages (or even for Christmas gift ideas using socks)…
Christmas Sock Exchange Ideas for Kids
Sock exchange game ideas for children:
- Fun mittens
- Fidget spinners / fidget toys
- Christmas lights glasses (DEFINITELY check these out!)
- Holiday fruit snack packs or fruit by the foot
- Glow sticks
- Bubbler pens
- Hat
- Scarf
- WikkiStix
- Hot chocolate packs
- Kawaii Kitties
- Gift cards
- Christmas Rush card game
- Coins
- Christmas glow tattoos
- Lip balm
- Christmas squishies like this
- Dreidel game
- Parachute flyers (we get these for kids every year and they spend HOURS throwing them over the stairs and then running down the stairs and repeating the process)
- Build a snowman mini kit
- Snowman bums
MORE FUN PARTY GAME IDEAS IN THIS CHRISTMAS PRINTABLE GAMES PACK:
CLICK TO SEE THE PRINTABLE CHRISTMAS GAMES DOWNLOAD PDF
Christmas Present Exchange Sock Game Ideas for Teens and Tweens
- Foldology game
- Lip gloss
- Cash
- Santa’s Tongue Twisters card game
- LED Gloves
- Ramen packs (these Ramen socks would be a great Ramen theme gift!)
- Magic flying ball
- Nail art stickers
- Blue Tooth beanie
- Wireless headphones
- Glitter gel pens
- Extra phone charger cords
- Christmas Vacation card game
- Gift cards
- Christmas Story card game
- Zombie barf
- Poo emoji farting pen
Christmas Socks Gift Ideas for Adults
Holiday socks exchange ideas for adults:
- Cash
- Variety of teas
- Coffee shop gift card
- Amazon gift cards
- More cute socks
- Grill scraper
- Back scratchers
- Monopoly card game
- Keyboard gel
- Glam pack
- Shower soothers
- Snowflake multitool
- Pass The Pigs game
If you want, you can have a Christmas sock exchange game for kids and adult sock swap at the same party. Just separate things to put in Christmas socks based on kids and adults and put them in separate baskets or on different tables. It’s a nice way for kids to get to play their own game!
Ideas for Funny Gag Sock Stuffers for the Christmas Game
If you’re doing a gag sock exchange party, check your local dollar store for gift ideas! You don’t have to spend a lot of money for the best gifts that are funny! (You can even find Christmas colorful socks there!)
- Poopourri
- Stinky Sock balls
- Gag gift pen like this
- Dancing Pickle
- Slingshot chickens
- Toilet light
- Instant underpants (just add water!)
- Elf Barf
(These are great gag gift stocking stuffers, too!)
ALSO CHECK OUT THESE OTHER GAMES FOR THE HOLIDAYS NEXT!
How to Play Christmas Gift Swap Bingo (another fun present exchange game!)
How To Play the Saran Wrap Ball Game for Christmas or New Years Eve
How To Play the Snowman on Head Plate Game
How To Play The Candy Bar Group Game
How To Play The Reindeer Poop Game
Have more sock party ideas?
Let us know if you have fun sock exchange stuffer ideas that we didn’t include or a unique way you play the crazy Christmas socks gift exchange and we’ll add it to our instructions!
Have fun with these sock exchange Christmas sock gift ideas and playing the holiday game!
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