Baking cookies, drinking mulled wine and decorating your home festively – there is just something magical about Christmas time. And the warm feeling we get when we give our loved ones a great gift or receive something beautiful ourselves is truly indescribable. But does the following scenario sound familiar to you - you've spent weeks finding the perfect gifts and then lovingly wrapping them and the Christmas Eve gift-giving is over in less than 10 minutes. Faster than we can see, the room turns into a total mess of bows, wrappers and torn paper. Pretty sad, right? The presentation of presents is undoubtedly the absolute highlight on Christmas Eve that children and adults alike look forward to. To make Christmas unforgettable and something very special this year, we are planning the gift giving differently. With a little creativity and a few fun games, unwrapping presents can be twice as fun. Would you also like to try something new? Then read on and take note of our creative ideas for Christmas presents!
Dice games to give presents in a different way
One minute all the presents were under the Christmas tree and 10 minutes later it turned into a real paper fight. Christmas is, first and foremost, a celebration of love and togetherness and so that you can enjoy the holiday to the fullest, we have a few fun ideas for you on how you can make the gift-giving more playful. For the first game you only need one dice and you will have a lot of fun - we promise. To do this, sit in a circle with the youngest in the family starting to roll the dice. The game continues clockwise. Below we have a meaning of the dice numbers for you, but if you want you can get creative and change them to your heart's content.
- 1 – The dice thrower takes one of his gifts and places it in front of him.
- 2 – The dice thrower has to recite a Christmas poem or sing a song.
- 3 – The thrower must give a gift to someone else.
- 4 – One of the presents that is in front of the dice roller must go back under the tree.
- 5 – Skip a round.
- 6 – The thrower is finally allowed to unwrap one of the presents in front of him.
Secret Santa for giving out gifts in a different way
Let's face it - finding the right gifts for family, friends and colleagues (if you like them, of course) is no easy task and not particularly budget-friendly. Secret Santa is a popular classic and is perfect for large families who want to organize presents differently. The concept is actually super simple: set a price limit and then put everyone's name in a hat. Each participant draws a name and keeps it for themselves. So on Christmas Eve each family member looks for their present and unwraps it. And if you want to make the gift-giving fun, make it a fun game by trying to guess who the gift came from and why they bought it for you.
Hitting the pot as a game to give presents
Who doesn't know this game? “Beating the pot” is a classic that we all know from our childhood and an equally great and creative idea for giving Christmas presents. Here, too, we start with the youngest player, blindfold him with a scarf and give him a wooden spoon. Now the player has to find the pot that you previously hid somewhere in the room within 90 seconds. To help himself, he can feel the various objects with the wooden spoon. The remaining participants, however, can tell him whether he is going in the right direction with calls such as “cold” or “hot”. If he has found the pot, he can open a gift and if not, it is the next player's turn.
Sing Christmas carols
The fact that the children first have to recite a Christmas song or poem in order to receive their presents is a tradition that has still proven itself in many families to this day. In order to give presents differently this year, we're swapping roles! How about, for a change, you let the little ones play Santa Claus or Santa Claus and instead you have to sing songs or recite poems? Not only is it really fun, but it will also remind you of your childhood and the time you spent with your parents. And Christmas is about spending quality time with the family, right? Even if singing isn't your thing, you can still make giving presents fun. Instead of poems and songs, you could tell Christmas jokes and only after you make Santa Claus laugh can you get your gift.
The white elephant as a game to give Christmas presents
White Elephant is a Christmas classic from the USA that is also very popular here. The game is a cheeky, silly and fun way to make opening presents more fun. Here, too, you should first set a price limit and choose a specific theme for the Christmas gifts. Creative ideas for Christmas presents might include DIY gifts, homemade cookies, alcoholic treats, etc. - develop your creativity and have fun doing it. On Christmas Eve, everyone should draw a number and open a package in numerical order - this is your gift. Unless, of course, you want to steal someone else's gift. In this case, the person concerned has to unpack a new package and the game continues until everyone has received something. The game is even more fun, for example, in combination with a deliciousChristmas cocktail with eggnog.
Give presents in a different way with Christmas music
“All I want for Christmas is you”, “Last Christmas” etc. – Christmas songs immediately put us in a festive mood and according to a survey, around 40% of Germans listen to Christmas music during the holidays. Are you one of them too? Then we have a great idea of how you could give presents differently. Everyone sit in a circle and turn on the music system. Take a package and pass it around until someone happens to put the music out. The person holding the gift in their hands can open it and give it to the person receiving the gift. It gets even more exciting if you get to keep the package - even if it's not intended for you. However, you have to be careful and you have to be sure that the gifts you are buying could appeal to everyone.
