This Boxing Day, try something different. We all know the traditional ways of celebrating the festive season, but how about adding a bit of fun to your day? Try doing a Boxing Day Kris Kringle (otherwise known as Bad Santa) where everyone brings in presents, they don’t want, and you do a second Christmas with them! It’s tremendous fun – plus, you can use all the wrapping paper leftover from Christmas Day.
Boxing Day Kris Kringle/Bad Santa
The Boxing Day Kris Kringle is an amusing idea. It’s all about having another go at Christmas – using the leftover wrapping paper and presents you don’t want or need! The premise of this party game is to bring an unwanted Christmas gift, wrap it back up and exchange it with someone at a festive party. The gift can be anything from a K-Mart snow globe to a book of family photos.
It’s so much fun! Everyone brings in their unwanted presents, wraps them up again and exchanges them amongst one another for the next 24 hours – or until the next festive day rolls around. Everyone gets to use the leftover wrapping paper, presents they don’t want, and you can have a second go at Christmas!
But first, some ground rules:
- You must bring an unwanted gift (it’s preferable if it’s still in its original wrapping). If you don’t have one or need some inspiration, the party host usually prepares gifts beforehand.
- Wrap the gift back up again and use the same wrapping paper as you received it in.
- The exchange can happen amongst friends, family, or colleagues – it’s really up to you!
- Make sure the person who gave you the gift is not present to avoid any awkwardness.
- Have a great time and enjoy the festivities!
Rules of the game
- Whoever wants to play brings a wrapped, unmarked gift of around $X in value (with X to be filled in as appropriate for your friends. We play with X = 20).
- The gifts are placed somewhere central (underneath the Christmas tree has worked for us in the past).
- Anyone who brings a gift writes their name on [one/two/three] pieces of paper (I’ve always played with three, but that can make for a very long game—select as appropriate for the number of people you have and their level of patience).
- All pieces of paper are placed in a container.
- The host picks a name from the container (this begins the first round).
- That person picks a gift and unwraps it (end of first round).
- That same person picks a second name from the container (this begins another round).
Now it gets interesting……… - That new person now has the option of stealing from the first person or picking a new gift and unwrapping it. If they steal, the first person selects a new gift and unwraps it (end of second round).
- Now rounds continue with a new person being selected and end when everyone has made their selection or there are no more gifts to steal (a gift can only be stolen once in a round—a good way to keep track of this if you have a large group is that everyone places their gifts on their laps at the beginning of a round, and on the floor once they’ve been stolen).
- If a name gets selected and that person already has a gift, they have the option of (A) keeping their gift (in which case, the round is over and they pick a new name), or (B) stealing from someone else (in which case, they trade gifts and the round continues).
- This cycle of high thievery continues until the last name is picked and that person can keep what they have (game over) or upset the apple-cart (not to mention everyone who’s happy with their gift) by trading gifts with someone else and setting off a whole new wave of stealing.
A special thank you to Ootersplace for sharing the rules with us.
The Benefits of a Boxing Day Kris Kringle
There are lots of benefits to doing a Boxing Day Kris Kringle. Not only is it great fun, but it also means you can get rid of any unwanted gifts. It’s the perfect way to recycle presents and use up all that leftover wrapping paper. It’s also a great way to get into the festive spirit and have some fun with friends, family, or colleagues.
Best of all, it’s an effortless way to have a second go at Christmas. You get to wear all the presents you didn’t want before, plus the wrapping paper – so it’s really festive!
Re-use and Recycle
The Boxing Day Kris Kringle is a fantastic way to re-use and recycle – which we all know is essential at Christmas time. The premise of this party game is that everyone brings in the presents they don’t like or want and recycles them back into the same community. Everyone gets a second chance with their unwanted gifts, using the leftover wrapping paper and presents. It’s so much fun and really easy to organize!
Why not try it out this Christmas Day? And who knows, you might just find yourself with a new favourite gift!
Best Kris Kringle Gift Ideas
If you’re looking for some ideas on what to bring to the Boxing Day Kris Kringle, here are a few suggestions:
- A bottle of wine or champagne
- Unused gift voucher
- Homemade cookies or cake
- Tacky Christmas jumper
- Chocolate Santa
- Novelty Christmas mug
- Pair of unwanted socks
- A Boardgame
- A book you’ve already read
- Souvenir keyring from a place you’ve been
If you want to get even more creative, why not hold a Kris Kringle where everyone brings in the worst present, they’ve ever received? This is also an excellent way to get rid of old toys and clothes that your kids don’t use anymore. It’s straightforward – just ask anyone attending who has brought or received the worst present of all time!
The Bottom Line
The Boxing Day Kris Kringle is a great way to recycle unwanted gifts, use leftover wrapping paper and have some extra festive fun. It’s a great way to get into the Christmas spirit, and it’s easy to organize. So why not give it a go this year? Get together with your friends, family or colleagues and have some Christmassy fun!
Share your Kris Kringle story on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #regiftxmas and tell us how you did!