SO HOW DO WE PLAY “Dirty Santa”?

The wrapped gifts are put in the center of the room or on a table where everyone can easily pick-up, shake, inspect and select. Most folks draw numbers to determine who plays first, second, third, etc.

The person that draws #1 selects a gift, unwraps it and shows it off. Then the person that drew #2 can steal #1’s gift or select a new gift. If #2 takes #1's gift, #1 must select another unwrapped gift. #3 has two choices. #3 could select a new unopened gift, or take an already opened gift (#1's gift or #2's gift). Then, if #3 were to select #2's gift, #2 has two choices. #2 could select another unopened gift or select #1's unwrapped gift. However, #2 cannot select #3's unwrapped gift because it was just previously taken from #2. A gift cannot bounce back and forth between two players without someone else taking possession of the gift in between and once a gift has been stolen twice it is retired and can not be stolen any more.

SO WHEN DOES THE GAME END?

Using the 10 player game in our example, when it gets down to the last player there will be one wrapped gift left in the center of the room or on the table. Player #10 has the same two choices that everyone else did (except Player #1). Player #10 can take the last unopened gift on the table, show it around, model it, read it or demo it etc. and the game is over. OR, player #10 can take someone's unwrapped gift (except retired gifts) and that starts a final round of stealing ................. ending when one of the players who has their unwrapped gift taken from them decides to open the last wrapped gift on the table thus ending the game.