Hellobee Boards

We used a website for deciding who gets who for secret Santa. You could put in people's emails and who they couldn't buy for (ie their spouse) and they got an email with the name of who they were buying for.

As host, you could collect ideals from everyone and make a master list and send that out to the group so each person had a good idea of what the person they're buying for wants.

I can't remember what the website was called but I think there was a few of you try googling it!

What if you played a game White Elephant style (taking turns picking a wrapped gift to open; you can "steal" from others - there are so many rule variations) - but don't use re-gifted/weird items, and instead go with a theme - for instance, board games or gift/luxury food items - that anyone could enjoy (or you could all open up and enjoy together at the gathering)?

Not the greatest suggestion, but it's all I can come up with that involves gifts and isn't Secret Santa...

You could also just do some sort of game that isn't gift related, but give it a holiday twist/or have a holiday prize at the end. My MIL always organizes a list of small, short games or challenges we play to accrue points at our family reunions. Things like stacking and unstacking 20 solo cups into a pyramid in under a minute using only one hand, getting an oreo from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands, moving m&ms between bowls with a spoon held in your mouth....goofy stuff. You could do this with teams and have some sort of a prize at the end of the day/weekend, and use holiday color/theme materials....and participation can be optional (it's not for us, haha).

We have my FIL pull names and send out the gift exchange over email. That works well. The other thing that we do in my family is to bring something tasty to eat or drink, no more than $40, and then as you come in you draw numbers about which one you keep

We do a white-elephant type exchange with the premise, 'give something you'd live to receive', so not the crappy joke-gifts. Everyone draws a number, and then picks or steals a gift, it's a lot of fun. Our price limit is $15.

I've seen a christmas sock exchange, where everyone fills a pair of socks with little gift items, could be manicure items, gift cards, food/candy, etc.

Last year on one side, the host wrapped up a bunch of gift items, worth around $5 (new or found). Each guest paid $5 to play, and then we do the draw a number / steal or pick. One gift had a $50 bill in it, so as you're playing you want to either hide the fact that you have the money, or pretend you have it so someone will steal your gift and you can try again. A lot of fun!