26 Best Gift Exchange Ideas For the Holidays
Hey girl, today let’s chat about the best gift exchange ideas you can do with your friends to celebrate the holidays.
Are you looking for new and enjoyable ways to exchange gifts with your friends this holiday season? Girl, I have you covered.
I have been doing gift exchanges for years with my friends and we love trying out new themes.
There are so many incredible gift exchange ideas for you to see from budget friendly to edible to holiday themed and more.
Whichever best gift exchange ideas for friends you choose, I know you will have a memorable time and everyone will want to do it again next year.
Let’s get into the holiday spirit and jump into the best gift exchange ideas for friends!
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Best Gift Exchange Ideas
Ugly Christmas Sweater
Ugly Christmas sweater parties are always a good time.
It is great to see how creative everyone gets with them.
Cookie Swap
Do you love holiday treats just as much as I do? There are so many good ones to make but who can eat them all?
Have a cookie swap with your friends and you will all get a variety.
My friends and I have been doing this for the past few years and it makes holiday baking a breeze. Everyone doubles a recipe and then we end up with 7 different treats.
Here are some classic treats for you to see: 12 Delicious Christmas Treats to Make. These always disappear from holiday trays.
Ornament Exchange
Visit the ornament aisle and pick out the best one that screams, yes, that is perfect for my friend!
I haven’t done this with my friends yet but always give each of my kids an ornament that has to do with something special they did or liked over the past year.
Secret Santa
Doing Secret Santa brings back that anticipation of Christmas when you were a kid.
You know what to do. Draw names and set a price limit if you wish.
This post is full of great Secret Santa gift ideas for women!
Mug Exchange
Christmas mugs, um yes, please! They are all so cute.
Fill them up with Hot Chocolate mix packets, a candy cane or 2, and even some chocolates.
Holiday Decorations
Help everyone refresh their holiday decorations with something new.
I just got this beautiful Christmas lantern, which my kids are nuts over.
It can play music if you want it to but it can also just blow the glitter around. We all love watching it.
Themed Gift Basket
The possibilities of gift basket ideas are endless here.
Try a pasta gift basket, a movie night gift basket, a pamper gift basket, a coffee or tea gift basket, and more!
Book Exchange
If you have books or magazines you just can’t put down and want to share with your friends, try a book exchange theme.
Wine Exchange
Pick up a few new bottles of wine. Half the fun of drinking it is trying new flavors!
Socks Exchange
From practical socks to the big fluffy cozy ones to holiday socks, every woman needs good socks.
Favorite Things
Since we're going through the best gift exchange ideas for friends, what about having a Favorite Things theme?
You can bring one of your favorite things to share with a friend.
All my friends know that my favorite thing is chocolate😊. What’s yours?
Experiences Exchange
Give your friends the gift of getting out and about.
Some fun ideas include going to the movies, out to eat, mini golfing, taking a painting class, or doing a wine tasting.
Make those memories.
Accessories Exchange
What do you think of when you hear accessories?
I think of hair items, jewelry, nail polish, and more items along that line.
Candle Exchange
Women love to have their homes smell oh-so good.
What is your favorite kind of candle? The butter rum scent smells so good at Christmas.
You have to see this candle warmer. It allows you to have that candle fragrance without the flame.
Food Exchange
I love getting food and snacks as gifts just as much as I love giving them. It will be used and then it will be gone.
If you are like me, you just don’t have a lot of extra space in your house for more stuff.
White Elephant
Play the White Elephant game for your gift exchange.
It works to do a theme within a theme here. Pick a theme from this list just for this game.
Gift Auction
This is a fun game.
Ask everyone to bring a wrapped gift. Then everyone can bid on the gifts with play money.
Beverage Exchange
Of course, there are alcoholic beverages and those always make fabulous gifts.
However, you shouldn’t forget about coffee, tea, and soda.
You know your friends. Pick their favorites.
Beverage Holders
A water bottle, a mug for tea or coffee, or maybe even a coffee tumbler, all make amazing gifts that women use!
These are dynamite options.
Homemade Gifts
Is your group of friends crafty? Why not try handmade gifts this year?
What types of crafts do you like to do? Let me know in the comments below.
Beauty Items
Any woman would love to get a gift from Sephora. From makeup to makeup brushes to hair care to perfume, there is something for every woman there!
These are perfect for anyone.
For the Kitchen
There are lots of useful kitchen items that you can give as gifts.
Think nice here because no one wants to fill their kitchen up with junky items.
Under $20
I don’t know how it is for you but during the holiday season, money seems to be flying out the door.
If this seems like the case for you, set a gift exchange price limit.
There are still many amazing budget friendly gifts out there!
Wine
Personalized Gifts
I am not the biggest fan of personalized gifts but there are some incredible ones out there.
This personalized stationery is so beautiful.
I love pairing it with these felt-tip marker pens.
Local Gifts
Have everyone get their gifts from local shops.
Support those smaller local businesses!
Gift Card Exchange
Everyone can bring a gift card or 2 and then play a game to win them.
Setting an amount limit is a good rule.
Which gift exchange idea do you want to try with your family and friends? Let me know in the comments below.
I look forward to hearing from you and thanks for stopping by.
