Left right gift exchange story game

How to play the left right story game

1. Everyone brings one wrapped gift at the same price. Seat the group in a circle or around a table, and give each person one gift to hold.
2. Pick a reader. The reader keeps their own gift in their lap and reads the story below in a steady, slightly slow voice.
3. Each time the reader says LEFT, everyone passes the gift they hold to the person on their left. On RIGHT, pass right. On ALL, nobody passes but everyone holds up their gift and shouts. On ACROSS, swap with the person sitting directly opposite you.
4. The story ends with a final cue. Stop passing, put the gift in your lap, and do not unwrap yet.
5. Unwrap together on a count of three, or one person at a time so the room can react.

Read the story once to yourself first. The game lives or dies on timing, and a reader who knows where the cues land can pause just before them.

The story script to read aloud

This is an original story. Read the capitalized words a little louder, and pause for half a second after each one so people can pass. It runs about three minutes.

It was the night before the big snow, and LEFT at the edge of town stood a bakery with every light on. The baker had promised a hundred loaves by morning. She tied her apron, turned the oven dial RIGHT, and said a quiet wish for good dough.

At that moment a delivery boy knocked, covered in flour from a bag that had split on his bike. He pushed his way in, looked LEFT for a place to set the sacks, then RIGHT for a towel, and finally found both on the shelf ACROSS the room.

The baker laughed. She gave him a roll, and he gave her the story of his day. The first loaf came out golden. She slid it LEFT to cool, handed him a second one RIGHT into his cold hands, and rang the little bell for the next batch.

By midnight the shop was full. Neighbors came to watch the snow, and the room grew warm and loud. ALL of them ate, and ALL of them sang something off key. A child ran LEFT around the counter, her brother ran RIGHT to catch her, and a grandfather waved them both ACROSS to the window to see the first flakes.

Someone passed a tray LEFT. Someone passed a thermos RIGHT. The baker watched them and thought that the best part of the whole night was how everything kept moving from hand to hand, no matter who started it.

When the clock struck one, she turned the sign on the door. Snow fell LEFT of the lamp, then RIGHT, then straight down on ALL of the town. She stacked the last hundred loaves and carried them ACROSS the street to the early bus. The driver tipped his hat, took the load, and drove off into the white.

She turned back to her shop, locked the door, and looked LEFT at the warm kitchen and RIGHT at the quiet street. Everything she needed was in her hands. And whatever you are holding right now, that is the gift the baker would say is yours. The end.

How many gifts and how many cues

You need exactly one gift per player. The reader can play too: have them hold a gift and pass along with everyone else, and just read from a printed copy on the table.

For a group of 8 to 12, aim for about 12 to 15 cues in total. Fewer than 8 and the gifts barely move. More than 20 and people lose track. For 20 or more people, split into two circles with a reader each, or add more ACROSS cues so gifts travel farther.

If the group is large, use RIGHT and LEFT more than ACROSS. Crossing a big circle is slow and causes pile-ups.

Rules that keep it fair

• Gifts all cost about the same. Set one price and write it on the invite. See gift exchange games for more ways to host.
• No peeking, squeezing or shaking. Keep the gift in plain view while you pass it.
• Pass only on the exact cue word, not on similar words like left-over or alright.
• If you are handed your own gift, that is fine for one round, but the reader should pause and let you pass it on at the next cue.
• Decide before you start whether anyone can swap afterward. If you want swapping, move to the white elephant dice game or add steals from white elephant variations.

If you want a guaranteed fair gift draw instead of a passing game, Hollyhush draws names and hides the matches. Create your group, free

What to do on a tie or a mix-up

Ties happen when two people think they heard different cues, or when someone passes a beat late. Do not argue about it. Have the reader repeat the last cue and let everyone correct course.

If the end of the story leaves two people each convinced the same gift is theirs, check the label. Put a small colored sticker or number on the bottom of each gift before play, and the owner at the end is whoever holds the matching number. A coin flip is the fallback.

If a gift gets dropped or opened, let the person re-wrap it quickly. Do not restart the story.

Version for kids and version for the office

For kids, shorten the story to about a minute and use only LEFT and RIGHT. Younger children mix up the two, so put a rubber band on every left wrist. Use soft wrapped items so a drop does not become a tear.

For an office, keep the story but add one cue per department or team name, such as everyone in blue passes. That keeps the game from favoring the people on one side of a conference table. Keep gifts work safe and in budget, and read the rules aloud before you start.

1. Number sticker swap

   Stick a number under every gift and write the same numbers on slips in a bowl. After the story, the number you drew from the bowl decides which gift you take home.

2. Cue word of the year

   Pick one extra word, such as SNOW or BELL, that means pass twice. It keeps people listening.

3. Gift trade at the end

   After the story, allow each person one swap with someone they choose. It turns a game of luck into a negotiation.

4. Teams of two

   Pairs hold one gift together and pass as a unit. Good for kids with a parent or an office with new hires.

5. Eyes closed round

   Everyone closes their eyes or looks at the floor during the story. It is quiet and funny, and nobody can angle for a good box.

6. Silent version

   The reader holds up cards that say LEFT, RIGHT, ALL or ACROSS. It works over noisy rooms and for guests who are hard of hearing.