Later picks may steal an unlocked opened gift or open a new one.
A gift stolen the maximum times locks and stays put.
Whoever just got stolen from picks immediately, and cannot snatch that same gift right back.
If Last picker may steal is on, after everyone has a gift the last picker may steal (a swap) or keep theirs.
Steals keep going after last open only applies when Last picker may steal is on. When it is off (default), the last picker’s steal is one swap and the swap ends — the victim does not get another turn.
When the dependent setting is on, a late/last steal still gives the victim a turn (steal or keep, no immediate steal-back) until someone keeps or no legal steal remains.
Tracker settings lock once the swap is underway — reset the steal tracker to change them.
Only available when the last picker may steal.
Restart the steal tracker to change settings.
Swap log
No opens or steals yet.
Pick order
A little help for the host
What Gift Stampede is
Gift Stampede is a free white elephant / Yankee Swap pick-order tool for the living-room swap. Enter everyone playing, start the stampede, and get a fair order for who opens or steals next. The stampede animation is theater — dust, elephants, and holiday noise — not a race. Whoever “looks fastest” on screen does not win a better pick.
It runs entirely in your browser on this device. There is no account to create, no upload of your guest list, and nothing to install.
01
Build the guest list
Type names individually or paste one per line. The tool accepts 3 to 40 people, removes duplicate names, and lets you edit the list before drawing.
02
Reveal a fair order
Press Start the Stampede to shuffle the names. The herd animation has no effect on the result. You can skip it, copy the order, edit names, or run a new shuffle.
03
Run the gift swap
If you turn on the optional tracker, record each opened gift and steal. It shows whose turn comes next and locks gifts after your chosen number of steals.
For the curious
How is the order fair?
A Fisher–Yates shuffle assigns every name an equal chance at each position. It runs in your browser; the elephants on screen are the reveal, not a race. When people are watching, you can say the pick order was shuffled locally on this device, nobody behind the scenes reordered the list, and the herd theatrics did not change the odds.
Your house rules
How do steals work?
Pick 1 opens a gift. Later players may open a new gift or steal an unlocked one. A player who loses a gift picks immediately and cannot steal that same gift straight back. You can set the steal limit and decide whether the final picker gets a last chance to steal. The option to keep steals going after the last open is nested under that final-picker setting and only applies when it is on.
Where it shines
Good fits
Use Gift Stampede whenever a group needs a transparent pick order for a wrapped-gift swap:
Office holiday parties — white elephant at the all-hands or team lunch.
Family white elephant — cousins, in-laws, and the classic mystery mug.
PTA and church Yankee Swap — community nights where everyone brings a gift.
Friend gift exchanges — apartment parties, friend-group Christmas, Friendsgiving extras.
Clear boundaries
What it is not
Gift Stampede is not gambling, not a wagering product, and not a server-side multiplayer game. It does not take entry fees, hold a prize pool, or process payments for picks. It is not a race where faster “elephants” earn better slots. The stampede is presentation; the pick order is a local shuffle. Use it as a clear white elephant / Yankee Swap host tool — nothing more.
Good to know
Questions before the party?
Do I need an account?
No. It is free to use in a browser on your phone or computer. No sign-up or installation is needed.
Where does my guest list go?
The names, order, and tracker draft stay in your browser. A short draft may be kept in sessionStorage on this device so a refresh does not wipe setup mid-party; clearing site data for giftstampede.com removes it. Nothing is uploaded to run the stampede or the shuffle. See Privacy for hosting, ads, and optional tips.
Can I skip the animation?
Yes. Choose Skip to order during the stampede. The same shuffle determines the order. If your system prefers reduced motion, the stampede stays quieter either way.
Tips and the Ko-fi tip jar?
Gift Stampede is free. If it saves a scramble at the party, an optional tip via the footer Ko-fi button is appreciated. Tips go through Ko-fi; their terms apply on their site.
Will there be ads?
The site is set up for Google AdSense. Ads may appear when Google approves the site for serving. There is no empty reserved advertisement box on this page right now. See the Privacy page for how advertising cookies may work if ads are shown.
What is the difference between white elephant and Yankee Swap?
Mostly the name and the region. Both use a random order, wrapped gifts, and stealing. Groups differ on steal limits and endings; our Yankee Swap variants guide compares them.
How many players can I add?
Between 3 and 40. Duplicate names are dropped automatically, ignoring capitalization, so add a last initial if two guests share a first name.
Can I change the steal limit halfway through?
No. Max steals, Last picker may steal, and Steals keep going after last open lock once the first gift is opened or stolen. Press Reset tracker to start the swap over with new settings.
Who gets the final steal?
With Last picker may steal on, the last name in the pick order may keep their gift or swap it for any unlocked gift once everyone has one. Turn on Steals keep going after last open if you want the person they took from to get a turn too. Details are on How it works.
What if someone taps the wrong gift?
Use Undo last action in the tracker. It rolls back the most recent open, steal, or keep, one step at a time.
