Left-Right Story Game

Everyone sits in a circle holding a wrapped gift. One person reads a story aloud. Every time they say “left” or “right”, everyone passes their gift in that direction. Whatever you're holding at “The End” is yours. It takes about 5 minutes, needs zero rules explaining, and works for kids and adults.

What you need

  • One wrapped gift per person (same price limit)
  • A reader with a loud voice
  • The story below, printed or on a phone

How to play

  1. Everyone sits in a circle holding one wrapped gift.
  2. The reader reads the story slowly and clearly.
  3. On every LEFT, everyone passes their gift one seat to the left; on every RIGHT, one seat to the right.
  4. At THE END, stop. Everyone opens the gift in their hands.

Printable left-right story: “Wright the Elephant”

It was the night of the office holiday party, and Wright the elephant was LEFT in charge of the gifts. “Is everything RIGHT?” asked the boss. “Almost,” said Wright, “but I LEFT the bows in the car.” He ran RIGHT out the door, turned LEFT at the parking lot and found the car RIGHT where he had LEFT it.

Back inside, the guests had LEFT their coats on the chairs and were standing RIGHT by the snacks. “Which gift is mine?” asked Linda from Accounting. “The one on the LEFT,” said Wright, “or maybe the one on the RIGHT. Nobody's sure RIGHT now.”

The game began RIGHT on time. The first gift went LEFT, the second went RIGHT, and a mystery box that rattled went LEFT twice. Someone yelled, “That's not RIGHT!” and passed it RIGHT back. By now nobody knew which way was LEFT and which was RIGHT.

When only a few cookies were LEFT, Wright stood up. “You've all been great,” he said, “and I think it's RIGHT to end the game RIGHT here.” He looked LEFT, he looked RIGHT, and he smiled at the gift in his trunk. Whatever is in your hands RIGHT now is yours to keep. Merry Christmas, and THE END!

FAQ

How many times do you pass in the left-right game?

Once for every “left” or “right” in the story. Our story has 26 cues (11 lefts and 15 rights), which is about the right length for 6–30 people.

Can you combine left-right with White Elephant?

Yes. Play classic White Elephant first, then read the story as a final round so the gifts get shuffled one last time.

More gift exchange games

Dirty Santa RulesThe Southern name for the steal game→White Elephant Dice GameRoll, swap and steal against a timer→Coin Flip Gift ExchangeHeads you keep, tails you swap→Virtual White Elephant (Zoom)Play remotely with shared screen→White Elephant for KidsGentle rules, no tears→White Elephant Dice GameOnline dice, timer and TV mode→Gift Exchange TimerBig full-screen countdown→