The Left Right game is a favorite Christmas activity because it gets everyone laughing.
At your gift exchange, the last thing you want is a long, boring, drawn-out time where everyone waits for one person at a time to choose and open a gift.
To speed things up, generate laughter, and get people passing gifts left and right and all around, we propose that you… tell a story.
Whether you’re partying it up with large groups during the holidays, or just celebrating with your family, with the right Left Right Game (heheh) you’ll have everyone in stitches by the end of the story.
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We have not one, not two, but five great Left Right Game stories for you, absolutely free. The stories even include one for any occasion (not just Christmas).
How It Works
The Left Right Game is for a gift exchange, but it’s a variation on the “pass the present” method for deciding who gets what gift.
Seat everyone in a circle, with the gift they brought in their hands. A moderator will read a left right story—typically a silly, ridiculous story, with a Christmas theme or one that pokes fun at the boss and coworkers—filled with the words “left” and “right.”
- “With a wink of his left eye, the jolly old elf…”
- “St. Nick landed a little right of the chimney…”
- “The tiny reindeer reached with his left hoof to open the right window…”
Each time the reader says the word “left,” everyone passes their gift to the left. Same thing for when they say “right,” the gifts move to the right.
Once the story is over, whatever gift you end up with is yours to open!
5 Free Left Right Stories
These are all fun, clean, and family friendly left right stories.
Some are intended for family gatherings, others intended for the office party, and still others are designed where you can personalize it for large groups by filling in the names of your choice.
Most of these are holiday-themed, but we also have one (#5, below) for anytime and anywhere.
Story #1: Ribbons & Bows
- Christmas theme
- Anyone, any gathering
This is a very silly Left Right Christmas Game story for any holiday party. It’s perfect for kids and the whole family.
Excerpt:
It was a cold, snowy day outside. Mom took the day off of work, and Dad LEFT the office a few hours earlier than usual.
It was Christmas Eve, and both of them had LEFT the kids with Grandma, who’d had a little too much eggnog and wasn’t in her RIGHT mind.
Once back at home, Mom and Dad got to work RIGHT away setting up the scene for Santa Claus. Mom was wrapping gifts the RIGHT way…
Story #2: Christmas Parade
- Christmas theme
- Anyone, any gathering
Another ridiculous Christmas story, ideal for any family Christmas party or holiday gathering.
Excerpt:
There was a week LEFT to go before December 25th, and the entire town was in the happy, Christmas spirit. And RIGHTfully so; the annual Christmas parade was only a few days away!
The Mayor was perhaps the most excited of all for the parade. He’d been RIGHT when he proclaimed, “This year’s Christmas parade…
Story #3: The Christmas Tree
- Christmas theme
- Anyone, any gathering
- Personalized with up to 7 names
This family-friendly right left game story features blank spaces where you can fill in names from among your family members.
This is a great story if you’re aiming to put family members in the spotlight.
Excerpt:
This Christmas, Aunt _______________ and Uncle _______________ had opted to do RIGHT by the _______________ Family and chop down their own evergreen tree.
“There’s just something not quite RIGHT about those store-bought ones,” they’d say….
Story #4: The Christmas Luncheon [Office Party]
- Christmas theme
- Ideal for the office
- Personalized with two coworker names
This Christmas left right game story provides spaces for you to put in the names of two of your most ridiculous coworkers. So much fun at their expense.
Excerpt:
[Employee 1] _______________ came up to [Employee 2] _______________‘s cubicle and leaned over the LEFT side of it, just like they did every morning.
[Employee 2] _______________ didn’t really like it when [Employee 1] _______________ did that, since they always leaned RIGHT in front of the coffee maker, too, which was…
Story #5: The Piano Man [Anytime!]
- Funny left right game story any occasion
- No holiday theme, ideal for use throughout the year
- Just the tiniest bit creepy
- Great for all ages
This passing game story is perfect to use throughout the year, for birthdays, office parties, and more.
Who is “The Piano Man,” and what dangers lurk within his shop? Should Lucy buy a piano… or walk right out of sight?
Excerpt:
Lucy Keys was so excited. She was about to purchase a brand new piano at the shop RIGHT down the road from her house.
She was a musician in her own RIGHT, and the time was finally RIGHT to own her own piano. She LEFT her home and hopped RIGHT in her car, determined to…
If you didn’t find one of these that you were in love with, you can always opt to write your very own story or Christmas gift exchange poem!
They aren’t too terribly difficult to come up with, and if you don’t want to write the whole thing from scratch, you can borrow bits and pieces from the stories you like, then embellish them as you choose.
The sky is the only limit for your creativity!
More Gift Exchange Games & Ideas
If these Left Right Games aren’t your cup of tea, we came up with more than 45 of the best gift exchange games here.
The “more than 45” part includes ideas for skipping the traditional materialistic gifting frenzy that happens each year, too.
Whether you want something fun, simple, crazy, cute, or to just avoid a lot of the annual insanity, we have some great ideas here for your whole family (or the whole office).
Read it: 45+ Ingenious Gift Exchange Ideas
Gift Ideas for Your Gift Exchange
Here are some of our favorite gift exchange gift ideas. Because if you’re bringing a gift, you want it to be the one people fight over.
We’ve got practical gifts, goofy gifts, thoughtful gifts and more, so sit tight!
Party Games
Party games are always a great idea for holiday gift exchanges!
Once the left right game or the other gift exchange of your choice is over, you can break out another great game and play the night away!
Reindeer Toss Game
Inflate these reindeer antlers, put one set on your head and another on a friend’s, then go to town trying to land some rings.
A silly— but oh-so-fun—way to say Merry Christmas, this gift is perfect for your next holiday gift exchange.
Laser Cut Wood Journal
This journal is so cute. Like, really cute. And who doesn’t love a good journal?
It’s the right price for most gift exchange budgets, and will be a coveted prize in the trading/stealing wars.
Bluetooth Speaker
It’s always great to throw a cool electronic gift into the shuffle, and this fabulous speaker will definitely make quite the prize!
And it’s a great price point, too, without sacrificing quality.
A Photo of Yourself on a Sequin Pillow
If your gift exchange is more the “white elephant” variety, here’s a killer idea. Put a photo of yourself on a sequin pillow, and watch everyone fight over it.
Mini Library Building Kit
Ok so this one is probably a little on the high side for most gift exchange dollar limits, but if you want to win the unofficial prize for bringing the most unique (and most “stolen”) gift, this is it.
It’s a model set to build a tiny library, filled with all sorts of miniature, magical things.
In addition to all the books, which are organized by type, there are picture frames, maps, a chandelier, a ladder, flowers, and lots more to discover.
Read Next: Christmas Planning: How to Win the Holidays
