Guide

White elephant and ugly sweater party invitation wording: 40 lines

Forty white elephant and ugly sweater party invitation lines, funny and office-friendly, plus the gift rules to paste in, group texts and when to send.

November 9, 2026 · 4 min read

A forest green envelope with a gold Christmas tree seal opening to a holiday party invitation

A white elephant or ugly sweater invitation has one extra job: tell people what to bring before they ask. Put the gift limit and the sweater rule right under the date.

What to include

DetailSay it like this
Gift limitBring one wrapped gift under $25
Wrapped or notWrapped, no name tags
Steal ruleEach gift can be stolen twice, then it's locked
Sweater ruleUgly sweaters required. Prize for the worst
Reply byReply by December 10 so we know how many numbers to draw

Gag gifts or real ones? Say which. Funny, useful or both keeps everyone happy.

40 invitation wording ideas

Swap in your own names, dates and places.

White elephant

  1. Bring a wrapped gift under $25 and your best poker face.
  2. White elephant night. One gift in, one gift out, no hard feelings.
  3. You're invited to steal gifts from your friends. Politely.
  4. The gift swap is back. $30 limit, steal rules apply.
  5. Bring something you'd want to keep. Then try to keep it.
  6. Wrap a gift, draw a number, ruin a friendship. White elephant at ours.
  7. One gift, three steals, zero mercy.
  8. Our annual white elephant: the night the candle set changes hands nine times.
  9. Join us for snacks, drinks and a gift exchange. $20 limit, wrapped please.
  10. Re-gifting is not only allowed, it's encouraged.

Ugly sweater

  1. Ugly sweater party. The uglier the better. Prizes for the worst.
  2. Dust off that sweater. Our ugly sweater party is on.
  3. Tinsel, bells, reindeer with light-up noses. Wear it all.
  4. No sweater, no entry. We have spares, and they're worse.
  5. Bring your tackiest knit. Voting starts at nine.
  6. Ugly sweaters, eggnog and a crown for the worst one.
  7. The bar is low. The sweaters should be lower.
  8. Your grandma's sweater finally gets its night out.
  9. Sweater weather, but make it ugly.
  10. Come as you are. Then put on the ugliest sweater you own.

Both at once

  1. Ugly sweaters and a white elephant swap. Bring one of each.
  2. Wear something tacky, bring something wrapped.
  3. Two contests, one night: the worst sweater and the best steal.
  4. Ugly sweater required. Wrapped gift under $25 required. Fun not optional.
  5. Sweaters on, gifts wrapped, gloves off.
  6. Holiday party, ugly sweater dress code, white elephant at eight.

Office and team

  1. Join the team for our holiday party. Ugly sweaters encouraged, gift swap optional.
  2. Office white elephant on Friday at three. $20 limit, keep it work-friendly.
  3. Our team gift swap is on. Bring something wrapped under $25.
  4. Ugly sweater day on December 18. Prize for the most festive desk too.
  5. Holiday lunch, white elephant after. Everyone who brings a gift plays.
  6. Let's see who in leadership owns the worst sweater. All staff welcome.

Funny

  1. Free food. Stolen gifts. Questionable knitwear.
  2. We're not saying your gift has to be good. We're saying it has to be wrapped.
  3. Warning: you may go home with a singing fish.
  4. The sweaters are ugly. The gift steals are uglier.
  5. Come for the eggnog, stay to steal the good gift.
  6. Last year someone brought a toilet seat. Beat that.
  7. Bring a gift you'd secretly like to win back.
  8. Jingle bells, gift steals, sweaters from hell. You in?

Want any of these laid out with your date, place and reply-by? Use the wording generator in the playful tone.

Rules to paste into the invitation

White elephant rules: bring one wrapped gift under $25. Draw a number when you arrive. On your turn, open a new gift or steal one already opened. A gift can be stolen twice, then it's locked. Whoever is stolen from picks again.

The free white elephant number generator shuffles the order and prints number slips with these rules. Drawing names instead? The Secret Santa generator gives each person a private link to their match.

For the sweaters, print the ugly sweater contest ballot and leave a stack by the door.

Group text versions

  1. White elephant at ours Sat Dec 12, 7 pm! Wrapped gift under $25. Ugly sweaters very welcome. Can you make it?
  2. Ugly sweater party is ON. Fri Dec 18 at 8. Worst sweater wins a prize. Reply so we know how many chairs.

When to send

  • Friends' party: three to four weeks ahead, so people have time to shop and find a sweater.
  • Office swap: four weeks ahead, with a reminder a week before.
  • Reply by: about a week before, so you know how many numbers to draw.

Make the invitation part of the fun

A digital holiday party invitation opens like a real envelope with a wax seal, carries the gift rules in one place, and collects replies so you know exactly how many gifts are coming. It's free for up to 25 guests.

Read next