Favorite things party: rules and a printable list
Everyone brings a few of one thing they love, and everyone goes home with a mix of other people's favorites. Here's how it works, the rules to set, and a favorite things list to fill in, copy or print.
Turn your favorites into a wishlist friends can book from
Add the exact things you love, from any store, and share one link. When a friend books a gift, it shows as taken, so nobody buys the same thing.
How a favorite things party works
A favorite things party is a gift swap built on stories. Instead of one mystery present, each guest brings their own favorite thing, several times over, and tells everyone why they love it.
The host sets the rules
A date, one price for every item, and how many of it each guest brings. Three items at $10 to $25 each is an easy place to start.
Each guest picks one favorite
Something they love and would happily buy again, and they buy that many of the exact same thing: three of the hand cream, three jars of the hot sauce.
Everyone tells the room why
In turn, each guest shows their favorite thing and says why they love it. This is the fun part, and where people find their next favorite.
The favorites are swapped
A draw decides who takes home each guest's favorite. Nobody gets their own, and everyone leaves with as many gifts as they brought.
How to swap the gifts
Names in a hat
Everyone writes their name on one slip per item they brought, so three items means three slips, and all the slips go in a bowl. When it's your turn to present, draw one slip per item and hand your favorite to those people. Drew your own name, or the same person twice? Put it back and draw again. If the last slips left are your own, trade with the person before you.
Draw numbers
Put every favorite on a table and have everyone draw a number for the order. In round one, each person in turn takes one item that isn't theirs and isn't one they already have. Round two goes in reverse order, and so on, until everyone has as many gifts as they brought.
Roll the dice
Everyone rolls a die and the highest roll picks first, with ties rolling again, then pick in that order as with numbers. For a louder version, go around the room rolling: a six takes one item from the table, and anyone who already has their share passes the die on.
Need a random order? The number drawer on our white elephant rules page deals the numbers 1 to N, or shuffles a list of names, right in your browser.
Your favorite things list
A favorite things questionnaire with 18 questions, from your favorite snack to the candle scent you always buy. Hosts send it with the invitation so guests get to know each other's tastes. Fill it in here, then copy it into the group chat or print it, filled in or blank.
Your answers stay in this browser tab until you close it. They aren't sent to Wishes or anyone else.
Turn your favorites into a wishlist friends can book from
A list of favorites says what you like. A Wishes list shows the exact things, each with a photo and a link to the store. Share one link: friends open it without an account, and booking a gift, with an Apple or Google sign-in, keeps anyone else from buying the same one. Free, on iOS, Android and the web.
Your answers stay on this page. In Wishes you add the things themselves, and pasting a store link brings in the photo and name.
Favorite things party rules and variations
Budget tiers
One price for everyone keeps every swap fair. Under $10 is easy on a big group, $15 to $25 leaves room for something nicer, and a small group of close friends can go higher.
How many to bring
Three of one thing is easy to buy and wrap. In a small group, ask for one per other guest instead, so everyone goes home with one of everything.
Themes
Holiday favorites, self-care, kitchen and pantry, stocking stuffers under $10, local stores only, or a book club edition where everyone brings their favorite paperback.
Wrapped or on show
Put every favorite out on a table so people can see what they might get, or bag each set in plain gift bags and let the story be the reveal.
Swap order
Present in the order you drew, youngest first, or by who arrived first. Reverse the order for each round of picking, so the last person in round one picks first in round two.
Long-distance
Everyone draws names online and mails their favorite straight to the people they drew, then the group opens them together on a video call.
Hosting checklist
- Pick a date, the price per item and how many items each guest brings.
- Send the invitation two or three weeks ahead, with the price, the number and any theme.
- Ask about allergies and strong scents, and pass that on to guests.
- Share the favorite things list below so guests can see each other's tastes.
- Have slips of paper, pens and a bowl, or numbers or a die, for the swap.
- Clear a table to show the favorites, and have spare bags for taking gifts home.
- Plan the snacks and drinks, and leave time for everyone to tell their story.
Questions, answered
What is a favorite things party?
A party where each guest brings a few of one thing they love, all identical, at a price the host sets. Each guest tells the room about their favorite, a draw decides who takes each one home, and everyone leaves with a mix of other people's favorite things.
How many gifts do you bring to a favorite things party?
As many as the host asks for, all the same item. Three is an easy number to buy and wrap, and each guest then goes home with three gifts. In a small group, the host can ask for one per other guest instead.
How much should a favorite thing cost?
Whatever the host sets, and the same for everyone so every swap is fair. Under $10 keeps it easy for a big group; $15 to $25 leaves room for something nicer. Put the price and the number of items in the invitation.
How do you swap gifts at a favorite things party?
Names in a hat is the classic way: everyone puts their name in a bowl once per item they brought, and each presenter draws that many names and hands their favorite to those people, redrawing their own name or a repeat. Drawing numbers or rolling dice for a picking order works too.
How is a favorite things party different from a white elephant?
In a white elephant, each person brings one gift and players can steal. At a favorite things party, each guest brings several of the same thing they love, nobody steals, and everyone goes home with as many gifts as they brought.
What should I bring to a favorite things party?
Something you use and would buy again, at the set price: the snack or hot sauce you're known for, a hand cream, a candle in your favorite scent, a kitchen tool, a paperback you press on friends. Bring the same thing for everyone, and check the theme and any allergies first.
Does the favorite things list save my answers?
Only in this browser tab, so they survive a reload. They aren't sent to Wishes or anyone else, and closing the tab or pressing Clear removes them. Copy or print your list before you go.
Why turn my favorite things into a wishlist?
A list of favorites tells people what you like. A Wishes list shows the exact things, with a photo and a link to the store. You share one link, friends open it without an account, and when someone books a gift it shows as taken, so nobody buys the same thing. You see which gifts are booked, not who booked them. Booking asks for an Apple or Google sign-in. Making a list is free, on iOS, Android and the web.
Doing Secret Santa this year too? The free Secret Santa generator draws names with no sign-up, and the Secret Santa questionnaire tells your Santa what to get you.