White Elephant Gift Exchange

I’m excited to partner with Google and Forward Influence to bring you these original ideas! 

The holidays are here and I’m in full swing, finishing up last minute prep. 

This weekend, we are hosting a big family Christmas at our house. I am so excited about treats and presents galore. 

Part of our annual holiday gathering is a white elephant gift exchange. It’s something we all look forward to each year. It’s a blast sharing both practical and gag gifts with everyone in the family. 

PRO TIP: If you haven’t participated in a white elephant exchange before, you can print the instructions here!

Our house is decorated and ready, I have the menu lined up and ready to make. And thanks to a little online shopping, my gifts are delivered and wrapped under the tree. 

Online shopping is such a lifesaver for me. I love being able to order everything I need and have it shipped straight to my door. No long lines or crowds to deal with, it’s incredible! 

PRO TIP: I keep track of everything I’m gifting with this free printable shopping list. It helps keep me organized! 

I am aware while shopping online though that there is a risk of compromised online security. Especially during the holidays, this risk increases because of extra online activity. Since I do a majority of all my holiday prep by shopping online, I am really aware that I need to be careful without being afraid. 

Google is offering some super helpful tips and tools for keeping people safe online during the holidays, all for free. Here are my favorites:

PASSWORD MANAGER: Use unique, strong passwords for every account and save them with a password manager. Using the same password for multiple accounts can increase your security risk. It’s like using the same key to lock your home, car, and office—if someone gains access to one, all of them could be compromised. Since the average person struggles to manage more than 120 passwords, consider
using a password manager (like the one built into your Google Account) to help you create, remember, and store all your passwords. You can also check the security of your saved passwords with a password checkup. 

PRO TIP: Password Manager is one of my absolute most favorite online tools EVER – such a time and sanity saver for me PLUS I love knowing it’s helping keep me more secure and safe online. If you aren’t already, you should start using this immediately!! 

SOFTWARE UPDATES: Make sure you’re always running the latest version of software on all your devices. Some software, like Chrome, Android, and iOS, will automatically update, so you never need to worry about doing it yourself. For other services that send notifications when it’s time to update, don’t click “remind me later.” Take the time to update the software right away as many updates address newly discovered vulnerabilities that are being exploited.

GOOGLE SECURITY CHECKUP: I can’t say enough good things about this tool! Security Checkup is a step-by-step tool that helps protect the security of your Google Account with personalized recommendations. You can manage which third-party apps have access to your
account data, check your saved passwords for security issues, and more. Do the check-up pronto > g.co/securitycheckup.

Once you’re secure online, it’s time for all the holiday fun. If you’ve never done a white elephant gift exchange before, I suggest you start this year. It will be a holiday tradition everyone loves! 

You can click here to download and print our white elephant rules plus our shopping list and gift tags so you’re ready. Plus, Don’t forget to protect yourself and take the Google security checkup now!