The Secret Santa gift your office will still be playing at the Christmas do

Why it works for Secret Santa and office parties

• Works for any name you draw: colleague, manager, flatmate or in-law.
• Pocket-sized box, easy to wrap and to carry on the train.
• One round takes about 8 minutes, so it fits a lunch break or the gap between the food and the quiz.
• 2 to 8 players: a small team table or a whole department.
• Family friendly, ages 7+, no drinking-game rules needed.

How Schnitzel™ plays in 60 seconds

Everyone gets 4 face-down cards and peeks at 2 of them. On your turn you draw a card or take the top of the discard pile and swap it into your row, or throw it away. The goal is the lowest total, so you want to get rid of the 9s and 10-point action cards and keep the -5s and 0s.

Discarded action cards can be used straight away: Peek at your own card, Spy on everyone else, Swap blind with an opponent, Attack someone with an extra card, or Overwrite your whole hand with theirs. When you think you are lowest, yell “SCHNITZEL!” and everyone gets one last turn. Unless someone plays a Nope.

And there is the X: one card worth 666 points that ends the game the moment it shows up.

Christmas party moments it fits

1. 1. Office Secret Santa

   A neutral gift that nobody has to be embarrassed to keep, and that the team can use straight away.

2. 2. Christmas do or team lunch

   Open it at the table, explain it in one round, and let the “SCHNITZEL!” call do the rest.

3. 3. Friends’ and family Secret Santa

   Works from teens to grandparents, so it suits mixed groups where a video game would not.

4. 4. Stocking filler as a backup gift

   If the group also does stockings, the same small box doubles as a filler. See our stocking stuffer page for more.

Tips for the exchange

• Check your group’s spending limit against the total at checkout, including shipping.
• Order early: delivery options are shown at checkout and December is busy for every courier.
• Write “we are playing this at the party” on the tag and the entertainment is sorted.

FAQ