I don’t want to date myself, but I was excited to see Return of the Jedi in the theaters. I was young enough to be terrified of the Sarlacc and pretty freaked out by the Emperor, but at that point, it didn’t matter. I was a hooked Star Wars fan and have been ever since (so, like 15 years… right?).
I get pretty excited every May the 4th, and I bet you do, too. It’s the best day to have a Star Wars Secret Santa party so you can surprise each other with cool, obscure, or just plain fun Star Wars gifts.
It doesn’t matter if your hero is Leia or Amidala or Rey; if you think the best villain is Vader or Kylo, if you’re a trilogy type or a standalone standout. If you love the movies, the books, the toys, and just the whole thrilling idea of good battling evil in a galaxy far, far away, here are five Star Wars Secret Santa ideas to turn your ragtag group of rebels into true heroes.
4 Games to Play During Your May the 4th Party
Having games at the party gives Star Wars fans a chance to do what they love best: show each other how much they know about the universe.
Jedi Training Pinata
One of the most thrilling scenes in A New Hope is Luke putting on a helmet and using the force to deflect being zapped by a little floating ball. He couldn’t see, but when he started to use the Force, he could deflect it with his lightsaber. That’s when you realized things were getting cool and weird.
You can (sort of) replicate that by setting up a pinata-type situation. Get a large enough ball, hang it from the ceiling, and have blindfolded people try to whack at it. Bonus points if you use a lightsaber.
If you’re feeling really adventurous and, I can’t stress this enough, if you have the space, connect the ball to a pole that the host is holding and have them move it around and maybe (gently!) bop the player. They’ll be sure to try to have the Force help them out.
Music Party Trivia/Dance-Off
The Star Wars movies have produced a lot of iconic music, from the classic John Williams score to the in-scene music that gave the universe a lived-in, real-life feel. I mean, real-life relative to all the aliens.
For this game, have recordings of a variety of music. Play 10-15 seconds of it and have teams try to guess it. You can do things as obvious as “The Imperial March” (which just now gave me goosebumps), the Moz Eisley cantina theme, or “Yub Nub” from after the Battle of Endor. You can get more obscure tunes, like “Jabba Flow” from Maz’s place in The Force Awakens.
Tie-breakers go to the team who can best dance to Yub Nub. In fact, everyone should dance to it.
Non-Human Charades
Make lists of all the non-human characters, including aliens and droids. Your goal: make your team understand who you are by imitating their sounds.
Sure, you can probably do a passable Wookie sound. Enough for people to guess, even non-fanatics. But can you do a Paodok’Draba’Takat Sap’De’Rekti Nik’Linke’Ti’ Ki’Vef’Nik’NeSevef’Li’Kek? You know, from Rogue One? (Duh) And can your team guess him?
It’s okay to do some acting in this too. But make sure you only pick aliens who don’t speak the human tongue. It’s way more fun.
Star Wars Trivia
Between the movies, the books, the games, and the fan theories, Star Wars has nearly as much trivia as the real universe. And there are some people who know it all.
There are multiple Star Wars trivia games as well. Just make sure to remind your guests that not getting questions right doesn’t mean they’re not true fans. It just means they’ve let Han Solo down… even more than Kylo.
Star Wars Secret Santa Ideas
Okay, so we’ve got some games. Now, how about some gifts? A Star Wars Secret Santa is really easy and fun. All you have to do is get your guests to sign up with a free online Secret Santa generator and start a wish list. People will be paired up randomly and you can buy gifts directly from your giftee’s wish list.
At the party, you exchange gifts. The guessing part is always fun, but it’s especially fun when you have the same interests. The novels seem like a gift from Sierra, but maybe Kenyetta knows that this is what I wanted the most? It’s a fun mystery. That’s why gift exchange themes work so well: you have more clues based on common interests, but that can make guessing even trickier.
But what can the gifts be? Well, here’s just a taste of what you can get, from the sublime to the absurd, from a Star Wars gift guide:
- Star Wars T-shirts
- Darth Vader apron
- Inflatable Jabba costume, for some reason
- Death Star waffle maker
- Star Wars art book
- Tie Fighter teapot
- Cookbook
- Knitted sweater
- Baby clothes
- Baby Yoda!
- Baby Yoda!
OK, I know we put that one on twice, but come on. It’s Baby Yoda! And that’s just a sampling of the tens of thousands of Star Wars-themed gifts out there. There’s new stuff for even the biggest collector in your group.
May the 4th Be With You, Always
The original trilogy has its place in my heart, forever. But I love the newest trilogy, which is my wife’s favorite Star Wars. I’ve come to enjoy the prequels a bit more because of my nephew- they were the movies he grew up with. And that’s pretty cool.
If you love Star Wars, you love a good party. You love sharing your fandom with your fellow fanatics. You love thrilling to the stories and enjoying what makes them good-hearted, exciting, and goofy fun. You love the characters and the planets; the tech and the touching moments. You want the good guys to win—but only after the bad guys seem on the brink of doing so.
So, this May the 4th, give yourself the gift of a great party. I don’t want to contradict Luke in The Last Jedi, but if you plan it right, have a great Secret Santa generator, and the right games, this is going to go the way you think.
If you’re having a Star Wars Secret Santa at your May the 4th party, choose a great Secret Santa generator. Elfster makes it easy to pair people up, shop for Star Wars gifts, and start a Wish List. Plus, you can access it all from an iPhone app or Android app.
