The White Elephant gift exchange is one of the more unpredictable gift-giving traditions—a game that thrives on spontaneity, strategy and a healthy dose of festive chaos. Unlike Secret Santa, you have no idea where your gift will end up, which means you have to hunt for a single product that appeals to people of different ages and circumstances. If you’re the kind of person who knows exactly what to get everyone on your list, the relative lawlessness of White Elephant can feel a bit intimidating.
We’ve put together a helpful guide to the basic rules of the game, as well as a list of white elephant gifts to inspire you, whether you’re aiming for something practical, quirky or simply within budget.
How to play the White Elephant game
What is a White Elephant gift? Though its rules can vary, depending on where you live and how you choose to play, the White Elephant game usually requires participants to bring a single, wrapped gift to a gathering. Then, everyone draws a number, and the person with the number one gets to choose the first gift from the pile and unwrap it for everyone to see. The person with number two chooses to steal the first gift or pick their own wrapped gift. If they steal, person number one chooses another wrapped gift to open. Number three can choose to steal any unwrapped gift or pick a new gift from the pile. The game continues until everyone gets a present.
The rules of White Elephant are usually determined by the organizer, which means you could have to stay within a certain budget or focus on a particular type of gift. You might be asked to choose gifts that are practical, silly, outrageous or on theme. Whatever the rules, the best White Elephant gift is one that appeals to everyone, no matter who unwraps it.
White Elephant vs. Dirty Santa vs. Secret Santa
There’s no official body presiding over naming conventions and rules for gift exchanges (though that would be a pretty fun gig!), which means people have different variations on a single style of game.
Whether you call it “White Elephant,” “Dirty Santa,” or “Yankee Swap” usually depends on where you live. While they’re often used interchangeably, others make slight distinctions between the terms.
For example, some people refer to “Dirty Santa” as a version of White Elephant that encourages multiple rounds of stealing, while “Yankee Swap” is often used in New England in the US (you might have seen it in The Office, which takes place in Scranton, Pennsylvania).
“Secret Santa” is a different game altogether, one in which participants in a group are randomly assigned another person to buy a gift for. You don’t know who your gift is from until you open it.
Origins of White Elephant gifts
Outside the festive party context, the term “White Elephant” is used more broadly to refer to a gift that you don’t want because it’s annoying, large or expensive to maintain. Legend has it that the expression comes from Thailand, where kings would gift White Elephants to people who wanted to go bankrupt. But historians have disputed this as myth, saying White Elephants were sacred and unlikely to be considered a burden.
29 White Elephant gift ideas
Looking for White Elephant gift ideas that could appeal to everyone from your mother-in-law to your nephew? Not sure where to start? We’ve scoured the internet for useful, funny, creative, memorable and budget-friendly products that’ll help you share the holiday spirit—no matter who ends up with your present.
White Elephant gift ideas $10 and under
Finger phone strap
This colorful strap is a handy gift for anyone who needs extra help holding onto their smartphone (that includes many people, we’d wager). You can personalize it with your city or company name, and it folds flat when you’re not using it.
Source: Finger phone strap via VistaPrint
Hydrating hand sanitizer
Get a fancy, hydrating hand sanitizer that has germ-fighting power and a wonderful scent is a great gift idea! Who doesn’t need hand sanitizers to avoid getting sick during the colder months? Everyone uses hand sanitizer, so this makes a great gift that anyone could use.
Shower and bath products
Another gift that works for everyone is shower and bath products. After all, who doesn’t need or use soap and shampoo? Take this gift idea up a level and think about creating a spa moment. Get a calming and relaxing scents for shower gels that lather up nicely. It’s just like soap (but nicer).
Source: via Depositphotos
Ramen noodles
A box of ramen noodles isn’t the most luxurious gift on this list, but you’ll get points with anyone who appreciates a nostalgic, comforting classic. (And honestly, it would be funny.) As any college kid or kitchen novice knows, there’s nothing like a meal you can make in a few minutes.
White Elephant gift ideas $20 and under
Multi-ccino mug
This is a glass mug with text on the outside that shows you how much espresso, milk or water you need for your favorite brew. It’s great for those who love their coffee but aren’t quite sure how to make it. And if the person who unwraps this happens to not like coffee, someone who does will certainly want to steal this!
Coffee and tea products will always be a hit for someone in the group. If you want to be more general, get coffee beans or fancy tea bags.
Source: via Depositphotos
Wireless karaoke microphone
For a fun (and handy) gift idea, try a wireless karaoke microphone can be used as a microphone, speaker, loudspeaker and recorder, which means you can host karaoke parties at home or belt out your favorite ballad whenever the mood strikes you.
Microwavable popcorn popper
Take movie nights to another level with a microwavable popcorn popper made of dishwasher-safe borosilicate glass. It takes three minutes to pop kernels—no butter or oil needed (though welcomed, if you fancy!).
Novelty kitchen items
Think novelty non-slip, heat-resistant silicone spoon rest shaped like a crab that can hold spoons, tongs and other kitchen utensils while you cook. Fun, novelty kitchen kitchen are great universal gift ideas!
Source: via Depositphotos
Fun photo holder
Add a little creative inspiration to someone’s decor with fun, kitschy photo holders. You can find them in a shape of a cowboy boot, catcus, mushroom or hearts, all designed to display fond memories and photos.
White Elephant gift ideas $25 and under
Custom insulated drink bottle
An insulated, stainless steel water bottle that keeps your coffee hot and your water cold. It’s a practical gift you can personalize with a fun design or a particular interest of the people involved in the White Elephant game. Adorn it with a cycling slogan for your mountain biking group or an inside joke from your friend group.
Source: Custom drink bottle via VistaPrint
Custom travel mug
Need a White Elephant gift for a group of coffee-lovers who are always on the go? These portable stainless steel mugs come in five color options, and they can be personalized with a slogan or image of your choosing.
Source: Travel mug via VistaPrint
Collectible sticker book
White Elephant game-players that like crafts and design will get sticker-shock—in a good way—when they unwrap a collectable coffee table book celebrating all things sticker design, especially when it comes with 300 peelable stickers specially commissioned by artists and illustrators around the world.
Choose a coffee table book that suits your group’s interest and it’ll be the gift that everyone is trying to steal!
Fun and cute toilet brush
Necessary household items in fun and cute shapes is great gift that has a purpose. Look for toilet brush and holders that are daisy-shaped or cherry-shapped that will keep your toilet clean and your bathroom looking cute.
White Elephant gift ideas $50 and under
Massage gun
Playing the White Elephant game with a lot of desk-workers, stressed-out parents or athletes? Give one of them the gift of relaxation with a portable massage gun that comes with different speed levels and massage head attachments. This will be a popular gift, probably the one everyone wants to steal.
Gift wrap book
Gift wrap books are a much more compact way of storing wrapping paper (as opposed to keeping those long tubes around your home). After all, who doesn’t need wrapping paper during the holiday season or for birthdays? Get one with fun, year-round prints!
Custom puzzle
Turn any design or image into a one-of-a-kind gift with a custom puzzle. To make it relevant to everyone at the White Elephant gift exchange, create a puzzle that showcases something the group loves, like your favorite meme, movie still or a map of the city.
Source: Custom puzzle via Vistaprint
S’mores maker
S’mores are one of life’s greatest pleasures, so why should we have to wait to eat them when we’re camping? Fire up a portable roaster instead. Find one that comes with everything you’ll need from roasting sticks to a ceramic tray.
Double-layer bento box
Lunch from home doesn’t have to be boring! Help people ditch single-use containers with a double-layer bento box. With double-layers, it makes it easy for you to package your food into neat, accessible compartments.
Easy White Elephant gifts
Disposable camera
Disposable film cameras have gone from an outdated technology to a delightfully nostalgic one, the kind of product everyone loves to mess around with at weddings and other events. Your gift recipient will love the old-timey feel of pressing that shutter button and waiting to see how their photos come out.
Book of the Month gift subscription
Subscriptions—to magazines, streaming platforms or gift boxes—make super-easy White Elephant gifts for those who’ve waited until the absolute last minute. Share your love of reading with a Book of the Month subscription, which mails out a curated selection of new-release hardcovers and audiobooks every month.
Cater gift subscriptions to the general interest of the group! If people in your group love coffee, find a coffee subscription. If they love movies, get a movie subscription. You get the idea.
Custom mug
Print funny images, heartwarming memories or silly jokes on a custom mug. It’s a fast, easy gift, and there’s always someone at your White Elephant game who could use an extra one!
Source: Custom mugs via VistaPrint
An old DVD, VHS or cassette tape
Got a stack of DVDs or VHS tapes sitting around your home or on sale for cheap at your local secondhand store? Pick up a classic, funny, weird or unusual title to bring to a White Elephant gift exchange. Physical media is making a comeback, and you never know who will be interested in your VHS copy of Muppet Treasure Island.
Useful White Elephant gifts
Packing cubes
Though it’s not often something you’d think to buy for yourself, you’d be grateful to have these on hand when packing for your next trip. Find packing cube sets that come in several sizes and colorways, and help others keep their travel essentials tidy and easily accessible.
Custom wireless charging pad
It feels like we’re never near a phone charger when we want to be, and this customizable wireless charging pad can help! It can be left on the sofa, on a work desk or anywhere a smartphone needs a boost.
Source: Wireless charging pad via VistaPrint
Rechargeable book light
Three cheers for reading in bed without bothering the person next to you with an overly bright bedside table lamp! Encourage bedside reading etiquette with a rechargeable booklight that comes with different strengths to reduce eye strain and a rotating clamp for easy positioning.
Spectator cooler chair
Know a bunch of outdoorsy types or sports fans who would appreciate a seat and a cold beverage—or two or three? This customizable spectator cooler chair comes with an attached bottle opener and space for 32 cans.
Source: Cooler chair via VistaPrint
Funny or quirky White Elephant gift ideas
Sound machine
Geting a pocket-sized sound machine may be giving someone you know too much power to create unexpected and confusing noises, like applause or whistling or impolite bodily functions, but it’s goofy and fun! Heading to a White Elephant party at your office? Consider finding a niche sound machine that will spout corporate jargon like “Let’s take this offline” and “I’m at capacity!”
Quirky and cute storage canister
Everyone needs storage containers for their home. So find one-of-a-kind, hand-poured, kiln-fired ceramic storage canisters that will hold snacks or other kitchen food items, but with quirks or funny designs.
Cardboard cut-out of their favorite celebrity
If you’re of the school of thought that a White Elephant gift should be silly, cumbersome and useless, a life-size cardboard cut-out will fit the bill. Celebrity Cutouts specializes in life-size depictions of everyone from actor Danny DeVito to Andy Warhol.
That’s a wrap!
We hope we’ve helped you find or brainstorm ideas for the perfect White Elephant gift, whether you’re aiming for a quirky novelty item, a useful gadget or something as random as that VHS tape gathering dust on your shelf. Remember, White Elephant gifts are all about striking a tone that suits your gathering, so try to work out where yours will sit on the spectrum between practical and goofy, and have a great time celebrating!
