57 Fun White Elephant Gifts Everyone Will Be Fighting For (2024)

FAQs

What is a fun gift for the White Elephant Exchange? ›

“There [are] some things that you can't go wrong with in general: beeswax candle sticks, pretty stationery, a box of chocolates, lottery tickets, a small bottle of rum if it's the right crowd to give alcohol to,” Smith says. “There are certain general things that can make for really fun gifts.”

The term white elephant refers to an extravagant, impractical gift that cannot be easily disposed of.

The most common one is a re-gift (i.e., an unwanted item that people have lying around the house). However, the theme could be anything – ornaments, coffee table books, candy, do-it-yourself crafts, etc.

White Elephant or yankee swap, or sometimes even called dirty santa, is simple, fun and often hilariously weird. The goal isn't to get meaningful or valuable gifts. Instead, the goal is to have fun together with unique, weird, or unexpected gifts.

Try clever names instead of numbers: Have people pick interesting names from a hat, such as Christmas or TV characters. To determine the order in which people get their gifts, have a second list of the named ready and have those picked from a hat. That way, no one will know exactly when their turn will come.

The white elephant gift is not supposed to be ordinary. That generally means no gift cards, nice clothes, or common home goods. The more unusual or garish, the better! The present should be wrapped, bagged, or otherwise obstructed, so you can't tell what it is before opening it.

White elephant gifts should be goofy, yet desirable enough that someone would want to steal it. Trust us. It makes it more fun! Think one pound of HERSHEY'S KISSES candies.

What is an example of a white elephant? ›

a possession unwanted by the owner but difficult to dispose of: Our Victorian bric-a-brac and furniture were white elephants. a possession entailing great expense out of proportion to its usefulness or value to the owner: When he bought the mansion he didn't know it was going to be such a white elephant.

The person with #1 starts the game. The game begins once #1 selects a gift from the pile (after much thought and deliberation, of course), opens it, and shows it to everyone. The person who drew #2 then goes and has the option to steal #1's gift (aka "Dirty Santa") or pick a different gift from the pile.

Combine it with secret Santa.

Combine the sentiment with white elephant by having everyone open their gifts and guess their secret Santa ... and then allowing others to steal anything they'd prefer over the gift they received.

Gift Idea #1: A Decorative Candle

A decorative candle makes an attractive centerpiece or accent piece. The wide variety of candles and accessories available means the gift of a candle can fit just about any home and you can find a style that's sure to please.