I love a white-elephant gift exchange, where everyone brings one wrapped present and takes a turn choosing a mystery gift from the pile, then subsequently stealing and/or fighting over the best stuff. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how many white-elephant gifts ultimately end up in a junk drawer or donation box — or, worse, the trash. Often, the gifts are supposed to be impractical or silly, but even a good gag gift requires a bit of thought. It’s a tough balance to strike, finding wacky or surprising items that are also exciting, non-junky, and at least somewhat useful, not to mention appealing to a wide range of people.
So I set out on a quest to find some truly good white-elephant gifts that lots of people might actually want. I polled the Strategist staff, searched the Strategist archives, and did a little shopping of my own to build this list of unexpectedly delightful things that won’t immediately become clutter. My criteria for a good white-elephant gift is fairly simple: Whatever you bring should obviously fit within the price range that your particular group has set and be something that most participants can use and enjoy. So, in that spirit, I’ve organized the list below by price and collected a steal-worthy array of unusual (but crowd-pleasing) foods, interesting sampler sets, more fun versions of everyday necessities, and useful gadgets that people might not know about. There are even a few gag gifts, as long as they serve some function beyond getting a short-lived laugh.
And while you’re checking people off your list, we also have a whole array of holiday gift guides that will further expand your white-elephant horizons, including the best gifts under $10 that you can buy on Amazon, the best stocking stuffers, non-boring gifts that work for anybody, and literally tiny gifts.
Update on November 24, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.
$10 and under
Strategist writer Erin Schwartz recommends this money-manifesting soap as a tried-and-true white-elephant offering. I recommend pairing it with a scratch-off lottery ticket.
Everyone has to do dishes sometimes. Make the never-ending chore more tolerable with these Korean dish scrubbers that Strategist writer Lauren Ro is obsessed with.
This guess-the-song game with kazoos is easy enough for anyone to play, and Strategist senior editor Ailbhe Malone reports that it was “astonishingly good fun” at her family’s Christmas gathering last year.
Instead of an easy-but-predictable bar of “fancy” chocolate, bring a pack of Pocket Coffee. Each individually wrapped piece is filled with liquid espresso for a delicious and especially zippy treat.
Malone says she’d scramble for this pouch if someone gifted it at a white-elephant exhange. The checkered design is neutral enough to work for a variety of ages and genders without being boring.
Or go with our favorite travel jewelry organizer. It’s one of those little life upgrades your giftees may not know they needed.
Sampler sets make nice “works for anybody” gifts, because the variety increases the odds they’ll find at least one thing they like. This around-the-world-themed set of spices features eight varieties including royal cinnamon and smoked pimentón paprika, and the passport-style packaging is a fun novelty.
For the pasta-heads — and surely there are plenty — here’s an amusingly named blend of garlic, Calabrian chile, parsley, and sea salt that food and dining writer Emma Wartzman discovered in Maine.
This trippy mushroom nightlight is just the right combination of silly and functional.
As are these chip-shaped chip clips.
While technically functional — it’s banana scented — this possum air freshener is mostly just silly.
$25 and under
This fast-paced, Solitaire-adjacent card game is simple enough for anyone to learn to play — and chaotic enough that they won’t want to stop. Strategist contributor Laura Guidry says the dopamine hit from playing is “euphoric,” which is why she brings it with her on hikes and to bars.
Winter dryness affects everyone — but if there are Gen Zs in your group, they’ll be the folks most likely to fight over this sampler of Laniege’s extremely popular lip mask that features five flavors: berry, mango, gummy bear, watermelon pop, and peach iced tea.
This handy doodad that writer Brenley Goertzen discovered in her dad’s junk drawer lifts the top off a canned beverage, making it possible to make a mixed drink right in the can, add ice or a garnish, or simply avoid having the pull tab in your face.
Senior editor Jen Trolio has been carrying her keys on one of these well-made and easy-to-open brass loops for years; it’s a nice upgrade from the standard split keyring.
If enough people at your white elephant wear makeup, these sheep-themed reusable makeup-removing cloths would be a perfectly charming gift.
A cheeky martini-glass-shaped tumbler feels much more stylish than your standard cylindrical one for sipping drinks at the pool or beach. It’ll probably get a chuckle, but it’s also very usable.
Tattly’s temporary tattoos are a great choice for a crowd that skews more funny or adventurous and come in lots of different designs — there’s even a “grown-up” collection with a full sleeve. This holiday-themed Peanuts set is festive with broad appeal but not overly generic.
A standard box of chocolate screams “I picked this up at the drugstore on the way here.” A one-pound bag of this artisanal Swedish gummy candy, recommended by Trolio, feels much more thoughtful and delightful.
Just a giant bucket of salt that’s sure to get a laugh, while ensuring the recipient has several years’ worth of our favorite finishing salt, which is also featured in Wartzman’s guide to the best food gifts.
Handheld fans are great for keeping cool in the summer but also for drying nail polish and mascara. I’d definitely try to steal this bedazzled one that Paris Hilton swears by.
Protect their coffee table with these photorealistic pizza coasters that even come in a cardboard pizza box.
If the person who picks this holiday baking sampler isn’t much of a cookie-maker, they can use this trio of apple-pie spice, pumpkin spice, and gingerbread to make flavored popcorn or syrups for coffee and cocktails.
Like your childhood Lip Smackers, but with a late-night gas-station vibe. (Plus, they are 30 SPF.)
$50 and under
A non-boring puzzle — like this one featuring a giant Scooby-and-Shaggy-eque sandwich — is sure to entice even those who haven’t done one in years.
Even if you don’t have a Baggu girlie in your group, the brand’s delightful prints make its reusable bags a nice-looking and genuinely handy gift for all sorts.
Mister Parmesan’s food-themed hats land right in the sweet spot of being silly and ironic without feeling too much like a bad joke. I’m partial to this slasher-esque tortellini design, but the brand’s camo shrimp cocktail snapback and cream-colored caprese dad hat have both caused a stir in recent Strategist Slack chats.
Wartzman recommends a basic reloadable film camera after receiving one in a gift exchange last year — she likes that it has the ease of a disposable camera without the disposable part. Plus, you get the nostalgia and unpredictability of photos you have to wait to see.
This ice-cream thermos vacuum seals your pint to keep it chilled for as long as a few hours. Writer Katherine Gillespie swears by hers to transport ice cream on long subway rides and walks, whether she’s traveling to pick up her favorite flavor or bringing dessert to a friend’s place. As a white-elephant gift, it’s the perfect balance of fanciful but useful — no one needs one, but it opens up a whole new world of ice-cream possibilities.
For another non-necessary-but-nice-to-have food tool, consider this orange peeler that writer and co-founder of Permanent Collection Fanny Sing swears by.
A nonalcoholic beverage sampler will interest anyone who likes interesting sodas and seltzers. This 18-pack of sparkling water that Christina Ricci likes features flavors like cranberry, apple, and watermelon.
Or for more out-there flavors, Aura Bora makes spiced (and, occasionally, spicy) herbal sparkling waters that Strategist contributor Kiki Aranita likes to bring to dinner parties. Flavors include lime cardamom, strawberry basil, and ginger Meyer lemon.
For a solid self-care gift, bring this eye mask that’s lightly weighted with clay beads to provide gentle pressure and that your recipient can heat in the microwave or pop in the freezer for some added hot or cold therapy. It has become my go-to for a quick after-work nap on particularly stressful days.
$100 and under
This surprisingly comfortable travel pillow is the one Gillespie uses on the 23-hour flight from New York to visit her hometown in Australia. It’s a travel gadget just about everyone could benefit from, and it isn’t a pain to pack.
A bottle of wine as a white-elephant gift? Boring. But a three-liter tin of genuinely good Greek olive oil? Opa!
This easy-to-use Bluetooth speaker conveniently clips on to a backpack, bike, or even a showerhead.
All the fun of a Polaroid, but with the hundreds of photos in your photo roll at your disposal.
The modern (and TikTok viral) upgrade of the classic granny cart, for anyone who schleps a lot of stuff.
Over $100
White-elephant price limits normally top out around $100, but if your exchange is especially splashy, these are my top-three recommendations.
Instead of another mini waffle-maker, bring this DIY hot-pot kit that Aranita recommends as the best way to make this usually-reserved-for-restaurants dish at home. She also says it’s easy to repurpose for at-home fondue.
A self-heating mug that keeps their coffee or tea piping hot is a true luxury that will ruin them for regular mugs but soon become something they can’t live without.
It will get a laugh when they open it up, but it’ll seriously improve their bathroom routine. And because this bidet is easy to install, they can start using it pretty much as soon as they get home.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
