It’s been an unpredictable year — but let’s finish it off with some good surprises.
White Elephant gift exchanges, Secret Santa parties or Yankee swaps, as they’re known in some families, are a great opportunity to do some re-gifting, unique gag-gift shopping and to share some holiday spirit with your closest friends and family.
The premise is simple: Get a group together and each bring a small wrapped gift to the exchange. How you switch and swap varies from tradition to tradition, but in the end, everyone ends up with a mystery gift to open.
Secret Santa is similar, with a bit more preparation. After drawing names and setting a spending limit, bring your gift to the party and present it to your secret recipient, revealing yourself to be the best gift-giver ever.
Those who have been participating in the gifting game know the types of things usually found in the White Elephant pile — and likely have enough fuzzy socks and coffee table books to last until Christmas 2050. Easy to gift for a surprise recipient, sure. Creative, maybe not.
Give the gifts your friends and family will actually want — nay, fight over — with our recommendations for every budget. It’s the thought that counts, but isn’t it better if they actually like it?
White Elephant gifts for $15 and under
1. “I’m Dreaming of a Wine Christmas” adult coloring book, $7
There’s no better way to lift holiday spirits than with a coloring book of holiday spirits.
Adult coloring books are one hot trend, but combine them with the pandemic and a glass of wine, and you have the perfect present for everyone.This pick from Amazon has 30 pages of holiday cheers, with yet-to-be-colored images of wine, beer and cocktails, each with holiday patterns and sayings.
2. “The Avocado Book,” by Ron Simpson, $14
If they eat just about everything with avocado, they’ll totally love “The Avocado Book” which features over 60 different avocado recipes from breakfast to dessert.
3. Paper Source wine condoms, $16
If you’re going to drink, at least use protection. From spills and spoiling, that is.
This hilarious gag gift actually serves a practical purpose. Open the condom wrapper and roll the rubber over an opened bottle of wine, and, well, you know the rest. They are made of food-grade rubber latex and can be washed and reused when your bottle of red runs dry. The box contains six individual wrapped packages.
4. The Screaming Goat Figurine, $10
If they have a good sense of humor and you don’t want to spend a lot of cash, consider buying them this hilarious screaming goat figurine that screams with just a click of a button.
5. Haute Soiree Women’s Novelty Socks, $8
Calling all wine drinkers! These fun socks that read, “If you can read this bring on some wine,” are perfect for anyone who loves a nice glass of vino after a long day.
6. Snoop Dogg cookbook, $16
What’s cookin’, Snoop?
“From Crook to Cook” comes to you from the rapper and icon Snoop Dogg. A perfect gift for current chefs or those who just want a tried-and-true mac ’n’ cheese recipe, this ranks high for most crowds. But, don’t worry, not that kind of “high.”
“No, there is no ‘special’ ingredients, just amazingly delicious food. Was actually thinking of doing a Snoops Thanksgiving this year! Would DEFINITELY recommend and would absolutely gift this to family and friends,” reads a review on Amazon.
7. XL Wine Glass, $14
This massive wine glass is both a funny gesture but also extremely useful. They can easily fit an entire bottle of wine in this baby!
8. 100 Things To Do After Quarantine scratch map, $7
Oh, the places we’ll go!
Give the gift of optimism to someone in your gift-exchange group, and maybe check off a few of these post-quarantine activities together. This scratch map from Uncommon Goods has 100 ideas for how to spend your time after the pandemic passes. Some are small, such as getting a haircut (not from your mom), and some are more adventurous, like going to a water park or having a group karaoke night.
9. Glossier Swiss Miss Balm Dotcom, $12
Who doesn’t like chapstick? This isn’t just ordinary lip balm either, as it is a limited edition Swiss Miss flavored from Glossier, making for a perfect Secret Santa gift everyone will love.
10. Party Flasks Santas Flask, $15
If everyone in your party is 21+ this is an amazing gift for Secret Santa. The stocking doubles as a flask, allowing you to pair it with a bottle of wine for an even nicer gift.
White Elephant and Secret Santa gifts for $25 and under
1. “Canines of New York” by Heather Weston, $25
If you’re on the hunt for the best gift for a dog lover you can’t go wrong with this adorable coffee table book on the lives of NYC dogs.
2. Dash Mini Holiday Waffle Maker, $16
Everyone loves waffles! This mini waffle maker with holiday decor is bound to be a hit since it has over 96,000 on Amazon.
3. “Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Cookbook” by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel, $16
This galaxy-themed cookbook makes for the perfect “Star Wars” gift. It includes dozens of recipes like braised shaak roast, nerf kebabs, mustafarian lava buns and much more.
4. UncommonGoods Urban Map Glass, $18
These unique cocktail glasses are a great present for the Secret Santa who loves to rep their hometown or favorite city. They come in many popular cities includes New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and more.
5. Ind. For Her For Him Unisex fragrance, $24
This smells like a great gift for anyone in your group.
The unisex perfume from Ind. is sold at Urban Outfitters and comes in three gender-neutral scents: Salt, Skin and Fresh. Vague as those may be, they’re perfectly suited for any body and smell fresh and light. The bottle is 1.35 ounces, so try just one or gift them all.
6. Giant Flour Tortilla Blanket, $20
This gift takes a Chipotle addiction to a whole new level.
The photorealistic replica of a flour tortilla is actually an extra-warm blanket. Turn yourself into a human burrito with the 71-inch flour tortilla blanket from Amazon retailer Casofu. The flannel wrap comes in four different sizes and four other patterns as well, in case your group prefers corn tortillas, pizza or waffles.
7. UncommonGoods Vintage Succulents Puzzle, $22
With the weather getting colder again, puzzles are a great way to pass the time indoors. This trendy succulent option is colorful and time-consuming, as it comes with 1,000 pieces.
8. Milk Bar assorted cookie tin, $27
It’s a fact: Everyone loves a good cookie.
The Milk Bar tin of assorted cookies is a great gift for white Elephant, as it takes the guessing out of figuring out a favorite flavor. Choose between a pack of six with one of each flavor, or double it with a 12-pack. Flavors include cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow, blueberry and cream, chocolate confetti and more, and each is individually wrapped.
The best part is that if you are having a remote gift exchange this year, Milk Bar will ship the tin to any doorstep of your choosing, making it a great contact-free present.
9. Cards Against Humanity Family Edition, $25
Since the original Cards Against Humanity game can get a bit scandalous, consider this family edition that is a bit more PG-13 but still tons of fun.
10. TableTopics Original (10th Anniversary Edition), $25
In some cases, you may have run out of things to talk about. Help your Secret Santa avoid awkward situations by gifting them this convenient stack of TableTopics that includes cards to start great conversations.
White Elephant gifts for $50 and under
1. Baked by Melissa 25-piece box, $37
Bite-size cupcakes make for a full-size festive gift.
Baked by Melissa specializes in the teeny tiny treats, and for the season they are releasing a few different holiday-inspired flavors and boxes.
2. TRUFF White Truffle Hot Sauce, $35
TRUFF’s White Truffle Hot Sauce is a great present for the Secret Santa who loves spicy condiments and trying new products. This truffle inspired hot sauce is great on just about any food and comes in a fancy gift box. Back in 2019, it was included on Oprah’s Favorite Things list.
3. Gravity Sleep Mask, $30, original price: $40
Give the gift of a good night’s sleep and you will be the favorite friend in your gifting group.
From Gravity, the company responsible for the cult-favorite weighted blanket, the weighted eye mask packs the same calming punch. The mask puts about 1 pound on your facial pressure points, designed to relax your eyes before you drift off to sleep. It also blocks out light, making it perfect for a quick nap at your work-from-home desk.
4. Happy Socks 4-pack, $64
We know we said socks were boring, but Happy Socks are anything but.
The company is known for mood-boosting patterns and packaging, so they of course have a holiday-themed box for your gift swap. The four-pack has red and green patterns that aren’t tacky, for an understated but festive look. The site also carries individual pairs in celebratory styles including Santa cats and candy canes.
5. The Comfy Original Blanket Sweatshirt, $55
Make sure their warm and cozy all winter long with this fun Comfy blanket sweatshirt. It’s bound to be oversized but fits all ages, genders and sizes.
6. Sugarfina Four Piece Candy Bento Box, $40
Here’s to a sweet holiday season. Sugarfina is here to help, with this super giftable box of sweets that is easy to wrap and place in the white Elephant pile.
7. 24 Days of Tea Advent Calendar, $36
If you host your party before Christmas, then this gift is a great one as your Secret Santa recipient will get even more surprises the rest of the season, opening 24 new tea varieties.
8. ICHIRAN Instant Noodles, $37
Imagine their surprise and delight when they open their gift and inside is a package of delicious ramen? This is a unique and great idea for foodies, plus makes their post-holiday meal prep even easier.
9. Terrarium Candle, $27
These candles are almost too pretty to burn, but perfect to wrap and put in the gifting pile. Choose from different succulents, starting at $27.
10. Venchi Holiday Chocolate Tin Book, $24 – $45
When they first get the gift, they’ll think you got them a boring book. But, on further inspection they will be overjoyed to see that chocolates lie inside. Choose from one of two sizes and prices, each under $50.
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