White Elephant Gifts

 

Prepare for some weird and wacky fun with gifts that will guarantee laughs, raised eyebrows, and maybe even a bit of friendly chaos at your gift exchange.

 

Holiday Tips

We are always thinking of ways to assist you in finding solutions. Whether you’re looking for business or pleasure, our holiday gift ideas can help.

What is a White Elephant gift exchange?
White Elephant is a fun way to spice up the holiday tradition of gift-giving, keeping everyone involved on the edge of their seats. It’s a classic game at office holiday parties, but it can also bring a lot of excitement to gatherings of friends and family.

The rules of White Elephant are fairly simple: Each person brings a wrapped gift, keeping it secret from other players. Next, each person picks a number at random, determining the order in which they’ll open these gifts.

Here’s the catch: Each player can choose to keep the gift they’ve opened or swap their gift for one that a previous player picked. Going later in the order is a real advantage, giving players a better selection of gifts to choose from and fewer chances to have their preferred item stolen. There are also creative spins on the basic White Elephant format, such as setting a theme for the presents or asking folks to play with “gently used” items from home.

What are some good White Elephant gift ideas?
Because White Elephant gifts are not selected with a particular person in mind, picking a present for this game can seem a bit challenging. Thankfully, a few categories of gifts are sure to appeal to at least a few other people involved in the game. Additionally, White Elephant games often have a fixed spending limit, encouraging all players to work with a relatively modest budget.

For those playing White Elephant with co-workers, classy office items could be an appropriate choice: a set of stylish retractable gel pens or a wall calendar with a fun theme, for example, could be something many colleagues would eagerly accept. Another approach is buying a widely popular item, betting that someone in the group doesn’t have it yet. A waffle maker, for example, could be something that many players have considered but haven’t bought for themselves just yet.

What are some funny White Elephant gifts?
Humor can be part of the fun of White Elephant gifting: Many players bring hilarious gifts that some people will want, and others will dread getting stuck with. For example, a nice new stapler could seem like a nice, practical gift to some and more like a practical joke to others. Another funny option is Poo-Pourri toilet spray, a highly useful product that might be embarrassing for the person who picks it.