White Elephant Gift Ideas Under $25

I've been to enough White Elephant parties to know the pattern. Someone brings a candle nobody wants. Someone else brings a $50 item when the limit was $25. And then there's the one gift that gets stolen four times and nearly causes a fistfight between cousins.

That last one? That's the goal. The best White Elephant gift is the one everyone in the room wants to steal. After years of participating in (and organizing) these exchanges, here's what actually gets fought over.

The Gifts That Get Stolen Every Time

Forget the “funny for five seconds” gifts. The ones that cause real chaos are things people genuinely want but wouldn't buy for themselves.

• Portable phone charger ($20-25) — boring? Maybe. But watch someone try to steal it three times. Everyone needs one and nobody ever buys their own.
• Cozy throw blanket ($15-25) — the universal crowd-pleaser. Get one that's ridiculously soft and watch the room descend into couch-potato jealousy.
• Fancy chocolate box ($15-20) — nobody, and I mean nobody, says no to a box of good chocolate. Skip the drugstore stuff and get something from a local chocolatier.
• Board game ($15-25) — Codenames, Sushi Go, Exploding Kittens. Compact party games are White Elephant gold because they're fun for groups and not everyone owns them.
• Gourmet hot sauce set ($15-20) — three or four small bottles of interesting hot sauces. The foodie in the group will absolutely steal this.

The Funny Gifts (That Are Actually Good)

There's a difference between “funny” and “everyone awkwardly laughs then nobody wants it.” The best funny gifts are things people will actually use after the party.

• Desktop mini basketball hoop ($12-15) — sounds silly until you see it on someone's desk three months later and they're still shooting hoops during meetings.
• Sarcastic coffee mug ($10-15) — “I survived another meeting that could have been an email” hits different in an office setting. Get one with a joke relevant to your group.
• Emergency dad jokes book ($10) — 500+ groan-worthy jokes. The person who gets this will annoy everyone for weeks. That's the gift that keeps on giving.
• Insulated tumbler with a weird design ($15-20) — practical AND funny. A Stanley cup knockoff with a ridiculous print on it is peak White Elephant.

Food and Drink Always Works

When in doubt, go edible. Food gifts are the safest bet because everyone eats and they don't create clutter. A few that always land well:

• Specialty coffee sampler ($15-25) — a few bags of beans from interesting roasters
• Gourmet popcorn assortment ($12-18) — basically a movie night in a box
• Cookie decorating kit ($15-20) — a fun activity, not just a thing
• Fancy olive oil or balsamic vinegar ($15-20) — the kind you'd see at a farmers market

How to Pick the Right One

Think about your audience. An office exchange calls for different gifts than a family party. The golden rule: would at least 3 out of 5 people in the room want this? If yes, you're good. If it only appeals to one specific type of person, keep looking.

Also, skip anything too personal (cologne, skincare) or too niche (a book about 18th century shipwrecks, unless you know your crowd). The best White Elephant gifts are the ones that make someone say “oh, I actually want that” right when it's unwrapped.

Running the Game Itself

Half the arguments at White Elephant parties are about turn order and steal limits. If you want to skip that drama, GiftDice's White Elephant mode randomly assigns turn order so everyone knows exactly when they pick. Set a steal limit (we recommend 3 per gift), and let the chaos begin.