Gift Guide 2024: White Elephant Gifts

There are four kinds of White Elephant gifts: useful, creative, funny and booze. That’s it. Here are a few gifts for your gift swaps, all under-$25.

One. Resqme Car Escape Tool ($9) // This small device will cut a seatbelt or shatter a car window in a second. It’s the thing you hope you never need, but it never hurts to have one on you key ring or in your cup holder. See also, fire blanket.

Two. Celebrity Prayer Candle ($25) // Given Martha’s recent resurgence in popularity, I thought this celebrity prayer candle was a fun gift. For added laughs, try the Martha and Snoop Dogg candle pair. I also spotted this Ina Garten tea towel, which is really fun.

Three. Rainbow Fridge Magnets ($7) // Refrigerator magnets were not a thing that I thought about until I had a child. Now it feels like I am overrun with school schedules, reminder cards, and works of art. (You should see the handprint turkey Sloane made for Thanksgiving, stunning.) This set doubles as 12 chip bag clips, which is also something I never needed until I became a parent. (So many bags of snacks.)

Four. Staub Multi-Function Spoon ($21) // I bought this Staub kitchen tool that is a spoon and a spatula earlier this summer. A few weeks later it went viral on TikTok for its cooking prowess, and now you can barely find the thing. But no cooking utensil I have ever owned prior can multi-task like this. No more switching from spoon, to spatula to ladle. It does it all.

Five. The Crumb Vacuum ($12) // Whether you’re sucking up lunch crumbs from your desk or cleaning up coffee grounds from your countertops, you will fall head over heels for this tiny gadget. Kyle still uses the one I bought him 3(?) years ago every day. Want to really steal the show at your family swap? Mini handheld vacuums for the car are a big ticket item this year.

Six. Dinner Decider Dice ($12) // A few years ago, I went to a Santa Swap/White Elephant party with an ex-boyfriend. This die was the most swapped gift of the night, as every couple who was tired of arguing about what to have for dinner tonight fought over it. Even if you never use it again after day one, it’s a fun gag gift.

Seven. Monopoly Deal ($5) // Kyle brought this game to our family lake weekend this year, and it was a big hit. Children as young as 6 can play. You can play with small or irregular numbers of people (which is great since most games need 4 or more). Plus, it’s easy to learn and fast to play. A single game takes as little as 15-minutes. Another great option? A 1,000 piece puzzle.

Eight. Everyday Lanterns ($12) // Every winter, we lose power for at least a couple of days. We have a generator, but we like to preserve that power for the fridge and other essentials. So we use these portable, rechargeable lanterns. We own the slightly larger Energizer ones, which I can charge in my car if need be, but these smaller ones are a great option too. You can carry them around like a flashlight or use them to light a small space.

Have a favorite White Elephant? Leave suggestions in the comments.

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