Legend holds that the origins of white elephant gift exchanges go back to ancient Siam, which is present-day Thailand. As the story goes, the King of Siam would punish subjects by gifting them an actual white elephant, a rare, sacred animal that was ruinously expensive to take care of and impossible to get rid of.
Sometime in the 1800s, the phrase “white elephant gifts” began to be used to refer to not-so-practical presents. The concept has evolved over the years, and today, white elephant parties — sometimes called “Yankee Swap” or “Dirty Santa” — are lighthearted gift exchanges where the presents are playful, sometimes silly or quirky.
The general idea behind the white elephant game is this: Participants bring a wrapped present to the party. Participants then pick a number and take turns choosing a gift from the pile — or “stealing” from an earlier participant who’s already picked — until all the gifts have been unwrapped and everyone has a present.
What Are the White Elephant Gift Rules?
White elephant gift rules can vary — particularly when it comes to how many times a popular gift can be stolen. Nevertheless, here are some of the most widely accepted white elephant gift rules:
- Rule 1: Wrap the Gift: Your gift should be wrapped in a way that keeps other participants from guessing what it is.
- Rule 2: Determine Order Randomly. To keep things fair, the order participants can select or steal gifts must be random. You can decide your own method for determining the order. Common examples include drawing names, rolling dice or going in a circle.
- Rule 3: Select or Steal. One by one, participants get to choose: Pick an unopened gift from the pile or “steal” an already opened gift from another player. If your gift is stolen, you have to give it to the person who stole it — no ifs, ands or buts.
- Rule 4: Enforce Optional Stealing Limits. In certain versions of white elephant, there is a limit to how many times a gift can be stolen. For example, you might enforce a max of two or three steals per gift before it becomes “frozen.”
- Rule 5: No Immediate Re-Steals. In most versions of the game, a participant who has had their gift stolen cannot immediately steal another gift in the same round.
- Rule 6: End the Game: The game can end after everyone has had a chance to pick or steal a gift or continue for multiple rounds. If there are unopened gifts left over, you can hold a special “unwrapping” round where players can choose from the remaining unopened gifts.
White Elephant Gifts Everyone Will Fight For
There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a white elephant gift: As a general rule of thumb, white elephant gifts should be inexpensive and more fun than fancy. The best ones tend to be entertaining and useful. Be sure to adhere to the spending limit. If there isn’t one, under $25 is a good budget to stick to.
Got all that? With that in mind, you can win Christmas this year with these white elephant gifts everyone will be fighting over:
Faber-Castell Paint by Number Museum Series
Your giftee doesn’t have to be a talented painter — or even an adequate one — to recreate fine art with the help of this paint-by-number kit for adults. The set includes a bona fide 6 x 8-inch canvas, plus a high-quality set of acrylic paints, a soft brush and a pop-up easel. Crucially, the kit also comes with simple-to-follow instructions. It’s a gift experience that is sure to leave your recipient feeling like Vincent van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, or that artist who did that painting of dogs playing poker.
Price: $14.95 at Amazon.com
VOBAGA Coffee Mug Warmer
Is there anything more jarring than taking a sip of your coffee, only to find it’s as cold as Jack Frost’s nose? VOBAGA Coffee Mug Warmer to the rescue! The magical mug warmer keeps your beverage at the perfect temperature, offering a choice of three heat settings: 104 degrees, 131 degrees or 149 degrees Fahrenheit. Importantly, the smart cup warmer shuts off automatically, preventing any forgetful recipients from accidentally leaving it on and setting fire to their desks.
Price: $25.99 (reg. $39.99) at Amazon.com
Wireless Bluetooth Karaoke Microphone
This nifty karaoke mic connects to your phone, so you can play karaoke tracks from apps like YouTube or Spotify. It’s a gift that, once unwrapped, is sure to inspire a post gift-exchange round of karaoke at your white elephant event. That means your recipient — depending on who it ends up being — might be either delighted or horrified (or a complicated combination of both).
Price: $23.99 (reg. $49.99) at Amazon.com
Shower Cup Holder
Anyone who has enjoyed a glass of wine in the bath knows that sheer, unadulterated joy that comes from drinking while bathing — and the infuriating frustration of accidentally knocking over your beverage into your bathwater. This sturdy silicone holder offers a solution, adhering to your bathroom wall and safely cradling your beer can, wine glass or wine bottle (no judgment). It’s designed with a peel-off film that can stick to most smooth, dry, nonporous surface materials, including ceramic, glass and metal.
Price: $14.99 at Amazon.com
Genuine Fred MR. TEA Silicone Tea Infuser
We are living in a golden age of cute tea infusers. From elephants to umbrellas, reusable silicone infusers come in all shapes and sizes and make ideal gifts for tea drinkers. Novelty gift maker Genuine Fred offers several adorable tea infuser models, including a sloth, kitty cat and koala. But our favorite is Mr. Tea Infuser, a friendly little functional infuser who relaxes in your mug of hot water.
Price: $9.99 (reg. $11.99) at Amazon.com
Funny White Elephant Gifts
Brush Buddies Battery Powered Justin Bieber Singing Toothbrush
OK, we’re going over our self-imposed $25 spending limit on this one — for obvious reasons. The battery-powered toothbrush plays the Justin Bieber song “Boyfriend” for the recommended two minutes to help you track how long to brush. Like all good white elephant gifts, the brush is functional as well as fun, featuring soft Dupont bristles and a brush head that doubles as a touch-and-cheek cleaner.
Price: $29.99 at Amazon.com
Rainbow Socks Funny Fries Socks Box
This may look like a mild-mannered carton of French fries, but — and prepare to have your mind blown — it is actually a pair of socks. This colorful sock duo is packed into a French fry box to cleverly resemble a giant-size order of fries. As far as funny white elephant gifts go, these socks are funny and practical.
Price: $19.99 at Amazon.com
Chop Sabers Light Up Lightsaber Chopsticks
Before you ask: Yes, these lightsaber chopsticks light up, and no, they don’t deflect incoming blaster bolts. Chop sabers make eating an ordinary bowl of ramen an adventure, and they come with replaceable batteries.
Price: $10.97+ at Amazon.com
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