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White Elephant Gift Ideas

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Check out these unique White Elephant Gift Ideas.

white elephant gift ideas

We’ve been hosting a White Elephant Gift Exchange at our annual Christmas party for years. Here are some of the favorite White Elephant Gift Ideas that have been used.

A White Elephant is a gift exchange where you are supposed to bring something that you can’t seem to get rid of or some kind of gag gift.

We just had our 12th annual party and I’ve gone through most of the junk in my house, so I will buy or create something to give.

For the exchange itself, people bring their gift wrapped and we take turns opening gifts.

We assign an order for opening, and upon your turn, you can either unwrap a new gift or steal one that has already been opened. Once a gift reaches the 3rd person (stolen twice) it cannot be stolen again.

Here are some great ideas for a White Elephant exchange.

Silly White Elephant Gift Ideas

Embroidered Toilet Paper 

How funny are these? I made these rolls of toilet paper using my embroidery machine.

You can purchase them in my Etsy shop.

Toilet paper can be customized with just about any saying. Great for a White Elephant Gift Exchange, but also perfect as a gag gift for a birthday, retirement, or other special events.

 

Personalized Items

Take a funny photo of someone and adhere it to something. This can really bring in some big laughs if you use the right photo.

You can see the corny picture of my friend in the ‘got wine’ hat. Perfect addition to a bottle of wine with her initial on it.

The pic of my friend to the right is from last year’s New Year’s Eve party that I put on an iPhone cover.

We’ve also added photos to ornaments, snow globes, and candles.

white elephant gift ideas

Fish & Chips

This was an idea that a friend came up with a few years ago.

It was so funny to unwrap a bag of live* fish along with a can of chips. *Consider using goldfish crackers instead of a live fish.

white elephant gift ideas

Thrift Store Finds

I love browsing thrift stores and finding items.

I usually get Christmassy stuff, but other themes can be funny too. This is what I found last week.

Dancing/singing items go off well, such as hamsters, other animals, or trees. Festive hats or other accessories are good too.

white elephant gift ideas

Re-gift (Reoccurring) Gift

Every year people leave gifts they don’t want at our house. Sometimes they hide them and we don’t find them until later.

I usually try to alter those gifts and use them the following year.

Last year this duck cookie jar got left on our counter.

It sat there ALL year long. My daughter and I decorated it with fabric scraps, Modge Podge, & glitter this year.

It brought in lots of laughs! It’s back on our counter. We might need to make some clothes for the duck next year!

white elephant gift ideas

White Elephants

Finally, elephants are a popular choice. In particular, white ones.

We’ve started a little elephant collection at our house. First came the teapot, then the salt & pepper shakers.

That scary looking elephant at the bottom of the picture is a head of the animal I made in a pottery class. It has Xmas 2008 etched in the back. It actually belongs to my wine-o friend above.

white elephant gift ideas

What fun White Elephant Christmas Gift Ideas do you have?
White Elephant Gift Ideas - Check out these Silly White Elephant Gift Ideas that are sure to make you the hit of the office party. These unique gift ideas will have everyone saying you brought the best gift to the Christmas party. #WhiteElephant #WhiteElephantGift #GagGift #GiftExchange #ChristmasParty

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  5. Lin says

    December 12, 2012 at 1:44 am

    Oh, we never have good stuff so we end up at the thrift store. Last year we found a GREAT old wooden band trophy there--and then I didn't want to give it up!
    Reply

  12. Bonny Yokeley says

    December 12, 2012 at 7:05 pm

    These are cute ideas. We have a white elephant gift exchange every year with our dinner club friends, but to change it up, we require each couple to bring one gag gift and one good one. It's one of the highlights of the season!
    Reply

  14. Rachel says

    December 13, 2012 at 1:44 am

    Those are all fun ideas! I love white elephant gift exchanges--especially for youth groups or college-age groups--where the participants don't have much money to chip in but with this you get a lot of fun for very little investment!
    Reply

  20. Annie One Can Cook! says

    December 14, 2012 at 4:12 pm

    Diana, this is too fun! I usually opt for the thrift store gifts--but I LOVE the fish and chips and personalized gift ideas!! How fun! My high school friends and I typically get together each year for a big white elephant party but it didn't work out this year because of scheduling conflicts.. :I Oh well, hopefully next year. And now I have some new ideas :) Thanks for sharing!
    Reply

  22. ngnrdgrl says

    December 14, 2012 at 8:17 pm

    The fish and chips is hysterical! I'm planning on doing the "break glass in case of emergency" gift I've seen on pinterest for the office white elephant. It's a hershey bar in a frame with those words behind it. I could see it hung up in someones cube.

    We have reoccurring gifts too. We have this ugly pig that is wearing a purple dress, a feathered boa and bright red lip stick. It comes up every year in the white elephant. It's always funny to see the old timers laugh about it being in the very first white elephant and the new timers get grossed out by how ugly it is. haha!
    Reply

  24. Tammy says

    December 16, 2012 at 2:58 am

    Those are some cute ideas! Thanks for sharing them. We're doing the white elephant thing at work next week at our dept holiday party, so this is very timely since I still don't know what I'm taking! :)
    Reply

  26. Marti Cooper says

    December 17, 2012 at 4:15 am

    Those are great ideas, they will come in handy for sure! Thanks so much for sharing them at SHOW-licious Craft Showcase! :)

    I look forward to seeing you again.

    Happy Holidays,
    Marti
    Reply

  30. Dewdrop Gardens says

    December 18, 2012 at 9:48 pm

    We play a similar game at Christmas, we call it 'Steal a Gift'. Not very original, I like your name better! And what fun gifts you have come up with. Love the fish & chips one! lol
    Saw you sharing at A Diamond in the Stuff
    Debbie :)
    Reply

  32. Michelle Johnnie says

    December 19, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    Great ideas. I love the fish and chips. Going to a white elephant party on Saturday and I think we will do this idea! I am featuring this post at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com because it was the most viewed link last week. Congrads!
    Reply

  39. Sinea says

    January 17, 2013 at 3:55 pm

    Diana, the duck remake is so funny. My family has left some gifts behind, too. I'll have to rethink this, now. Thanks for the tips!
    Sinea from Ducks 'n a Row
    http://www.ducksnarow.com
    Reply

  50. Sarah Alvord says

    December 19, 2013 at 5:57 am

    Love these ideas! We have an ugly sweater/white elephant party every year and it is always a blast to see what people come up with. Always a night of laughter. Linked to you from A Glimpse Inside. Thanks for sharing.
    Sarah @ thehoneycantlist.com
    Reply

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