Great White Elephant Gift Ideas

coworkers exchange white elephant gifts; in the foreground of the photo a man with a beard and glasses holds a present with red and white wrapping while a professional woman stands nearby with her arms pressed to her chest as if to say "for me?"; she is wearing a white short-sleeved sweater and beige trosuers. Off to the side another coworker wears silly red holiday sunglasses. In the background a woman is throwing a balloon in an air while a man wears a red silly holiday vest while standing in front of a window.

Readers have had a bunch of great discussions about white elephant gift ideas, and I thought I’d round some up… what have you given or received recently?

What Are White Elephant Gifts?

Readers recently had a great discussion about what white elephant gifts ARE — are they supposed to be gag gifts? A regift? A useful, functional gift? Or is it just a low dollar value gift?

People agreed that the meaning of “white elephant gift” can be highly regional, so if your office is doing white elephant gifts, make sure that your understanding aligns with what the office is expecting.

Great White Elephant Gag Gift Ideas

Pseudo-Serious Books Like “How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety”

great white elephant gag gift: the book HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CAT ABOUT GUN SAFETY

I laughed out loud when I saw a reader mention this book; I think it’s a winner.

Great Puzzles

great white elephant gag gift idea: the puzzle Where's Bowie in Berlin?

Readers have suggested things like the “Where’s Bowie in Berlin” puzzle (pictured above) or the Chicago Gangland map puzzle. Another idea: a gradient puzzle.

Fake Mustaches

You just know fake mustaches will enliven the office holiday party!

Lock-Picking Kits

White Elephant Office Gift Ideas

Funny Notepads, Mugs, and More

a great white elephant gift idea: a funny office-related notepad like this one that reads "Notes from Meetings That Could Have Been an Email"

There’s always an abundance of these in gift shops, Etsy, and on Amazon, whether it’s a mug, a notepad, or even socks. This notepad looks nice and is under $8.

Bath-Related White Elephant Gifts

a great white elephant gift idea: bath-related items like these pretty shower steamers

The bath-related white elephant gift can be a bit tricky at the office — but I think these shower steamers are a pretty safe gift. If they seem too frou-frou for you, you can always go for one of the many options designed for sinus relief in the shower, like this gift-worthy pack.

low maintenance, office-appropriate Plants

a great white elephant gift idea: low maintenance plants like this cactus; the pot reads "Emotional Support Plant"

For a white elephant gift, I think it’s best to go with something that doesn’t require a commitment — this cactus should be pretty low maintenance.

Best Fidgets for White Elephant Gifts

great white elephant gift idea: a fidget toy like ferrite putty

Fidget toys can make great office gifts, whether it’s a stress ball or something like this colorful set of ferrite putty that you can “mash ’em, mold ’em, stack ’em, or make various shapes.” (You may want to include a warning that this toy should not be around animals or babies, just in case the recipient takes the gift home!)

You can see all of Amazon’s bestselling fidget toys here — note that the menu on the side breaks the fidget toys into smaller subsets.

Magic 8 Ball

Who doesn’t want a Magic 8 Ball? Especially since the first five you’ve owned are probably not “working” reliably anymore (mine seems to be stuck on “outlook unsure.” Plus: all your difficult work-related decisions are now in good hands!

Stock photo via Pexels / RDNE Project.

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