The White Elephant gift exchange is a high-stakes social battlefield. Your entire holiday reputation rests on the one weird, wonderful, or utterly useless item you place on that pile. There’s a razor-thin line between bringing the gloriously bizarre yodeling pickle that gets stolen three times, and bringing the sad, dusty candle that the final person gets stuck with as a consolation prize. This is not a game for the faint of heart. This is about glory. This is about bringing the item that becomes a legend. And we are here to be your sherpas on this noble quest.
#1 A Flamingo Wearable Hooded Blanket Will Allow Its New Owner To Achieve Their Final Form: A Glorious, Cozy, And Slightly Ridiculous Human-Bird Hybrid Who Has No Intention Of Leaving The Couch Ever Again
Review: “Absolutely love this. I am self confessed flamingohilic and was super excited to find this. It is warm and fun. I like the wing pockets to keep my hands warm. Great price compared to similar blankets. Would recommend it to any flamingo lover. I’m 5’7” for size perspective” – Robin
Buy Now: amazon.com
#2 Your Baking Prep Can Now Be A Slightly Horrifying, Deeply Amusing Spectacle Thanks To This Cute Ceramic Egg Separator That Barfs Up Egg Whites On Command
Review: “This is so cute I have it on my counter all the time. I was looking for a good egg separator and am very happy with this.” – June
Buy Now: amazon.com
#3 A Snail Spa Headband Will Make Your Skincare Routine Feel Less Like A Chore And More Like A Bizarre, Slightly Slimy, But Deeply Adorable Ritual
Review: “This headband is adorable & it was super affordable. It’s a bit tight, but to be totally fair I think it might be for younger kids lmao. So if you’re an adult with a semi large head I wouldn’t buy this. It works well to hold my hair back from my face tho. If you have a kid just starting to hit puberty, it’s a cute easy way to make washing their face a more fun experience imo. Or if you’re just a silly adult like me.” – shelby gilsdorf
Buy Now: amazon.com
#4 A Piece Of Cat Drinking A Martini Wall Art Will Give Any Room The Sophisticated, Slightly Chaotic Energy Of A Tiny, Alcoholic Feline Who Is Having A Very Good Day
Review: “My new favorite wall art! I love it! I named the cat Tiffany and she’s drinking a meowtini.” – Snooze
Buy Now: amazon.com
#5 A Set Of Plant Name Badges Will Finally Allow The Plant Parent In Your Life To Give Their Leafy Children The Passive-Aggressive, Judgmental Names They So Richly Deserve
Review: “Giving 5 stars because it’s a good set, great size for most plants, comes with the marker, and just clever in general. However… it’s REALLY hard to read the “hello my name is” part on the yellow ones. In the product picture it looks like a darker yellow but in reality the yellow is almost a lemon yellow color which makes the white text difficult to see. If knock off a half star for that if I could but didn’t think it warranted a full star.” – Catherine
Buy Now: amazon.com
#6 Your Friend’s Beloved Pet Can Now Dangle From Their Rearview Mirror, Silently Judging Their Parallel Parking Skills, With A Custom Air Freshener
Review: “We love our custom air fresheners! The scent is great without being overpowering, the quality is excellent, and the photo print is clear and vibrant on both sides. They shipped quickly.” – Meg
Buy Now: amazon.com
The true measure of success in a White Elephant exchange is the chaos your gift inspires. You’re not aiming for a polite “oh, that’s nice.” You’re aiming for the moment it gets unwrapped, followed by a beat of confused silence, and then a room-wide eruption of laughter. You are an agent of chaos, a purveyor of the delightfully weird. Your gift is the coveted trophy that will turn friends into temporary, gleeful rivals.
#7 A Copy Of The Bob’s Burgers Burger Book Will Finally Allow The Recipient To Bring All Of Those Gloriously Punny, And Probably Delicious, Burger Creations To Life In Their Own Kitchen
Review: “This is such a cute book! It’s so well made and I’m surprised by how in depth it is. There are a total of 125 pages but it’s not a huge book, it’s about the size of a notebook. What I love the most is that under each recipe title it tells you what season & episode the burger is from!” – Jessica
Buy Now: amazon.com
#8 The Fuggler Spongebob Squarepants Is A Gift That Will Stare Into The Soul Of Its New Owner With A Haunting, Toothy Grin That Is Both Deeply Unsettling And Impossible To Look Away From
Review: “Very soft. So cute! Good quality.” – Marilyn
Buy Now: amazon.com
#9 The Gameboy Apple Watch Stand Will Give A Modern Piece Of Technology A Much-Needed Dose Of 90s Nostalgia, Transforming A Sleek, Futuristic Device Into A Charmingly Chunky Relic Of The Past
Review: “Just got this case and install the charging cable and then tested the watch. Works better than expected.” – Matt.TheBat
Buy Now: amazon.com
#10 A Liquid Motion Bubbler Pen Will Make The Tedious Act Of Writing A Grocery List Feel Like A Tiny, Mesmerizing Lava Lamp Party Is Happening In Your Hand
Review: “These pens write smoothly and the ink colors match the pen colors! They are also fun and relaxing to watch the liquid flow.” – Megan
Buy Now: amazon.com
#11 A Tub Of Squishmallows Slime Is The Perfect Gift For Someone Who Loves The Idea Of A Soft, Cuddly Friend But Also Has The Primal Urge To Squish And Stretch It Into A Colorful, Gooey Pancake
Review: “So I like the slime but it’s not cloud slime it’s more like rubber and it comes with sprinkles, but the sprinkles are all like crushed up and it’s not good. The pokes are really good and it stretches pretty well, but you might wanna add a little lotion to it when you first get it because it’s kinda hard but other than that it’s a 10 out of 10.” – Goodlife
Buy Now: amazon.com
#12 A 3D Puzzle Vase Is A Gift That Says, “I Think You’re A Fun, Intelligent Person Who Also Deserves To Have A Place To Put Flowers, But Only If You Work For It”
Review: “If you want a puzzle which you can admire, take apart, put together again as many times as you want and the pieces will still stay tightly together, you must try Pintoo’s products.” – Alice
Buy Now: amazon.com
#13 A Mushroom Mug Will Make Every Morning Coffee Feel Less Like A Desperate Attempt To Feel Human And More Like A Whimsical Journey Into An Enchanted Forest
Review: “This mug has quickly become one of my favorites. Holds my normal amount of mushroom coffee, and the shape of it helps keep the coffee from spilling out when I use my frother. It’s easy to drink from eventhough the lip is slanted. Has a thick sturdy handle. I love it!” – Sarah H.
Buy Now: amazon.com
There’s a huge difference between a bad gift and a gloriously weird one. A bad gift is a dusty candle from 2008. A gloriously weird gift is a yodeling pickle. The items on this list are stories waiting to happen, inside jokes waiting to be born. With these, you’re dropping a comedy grenade that will make the entire exchange infinitely more memorable.
#14 A Greek Bust Candle With Wood Wick Will Bring A Touch Of Classical Tragedy To Any Room As It Slowly Weeps Hot Wax Tears Down Its Own Stunning Face
Review: “Great candle for home scented. I loved this candle it looks very beautiful. It burns evenly and has a lovely lavender smell. Well packaged, in the future, I will buy gifts for my family from this shop.” – Dariia
Buy Now: amazon.com
#15 The Saucemoto Dip Clip Is A Groundbreaking Piece Of Automotive Technology That Will Finally Allow You To Safely Engage In The Sacred Art Of The Drive-Thru Fry Dip
Review: “I’m so impressed with this tiny gadget. I have slanted air vents in my car and it attaches great to the vent and also allows you to rotate the sauce holder until it’s level. I’m So excited give these as fun gifts!!! Very affordable but super useful if you eat in the car often! 10/10 recommend!!!” – Motherjones
Buy Now: amazon.com
#16 Your Midnight Trip To The Bathroom Can Now Be A Whimsical, Enchanting Journey Through A Magical Forest Thanks To This Mushroom Nightlight
Review: “I’m obsessed with this nightlight and at the price of it I am certainly going to buy more. My only small complaint is the mushrooms sit against the back of the nightlight so they’re up against the wall despite the fact it sticks out a bit and would seem to be a better design if it was more in the middle. No safety risk at all because they put out no heat but just noting. Still worth all five stars and will be buying more.” – Amazon Customer
Buy Now: amazon.com
#17 A Silicone Crab Spoon Holder Will Give Your Messy Cooking Spoon A Tiny, Cheerful Butler To Hold It For You While You’re Busy Making A Mess
Review: “One of my favorite critters in a functional silicon form! I love it more than I should!!!” – Rachel Zamora
Buy Now: amazon.com
#18 A Coffin Wallet Is The Perfect Accessory For The Person Whose Social Life Is Unalive But Whose Fashion Sense Is Eternal
Review: “So, a friend of mine has a kid whose fashion sense tends to lean toward the goth side and so upon seeing this I immediately sent it to them. They loved it, and I am delighted to hear it. It’s a fully functional fashion wallet and fits well into their Baphomet purse. Definitely a must have for anyone whose tastes run on the spooky or gothic side.” – DarlingChristie
Buy Now: amazon.com
#19 Our Birthday Candles Can Now Be Lit With The Full, Dramatic Authority Of The Jedi Council Thanks To This Lightsaber Torch Lighter
Review: “This lighter is so much fun. It is super easy to fill with no spill. It has a little adjusting knob underneath the hilt that you can turn up and down the volume of butane. You do have to turn it on and let it run for a second or two and then the butane turns red. Really cool effect. It seems too strong to light your cigarette with it, but it will work. I highly recommend this is super fun and a Star Wars fanatic will love it.” – GKanta
Buy Now: amazon.com
#20 A Yodeling Pickle Keychain Will Make The Recipient Stare At You In Stunned, Confused Silence Before Bursting Into Uncontrollable Laughter
Review: “This pickle is hilarious and sure to get everyone laughing or at least smiling! It looks so realistic. The sound quality is really good with it and it is not too loud. I plan on wrapping it up for a prize with our games that we do for Christmas together. I am sure it will be the hit of the party! Fun for all ages.” – Kindle Customer
Buy Now: amazon.com
