Pictured above: the NightCool Scoop T-Shirt and Pants in Dusk Blue, and the Scoop Neck Nightshirt/Cover-Up in Merlot.
Every white elephant swap has one gift that changes hands until the steal limit runs out, and one gift that goes home with somebody who did not want it. This guide is about bringing the first kind.
Here is the playbook. Pick your spending cap and your crowd, grab a shortlist, then use the rules section to settle the arguments before they start. We will also show you the one sleepwear gift that works at a white elephant, which is harder than it sounds.
The short answer
The white elephant gifts people fight over are useful, a small upgrade on something everyone already uses, and they fit anyone who unwraps them: no sizes, no guessing. Our finder sorts ideas by cap (under $25, under $50 or no cap) and by crowd (office, family or friends).
White elephant gift ideas by budget and crowd
Two questions, nine shortlists. Answer for the swap you are actually going to, not the one you wish you were going to.
The white elephant gift finder
1. What is the spending cap?
2. Who is playing?
Pick a cap and a crowd. Your shortlist appears here.
Under $25, office
- A really good insulated tumbler
- A hard-to-kill desk plant
- Fuzzy socks in a neutral color
- Nice gel pens and a notebook
- A hot chocolate or coffee sampler
Host tip: Office swaps reward useful over funny. Nobody wants to carry a gag gift home on the train.
Under $25, family
- A card game the whole table can play
- A 500-piece jigsaw puzzle
- A mini waffle maker
- A hot sauce sampler
- Slipper socks
Host tip: Pick something your aunt and your teenage nephew would both try to steal.
Under $25, friends
- A sleep mask and a pair of good earplugs
- A clip-on book light
- A trio of sheet masks
- A cheese knife set
- Two stemless wine tumblers
Host tip: Friends steal what they would never buy for themselves.
Under $50, office
- A lightweight throw blanket
- A portable phone charger
- A handheld milk frother
- A good desk lamp
- A coffee or tea sampler box
Host tip: At this cap, one quality thing beats a basket of small ones.
Under $50, family
- A lightweight throw blanket
- A board game with short rounds
- A pizza stone
- A digital meat thermometer
- A cozy slipper and sock bundle
Host tip: Family swaps get loud. Pick the thing that gets passed around the table.
Under $50, friends
- A $50 Cool-jams e-gift certificate, which fits whoever wins it
- A cocktail kit
- A candle trio
- A travel jewelry case
- A gel eye mask you can chill in the fridge
Host tip: The gift that fits anyone wins the room. Sizes are where white elephant gifts go to die.
No cap, office
- Noise-canceling earbuds
- A heated mug that keeps coffee warm
- A leather desk organizer
- A premium throw blanket
- A Cool-jams e-gift certificate
Host tip: No cap at work? Keep it neutral and useful, and let the steals do the talking.
No cap, family
- An ice cream maker
- A cast iron skillet
- A premium throw blanket
- A board game collection
- A Cool-jams e-gift certificate
Host tip: Big-cap family swaps are about the showpiece. Wrap it in a box that gives nothing away.
No cap, friends
- A Cool-jams e-gift certificate in a bigger amount
- A massage gun
- A luxury candle
- Wireless earbuds
- A good bottle of olive oil and a bread board
Host tip: With no cap, the steal limit becomes the real game. Bring the gift that ends it.
Prices vary by store and season, so treat the caps as a guide.
Steal or skip: white elephant gifts, judged
Quick verdicts on the gifts that show up at every swap. Tap a card to see the call.
Steal or skip? Tap each card
29 white elephant gifts people will actually fight over
The pattern is simple. The gifts that get stolen are things people use every day, done a little better than they would do for themselves. Gag gifts get a laugh. Useful gifts get stolen.
Cozy, and one size fits all
- A lightweight throw blanket
- Fuzzy socks or slipper socks
- A sleep mask and earplugs
- A hot chocolate kit with good marshmallows
- A candle with a warm, not-too-sweet scent
- A gel eye mask you can chill in the fridge
Useful upgrades
- An insulated tumbler
- A portable phone charger
- A handheld milk frother
- A clip-on book light
- A cheese knife set
- A digital meat thermometer
- A good desk lamp
Treats people will not buy themselves
- A hot sauce sampler
- A coffee or tea sampler
- A bottle of really good olive oil
- A chocolate bar flight
- A popcorn seasoning set
Games for the table
- A card game with short rounds
- A 500-piece jigsaw puzzle
- A board game that plays in 30 minutes
The showpieces, for a big cap
- A Cool-jams e-gift certificate
- Noise-canceling earbuds
- A massage gun
- An ice cream maker
- A cast iron skillet
Funny, but people still want it
- A giant bag of good coffee labeled EMERGENCY SUPPLY
- A "World's Okayest Coworker" mug filled with nice chocolate
- A single fancy potato in a gift box, plus a real gift card taped underneath
The sleepwear gift that fits whoever steals it
Pajamas make a lovely gift for someone you know. At a white elephant, they are one of the riskiest, because you have no idea who will end up holding them, or in what size.
That is exactly why the Cool-jams e-gift certificate works. It is emailed right away, it fits whoever wins it, and they choose their own style, size and color. In a $50 swap, a $50 e-gift certificate fits the cap exactly.
Fits anyoneInstant E-Gift CertificateDigital, delivered by emailEmailed right away in the amount you choose. She picks her own size and color.Shop now
How to give it at a white elephant: print the email, fold it into a small box, then put that box inside a much bigger one. Nobody sees it coming.
Buying for someone you know? Our best sellers
If your party does Secret Santa instead, or you are shopping for your own person after the swap, these are the pieces our customers buy most. Tops and bottoms are sold separately, so you can choose each size.
Best sellers
Best sellerGathered Tank NightgownShown in MerlotSleeveless, with a softly gathered front that skims rather than clings.Shop now
Best sellerScoop T-ShirtShown in VioletShort sleeves and an open scoop neck.Shop now
Best sellerCapri PantsShown in VioletMid-calf length leaves the lower leg free. Elastic or drawstring waist.Shop now
Every piece is NightCool, made with Kottinu, an engineered polyester microfiber that wicks sweat away from the skin. More ideas in our holiday gift guide.
White elephant rules: how to play
A white elephant gift exchange goes by other names, including Yankee swap and Dirty Santa (Wikipedia). The idea is the same everywhere: open a gift, or steal one. Here is the classic version, plus two twists.
Three ways to play
Pick your game:
Pick a version to see the rules.
- Everyone brings one wrapped gift, usually of similar value, and puts it in the middle (Wikipedia).
- Draw numbers to set the order (Wikipedia).
- Player 1 opens a gift. That is their whole turn.
- Every player after that chooses: open a new gift, or steal one that is already open (Wikipedia).
- If your gift is stolen, you open a new one or steal from someone else (Wikipedia).
- A gift can only be stolen a set number of times, often two. After that, it stays put (Wikipedia).
- The game ends when everyone has a gift. In some versions, player 1 gets one last swap (Wikipedia).
- No instant steal-backs. If your gift is stolen, you cannot take it straight back on the same turn.
- Frozen after two steals. Say it out loud before you start, so nobody argues at gift number twelve.
- Keep it wrapped until it is chosen. No shaking, no peeking, no reading the tag out loud.
- Last word to player 1. Going first is the worst seat in white elephant, so a final swap evens it out.
Pass a die around the circle. On your roll:
- 1 or 2: open a new gift.
- 3 or 4: steal any open gift.
- 5: swap your gift with the person on your left.
- 6: everyone passes their gift one seat to the right.
Set a timer for 10 minutes once every gift is open. When it goes off, whatever you are holding is yours.
Before you start, agree on three things out loud: the spending cap, the steal limit, and whether player 1 gets the last swap. Every white elephant argument comes back to one of those three.
Need an icebreaker while people arrive? Have everyone take our chronotype quiz and see who in the room is a night owl. It is a good way to decide who goes first.
How to wrap a white elephant gift so it gets picked first
People choose with their eyes. A great gift in a sad wrap sits there until the end.
Why is it called a white elephant?
A white elephant is an extravagant, impractical gift that is hard to get rid of. The phrase is said to come from a story about the King of Siam, now Thailand, giving rare white elephants to courtiers who had displeased him, so the cost of keeping the animals would ruin them. There is no actual record of that happening, and white elephants are considered highly valuable and sacred in Thai culture (Wikipedia).
The party game borrowed the name for its original spirit: amusing, slightly useless gifts. In a Yankee swap, the gifts tend to be more practical and more wanted (Wikipedia). This guide leans Yankee swap on purpose. The gifts people fight over are the useful ones.
The short version
- The gifts that get stolen are useful, a small upgrade on everyday things, and fit anyone.
- Pick by cap and crowd. At work, keep it neutral. With friends, go for the treat they would never buy themselves.
- Skip anything that needs a size, unless it is a gift card.
- Agree on the cap, the steal limit and the last swap before the first gift is opened.
Send an e-gift certificate See all our gift guides
Your questions, answered
What is a good white elephant gift?
Something useful, a little nicer than what people buy for themselves, and one size fits all. A lightweight throw, a good insulated tumbler, a treat like a hot sauce sampler, or a gift card all get stolen. Skip anything that needs a size.
How much should you spend on a white elephant gift?
Whatever your group agrees on, and agree before anyone shops. Caps of $25 and $50 are the ones people search for most. Staying close to the cap keeps the swap fair.
What are the rules of white elephant?
Everyone brings one wrapped gift. Draw numbers for the order. Player 1 opens a gift, then each player either opens a new gift or steals an opened one. A gift can only be stolen a set number of times, often two. The game ends when everyone has a gift.
Is a gift card a good white elephant gift?
Yes, especially at a higher cap. It fits whoever ends up with it. An e-gift certificate from a shop people love, like the Cool-jams e-gift certificate, lets the winner choose their own style, size and color.
What is the difference between white elephant and Secret Santa?
In Secret Santa, you buy for one person you drew in advance. In a white elephant, you buy for the whole room, because anyone could end up with your gift, and gifts can be stolen.
Why is it called white elephant?
The name comes from a story about the King of Siam giving white elephants to courtiers he wanted to punish, since the animals cost a fortune to keep. There is no record it happened, but the phrase stuck for a gift that is hard to get rid of.
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