White elephant gift exchanges are a time to gift the wacky, wild, and in some cases ultra-useful. If you’re attending a white elephant party where the theme is items for the home, there are so many different gift ideas to consider across a range of gift exchange budgets.
From home decor to kitchen tools, you can find various unique white elephant gift ideas online at places like Uncommon Goods, World Market, Etsy, and Urban Outfitters. For something more last-minute, even Amazon can be worth checking out, too.
If you need a few gift ideas to get started, I've got you covered with my top picks for the best white elephant home gift ideas. These are the gifts everyone will actually want.
White Elephant Home Gift Ideas
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Whether you’re looking for smaller gifts that meet under $15 or $10 gift exchange budgets or have a more splurge-worth spending limit for holiday gifting, there are so many different white elephant home gift ideas to consider. From the humorous to the useful, you can’t go wrong with giving throw pillows with funny phrases, cheeky bar cart accessories, whimsical kitchen tools and utensils, or a classic coaster set.
White Elephant Gifts Ideas: Bar Cart Accessories
Finding funny, white elephant-worthy home decor gifts for the home can be a tad tricky, but you can always count on bar accessories to deliver on the humor and festive fun. Up ahead, we share our top picks for the best white elephant gift ideas, bar cart edition.
Disco balls are one of this year’s most trendy home decor pieces, especially for the holiday season. This Disco Ball Ice Bucket from Urban Outfitters is a fun way to lean into the trend and give a fun (and useful) white elephant gift.
White elephant gift exchanges are the best time to gift things that look like other things, like this Golf Club Bar Tool Set from Mark & Graham. This set features three essential cocktail-making tools, including a jigger, bottle opener, and stirring spoon with golf club-inspired handles. Plus, you can add on an optional cocktail mug to gift them all in.
This cute and compact wine chiller is sure to make a splash at your white elephant gift exchange. You might even end up using it that night. All you need to do is pour some ice cubes inside the nutcracker's head and you're ready to chill. I'd recommend gifting this alongside a nice bottle of wine or champagne.
White Elephant Gift Ideas: Kitchen Tools and Utensils
Kitchen tools and utensils are another home category worth gifting, and you can often find excellent options that meet your white elephant budget. Whether you’re looking to give something more substantial like a set of adorable pot protectors, or need a small under $10 item for a gift topper, we’ve got you covered with these white elephant gift ideas.
These gingerbread tongs are great fun. Retailing for just $14.95, they should come under budget for a $15 white elephant gift exchange. These tongs don't just look good − they work well, too. Each gingerbread man is made from heat-resistant silicone, so he shouldn't melt under pressure.
These Animal Pot Protectors from Uncommon Goods are another white elephant gift idea we love. Available in a crochet frog pattern, cat pattern, or bear pattern, the set features two handle holders for Dutch ovens, a long handle protector for pans, and a lid topper.
Whether you need a functional gift topper or have an under $10 white elephant budget, you can’t go wrong with a fun and whimsical dish scrubber. We love this one from Amazon, which features a cherry blossom design, and totally looks like an Anthro find. In addition to the cherry blossom, the scrubber comes in a few more white elephant-friendly designs, including a toast and egg set and a garlic and veggies set.
White Elephant Gift Ideas: Spoon Rests
Spoon rests aren’t usually the biggest priority when it comes to home and kitchen accessories, but they’re super useful—and there are so many fun options for a white elephant party. Whether you want to gift something more decorative or are looking for a funny spoon rest for the occasion, we’ve got your gift-shopping needs covered with these finds.
The Kerry Brooks State Spoon Rest makes for a great white elephant gift because it’s unique and also very stylish. Made by hand from ceramic, the adorable spoon rest is sure to be popular at your upcoming gift exchange.
For a more budget-friendly white elephant gift idea, consider this ravioli spoon rest from Amazon. Inspired by a ravioli noodle, this spoon rest is made from durable (and easy to clean) silicone, and features the perfect indent in the center to hold your dirty spoons while cooking.
A fried egg spoon rest is another white elephant gift idea we love. This handmade one on Etsy is handmade from ceramic and measures about 5 inches in diameter. We love it because instead of a super flat surface – where sauce might drip off the sides – the spoon rest features a curling effect at the edges to prevent mess.
White Elephant Gift Ideas: Coasters
Coasters and coaster sets are a small gift idea that also works well for white elephant exchanges, especially when you need something that meets a low budget. From retro designs to sculptural sets, here are some of our favorite coaster gifts to give.
These beautiful golden coasters are just the right side of the $50 dollar mark. The simple white background means they're neutral enough for most homes, and the 24K gold detail gives them quiet luxury sophistication.
White elephant exchanges are a great excuse to buy wacky home decor items, like this fun and funky cactus coaster set from Amazon. The set features six round coasters that all lock into each other to create a potted cactus plant.
The Emotion Coaster Set from Urban Outfitters is another small home decor gift we love. A play on emotional rollercoasters, this set features four colorful acrylic discs depicting different emotions, including sad, happy, stressed, and joyful.
White elephant gifts FAQs
What are white elephant gifts?
A white elephant gift exchange is a game where people blindly pick gifts in the hope of getting the best possible present. Gifts are usually inexpensive and humorous. Variations on the game include various rules about swapping presents.
What should I give as a white elephant gift?
These presents are usually a joke, but the ones we've picked all have some actual use too. Gifts tend to be under $50, so themed kitchen utensils and home gifts are the sort of thing people genuinely want.
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