28 quirky White Elephant gifts under $50 that are great to give year-round

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White Elephant, Yankee Swap, and Nasty Christmas gift exchanges reward originality and humor.
To save you hours of internet browsing, here are 28 great White Elephant gift ideas, all under $50.
Looking for more gift ideas? Check out all Insider Reviews gift guides here.

When it comes to gift-swapping games like White Elephant, Yankee Swap, or Nasty Christmas, the master gifters must first forget everything they know about gifting. Instead of cashmere scarves or Belgian chocolates reserved for birthdays or big holidays, gift swaps typically reward the niche, novel, and irreverent, with bonus points going to those who can check the boxes of funny and useful. Think: quirky cookbooks, personalized pillows, and card games that immediately break the ice.

What is White Elephant?

White elephant is a humorous gift exchange of the most unique and obscure items that’s a fun break away from traditional gift-giving. The Christmas game is played with a set price range and theme with gifts varying from used household objects, unopened gifts from the past, to new gifts with a comedic edge.

How to play White Elephant

To begin, players draw numbers to determine the order of unwrapping the gifts. Each subsequent person has the option to unwrap a present or steal another.

Check out all 28 Elephant gifts below:

A set of golf-like stainless steel barbecue tools

Uncommon Goods

Golfers BBQ Set, available at Uncommon Goods, $40

This golf BBQ set is a game-changing gift for the grill master of the friend group. These stainless steel barbecue tools come with soft insulated handles that resemble golf grips.

A whimsical banana

Uncommon Goods

Bluetooth Banana Phone, available at Uncommon Goods, $40

Give the comedic friend an extra excuse for another dad joke with this humorous banana phone. This Bluetooth phone eases any tension or awkward silence with the help of your phone’s voice assistant too.

A device that makes a whole breakfast sandwich in one go

Amazon

Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker, available on Amazon, $24.99

This wildly popular breakfast sandwich maker surprisingly works. It speeds up the process and makes a delicious, consistently warm sandwich with meat, cheese, eggs, and bread.

A reusable tote that looks like the iconic plastic design

Uncommon Goods

Embroidered Thank You Tote, available at Uncommon Goods, $38

Quirky, nostalgic, and practical — this tote is one of the sweet spot gifts. Inspired by the 2007 plastic bag ban in San Francisco, it’s made from recycled taffeta and is machine-washable and reusable.

A weird but comfortable prawn neck pillow

Amazon

Shrimp Neck Pillow, available at Amazon, $18.99

Comfortable but unabashedly bizarre — the perfect White Elephant gift.

Tequila shot glasses made out of salt

Uncommon Goods

Himalayan Salt Tequila Glasses, Set of 4, available at Uncommon Goods, from $28

These salt glasses give a mezcal or tequila shot a nice salty kick.

What’s been called the world’s strongest coffee

Amazon

Death Wish Ground Coffee, available at Amazon, $18.99

Death Wish claims to be the world’s strongest coffee, with about double the caffeine of your average cup. The added kick is attributed to a unique blend of Arabica and Robusta beans and a slow roasting process. It’s Fair Trade, has no additives, and makes a pretty good cup of coffee!

Mini tabletop cornhole that they can play whenever and wherever

Uncommon Goods

Tabletop Cornhole, available at Uncommon Goods, $50

Have a hankering for games that fit inside your home these (cold, distanced) days? This Tabletop Cornhole game is easy to store and not at all weather-dependent. Enjoy it wherever!

A gimmicky present they’ll actually wind up using

Amazon

Tweexy Wearable Nail Polish Bottle Holder, available at Amazon, $9.99

If you’ve ever painted your nails, you can sympathize with the hassle of finding a safe spot for an open bottle of gooey, brightly colored polish. This $10 nail polish holder looks gimmicky, but it’s actually useful.

A bucket of the best sea salt from England

Amazon

Maldom Salt, available at Amazon, $14.10

This isn’t just any random bucket of salt. Malton’s is revered by cooks as their preferred sea salt — and it’s been harvested along the coastal town of Malton, England since the mid-1800s.

An adult coloring book full of swear words

Amazon

Maybe Swearing Will Help: Adult Coloring Book, available at Amazon, $7.95

Adult coloring has had a resurgence in recent years as a great de-stressor (Kate Middleton was one notable fan). But before then, humans used swearing as the next best thing. Why not pair the two together for a truly balanced catharsis?

A plug-in that lets them control the TV and lights from the couch without getting up

Amazon

Amazon Alexa-Enabled Smart Plug, available at Amazon, $24.99

Give couch potato people what they want: the ability to control the lights, TV, stereo, and other appliances without needing to get up from the comfortable spot they fell into.

A saint candle with your friend’s face on it — or their pet’s

LitFriends/Etsy

Custom Prayer Candle, available at Etsy, from $24.99

You tell your friends you love and respect them, but what have you done to prove it lately?

An aesthetically pleasing wine holder for a glass at bathtime

Uncommon Goods

Bathtime Essentials Wine Holder, available at Uncommon Goods, $38

Despite being a simple vehicle for enjoying wine in a bathtub, you can feel proud of this holder: it’s accented with hand-picked beach stones, and the ash wood looks nicer than transparent plastic. It’ll also come with a BPA-free plastic wine glass for safety.

A funny choose-your-own-adventure cookbook

Amazon

What the F*@# Should I Make for Dinner?: The Answers to Life’s Everyday Question, available at Amazon, $14.40

This popular cookbook was derived from the website of the same name, and it’s a choose-your-own-adventure book of 50 solid meal ideas for the nights when they have no clue what to make.

A binge-watching survival kit for the deep Netflix rabbit holes

Barnes and Noble

Pinch Provisions Binge-Watching Survival Kit, available at Pinch Provisions, $20

This binge-watching survival kit is especially perfect for the friend who’s always complaining about the thinly-veiled disapproval in Netflix’s “Are you still watching?” notification.

A card game that has you anonymously answer the question “who’s the most likely to…” out of your friends

Amazon

The Voting Game Adult Card Game, available at Amazon, $24.95

This card game basically asks you to anonymously answer “Who’s the most likely to…” out of your friends — perfect for the next low-key night or pregame. You may also want to check out “Who in the Room” or the card version of “Never Have I Ever”.

A punny and entirely functional umbrella

Amazon

Raining Men Clear Bubble Dome Umbrella, available at Amazon, $22.95

The perfect accessory for days when it’s “raining men.”

A to-go sriracha sauce keychain for the hot sauce friend

Urban Outfitters

Sriracha Sauce Keychain, available at Amazon, from $11.39

Perfect for the friend who asks for hot sauce before even tasting the food.

A Bob Ross Chia Pet

Amazon

Chia Pet Bob Ross with Seed Pack, available at Amazon, $20.99

Just because they’ve never asked for a live plant in the shape of an angelic cultural giant doesn’t mean they won’t love growing one.

All the moods of Nicolas Cage on a T-shirt

Amazon

Nicholas Cage Mood T-Shirt, available at Headline Shirts, from $28

A national treasure in its own right.

A cocktail recipe book that pairs good music with good drinks

Amazon

Booze & Vinyl: A Spirited Guide to Great Music and Mixed Drinks, available at Amazon, $21.97

Combine two great pastimes into one with a guide of 70 albums from the ’50s through the ’00s, paired with an A-side and B-side cocktail for each one. They’re organized by mood, so they’ll know just what pairing to use.

A Tile Mate to ring their keys or phone wherever they lost them

Amazon

Tile Mate with Replaceable Battery, available at Amazon, $17.99

For the friend who has invested far too much money in key duplicates.

A funny cookbook made especially for hungover, demoralizing mornings

Amazon

The Hungover Cookbook, available at Amazon, $6.39

This cookbook was built to handle hangovers — six types of them to be exact. Recipes are tailored to the specific hangover and are bookended by insights into hangover science, quizzes to see if you’re maybe just still drunk, and witty jokes.

A device that stirs ingredients for you

Uncommon Goods

Automatic Pan Stirrer with Timer, available at Uncommon Goods, $25

Like the wearable nail polish holder, this is another product that arguably shouldn’t exist. And yet … it’s a great way to make sure everything is perfectly cooked, without hovering over the pan and stirring continually. Funny, weird, and — according to its 43 reviews and 4.8-stars — actually very useful.

A wine glass that fits an entire bottle of wine