This article is about white elephant gifts.
Picking a white elephant gift is tricky, because you have no idea who’s going to end up with it. It could be your best friend, your boss or someone’s cousin you met an hour ago, so it has to work for anyone.
My rule for a white elephant gift is simple: bring something you’d secretly want to keep. If you’re a little sad to hand it over, you picked well. For me, all of these white elephant gifts pass that test, and most of my favorites are gifts under $50.
Our Top Gifts
- For Under $25: Dolly Parton Big Hair Spoon Rest
- For Under $50: Rifle Paper Co. Porcelain Butter Dish
- For Under $100: Aesop Resurrection Hand Care Duo
- The Splurge Pick: Suri Pro 2.0 Electric Toothbrush
- For the Office Swap: West Elm Homescent Sphere Diffuser
55+ Best White Elephant Gifts in 2026
White Elephant Gifts Under $25
STARFACE
Big Lil Gift Set
Star shaped pimple patches that turn a breakout into a small decorative choice. Everyone gets a breakout eventually, so this is a safe bet for anyone in the circle.
ESSIE
Mini Nail Polish Set
Nail polish is hard to get wrong when you have no idea who’s picking your gift. This box has four mini holiday shades, from a copper to a snowy white, plus a nail perfector.
FOOTWRK
Palm Trees
Grip socks made for Pilates and just as good around the house. A safe pick when you have no idea who’s opening it.
MEDICUBE
PDRN Pink Collagen Gel Masks, 4 Pack
Four collagen gel masks make an easy beauty pick. You can wear one overnight, and it turns clear after three or four hours.
ETSY
Retro Weekly Meal Planner
A weekly meal planner for the person who keeps saying she’s going to get organized about dinner. It’s useful, it’s cute on a fridge, and it costs less than takeout twice.
DOLLY PARTON
Big Hair Spoon Rest
A little tribute to Dolly, this spoon rest has big hair and an even bigger personality, just like her. It’s a happy way to honor her every day, and expect a friendly fight over it in the swap.
AMAZON
Ceramic Coffee Cup With Saucer
A striped cup and saucer makes a regular morning coffee feel like a café. It holds 8 ounces, the stripes are hand painted, and the saucer doubles as a little snack plate.
DASH
Express Mini Donut Maker
Mini donuts at home in minutes, no fryer needed. It’s the kind of small appliance nobody buys for themselves and everybody is secretly happy to get.
TANGLE TEEZER
The Ultimate Detangler Chrome Mini
Tangle Teezer’s bestselling detangler in a mini size. It works through knots on wet or dry hair without pulling, and it also makes a great stocking stuffer.
THE ORDINARY
The Lip & Lash Set $24 Value
Two full-size products in one little set is hard to beat. You get a lash and brow serum and a soft lip balm that doubles as a keychain.
BAGGU
Standard Baggu Bag
You can’t go wrong with this one, because everyone uses a tote. It folds flat into its own little pouch and holds up to 50 pounds.
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White Elephant Gifts Under $50
RIFLE PAPER CO.
Porcelain Butter Dish
If you want something sweet and a little nostalgic, bring this. It’s porcelain, food safe at any temperature and covered in a cross-stitch Home Sweet Home design. It runs a little small, but it looks great on the counter.
WORLD MARKET
Gemstone Cocktail Shaker
Nobody needs a cocktail shaker covered in colorful faux gems, and that’s the fun of it. It’s gold-finished stainless steel and holds 24 ounces, so it works for cocktails and mocktails alike.
ANTHROPOLOGIE
The Big Shot Hardcover Book
A coffee table book is an easy win when you don’t know who’s opening it. This one covers three decades of celebrities, entertainment and big events from the archive of Greg Brennan, one of Britain’s longest-standing press names.
PAPIER
Stay Grounded Hardcover Gratitude Journal
A journal is a safe bet, and this one makes it easy to start. It’s undated, with short morning and evening prompts and a check-in every month, enough for about five months of entries.
LOOP
Experience 2 Earplugs
Concert earplugs that keep the music sounding clear, just quieter, make a surprisingly good swap gift. They come with four sizes of soft silicone tips and a little case that clips onto your keys.
OVERNIGHT BLOWOUT
Grande 3 Set Velvet Rod
Anyone who has ever paid for a blowout will get this one right away. You roll dry hair around the three velvet rods before bed, they hook and lock in place, and the blowout is still there in the morning.
THE LAUNDRESS
Cedar Wool & Cashmere Shampoo
Everyone owns at least one sweater they’re afraid to wash, so this gets used. It’s a cedar-scented wool and cashmere wash that works by hand or in the machine, and one bottle covers about 31 washes.
PAUME
Hand & Foot Recovery Kit
This is one of those wellness gifts that gets used right away. The overnight mask and hand balm come with cotton gloves and socks to sleep in.
INTELLIGENT CHANGE
Five Minute Journal
This journal only asks for five minutes a day, so it’s easy to keep up. You answer three quick questions in the morning and look back on the good parts of your day at night.
THE SKINNY CONFIDENTIAL
Mouth Tape
This is the funny gift that turns out to be useful. You get 30 mouth tapes in a little tin for the nightstand, they stay on all night, and you wake up better rested and less puffy.
DIOR
Diorshow Curl and Glow Ritual Set
Dior is a strong move in any swap. You get a full-size Diorshow mascara and a mini lip gloss in a gift box inspired by the Tuileries Garden.
{RELATED POST: The 25+ Best Gifts Under $50 for 2025}
White Elephant Gifts Under $100
JONATHAN ADLER
Ambien Pill Box
This one’s for a crowd with a dry sense of humor. It’s a hinged pill box in solid, hand-polished brass with a prescription etched right on the lid.
SNIF
Hot Cakes Eau de Toilette
A perfume that smells like buttery pancakes and maple syrup is a fun thing to unwrap. It has 4.8 stars from almost 1,500 reviews and lasts a long time, though it does lean sweet.
MACKENZIE CHILDS
Rosy Check Set of 4 Party Spreaders
If you want a hostess-style gift that still feels fun, bring these. It’s a set of four spreaders for dips and cheese in MacKenzie-Childs’ signature rosy check.
WIGGLE WIGGLE
Plush Fleece Bathrobe
A robe is a gift nobody hands back. This one is thick and plush, it’s unisex, and it has two deep pockets that fit a phone and the remote.
ETSY
Trifold Leather Journal With Charms
Handmade leather means nobody else at the party will show up with the same thing. It’s Italian leather with three notebooks inside and little charms on the cord. Order early, since it’s handmade in London.
WTHN
Acupressure Mat Kit
An acupressure mat is a little intense at first, but it’s great for a stiff neck and back. This one has a linen cover filled with coconut fiber and comes with its own linen carrying case.
ABBODE
NYC Taxi Tea Towel
A tea towel sounds small until you see this one. It’s linen and cotton with an embroidered New York taxi, so it ends up on display more than it ends up drying dishes.
AESOP
Resurrection Hand Care Duo
This is the one you’ll secretly hope comes back around to you. Most people won’t buy themselves Aesop, so whoever takes this home gets a real upgrade by the sink, with a scent that makes the bathroom feel like a spa.
LOEWE
Tomato Leaves Hand Cream, 2.5 oz.
Nobody buys themselves $60 hand cream, which is why this one gets stolen first. It smells like tomato vines, and it comes with a little silver-plated squeezer to get every last bit out of the tube.
KATE MCLEOD
Holiday Jet Set Collection
This is a great pick if your swap has a few travelers. The solid moisturizers melt on contact with your skin, including a lavender and chamomile Sleep Stone.
RHODE
Sugarmint Trio Limited Edition Skincare Set
Of all the beauty gifts here, anything from rhode gets noticed first. You get a mini Glazing Mist, depuffing eye patches and the Peptide Lip Boost, which is thick, plumping and smells like sweet mint.
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The Splurge Pick White Elephant Gifts
YANA SLEEP
360 Body Pillow With Cooling Gel Fill
This is the splurge people will be fighting over by the last round. It’s a long body pillow that wraps around you for support wherever you need it, and you can tie it in a knot to store it.
EDIE PARKER
Olive Jelly Tabletop Lighter
This is decor first and a lighter second. It’s a chunky olive jelly design, six inches tall, with a heat-resistant ashtray built into the base, and it looks great on a coffee table or bar cart.
GIRL TRIBE CO.
Floating Mahjong Tile Mat
For the mahjong crowd, this takes game night into the pool. It’s a waterproof pink floral mat that floats, made for floating tiles, which are sold separately, so pair it with those if you’re going all in.
BEAUTYREST®
Heated Oversized Faux Fur Throw
Expect a little competition for this one once the paper comes off. It’s an oversized faux fur throw with three heat settings, and it shuts itself off after two hours if you fall asleep under it.
SURI
Pro 2.0 Electric Toothbrush
An electric toothbrush is something most people want and never buy for themselves. This one comes with a travel case that cleans the brush head with UV light while it charges.
LONGCHAMP
Pocket Card Holder
A Longchamp card holder is small, but it’s a real designer piece. It has four card slots and a bandana print canvas trimmed in cowhide leather.
THERABODY
Heated Eye & Temple Massager
Heat, gentle squeezing and vibration around your eyes and temples in about 15 minutes is an easy gift to love. It helps with tension headaches and falling asleep, though it does hum a little while it works.
QURE SKINCARE
Shower Filter
It’s not flashy to unwrap, but anyone with dry skin or dull hair will be glad they took it home. It filters chlorine, heavy metals and hard water minerals out of the shower, and one filter lasts up to three months.
SUNNYLIFE
Take Anywhere Folding Chair
A chair that folds up and goes to the beach, the park or a concert lawn gets used all summer. It has six reclining settings and a padded cover that resists water, stains and fading.
LEATHEROLOGY
A5 Snap Journal
Everyone can use a nice notebook, and this one feels like a splurge. The croc-embossed leather cover has a pen loop, and you just swap in a refill when the paper runs out.
NORI
Travel Steam Iron
Anyone who travels will be glad to end up with this. It presses both sides of a shirt at once, though it’s best for touch ups, not a full ironing day.
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The Office Swap White Elephant Gifts
UNCOMMON GOODS
Watercolor Painting Desk Calendar
This one is a desk calendar and a little art class in one. Each month you paint a pattern from a different country with the paints and brush that come with it, then trim it down to frame.
ANTHROPOLOGIE
Charmed Hardcover Craft Book
This is an easy office swap pick, especially if a few people at work love a project. It walks you through 20 ways to turn buttons, old jewelry and flea market finds into charms.
FRONTGATE
Super Chill Chilling Coasters
Bring these if your swap is a wine crowd. You put the gel inserts in the freezer ahead of time, and they keep a drink cold for hours without leaving water rings on the table. Just know they look a little like tiny dog bowls, which usually gets a laugh when they’re opened.
BAN.DO
Mini Sandwich Calendar
A desk calendar that builds a sandwich one month at a time is silly in the best way. Each month is a different lunch ingredient on its own card, and they all stand up on a little wooden stand.
RIFLE PAPER CO.
Quilted Journal
A journal is a safe office swap pick, and this one feels special. It has a removable quilted cotton cover in a pretty floral print and 400 lined pages, so it’s thick enough to last a long time.
ANTHROPOLOGIE
Olive Mousepad
This is an easy way to make someone’s desk more fun. The olive print brightens up a plain work setup right away.
DAILYDOCS
Document Organizer Binder
This sounds boring until you remember where most people keep their passport. The linen binder has envelopes and labels for all the important paperwork, so it finally lives in one place.
HYGGE GAMES
The Hygge Game
If your office swap needs an icebreaker, this is it. It’s a box of more than 300 questions made to get people talking, and it works just as well at a dinner party later.
WEST ELM
Homescent Sphere Diffuser
This looks like decor, so nobody has to hide it on a back shelf. You add a few drops of the cypress, black pepper and sandalwood oil to the ceramic sphere, and it scents the room.
BENJIE
The Lovely Bunch Bandages
Bandages sound like a funny gift until you need one. These come in a box of 28 with cute animal designs in four shapes, made of soft bamboo that stays put.
UNCOMMON GOODS
The Book Lover’s Reading Challenge
If anyone at work is always reading, they’ll want this one. Each of the 25 reading challenges they finish unlocks a little prize.
At Currently Popular, we believe the best white elephant gifts are the ones people are still talking about on the drive home.
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