Life
18 White Elephant Gifts Under $20 That Will Get All The Steals
Grab bags are fun, but they also can be kind of stressful. A White Elephant grab bag, where guests can steal other guest's gifts, has even higher stakes. The goal is not just to get something that someone would enjoy, but something that everyone would want to steal away from everyone else. To help you with this, here's a list of fun White Elephant gifts for under $20.
White Elephants are holiday grab bags that go by many names, such as Black Santa, Pollyanna, Yankee Swap, Machiavellian Christmas, or Greedy Punter, but they all have one thing in common: the expectation that you won't end up with what you expect. Typically, guests sit in a circle around a pile of wrapped gifts. The order of the grab is determined, either by choosing a number out of a hat or by the host. The person who picks number one takes a gift from the pile and opens it. The second person has a choice — open a wrapped gift or steal the gift from player number one. If they steal the gift, the person whose gift was stolen gets to either chose a wrapped gift or steal from someone else. There are many ways to vary this, depending on how many times you allow a gift to be stolen, whether you let people whose gift is stolen replace it immediately or wait for the next round, etc., but eventually the game ends and everyone is stuck with a gift, whether they like it or not.
Obviously, better the gift, the most often it will get stolen. Hence, the pressure to find that perfect White Elephant gift, because you yourself might end up with it.
1SpongeBob Chia Pet
SpongeBob Chia Pet ($10, Amazon)
Who doesn't love Chia pets? They are so unnecessary but so hilarious. This one gets extra credit for being a lovable guy who lives in a pineapple under the sea.
2Do Something Dice
Do Something Dice ($12, Uncommon Goods)
Each die determines one of four categories (exercise, food, sights, and nightlife). The lucky winner can roll them and let the results dictate the day's activities. So great for the indecisive person.
3Adult Achievement Stickers
Adult Achievement Stickers ($9, Amazon)
Remember the days of getting your test back from the teacher with a big "Good Job" sticker on it? Give the gift of affirmation to a fellow grownup with these fun stickers.
4Fitness Bottle With Phone Holding Sleeve
Fitness Bottle With Phone Holding Sleeve ($14, Uncommon Goods)
For the exercise junkie, or person who is always on the go, this is a clever way to stay hydrated and connected at the same time.
5Soda-Flavored Lip Gloss
Lip Smackers Lip Gloss ($9, Target)
Give soda-flavored kisses and relive middle school with this 8-pack of lip glosses.
6Awkward Family Photos Desk Calendar
Awkward Family Photos 2018 Desk Calendar ($10, Amazon)
Who needs photos of their own family when you can enjoy these silly, goofy and truly awkward pictures of other families? There's one hilarious photo for every day of the year.
7Whatever Mug
Whatever Mug ($10, Urban Outfitters)
A mug is the best gift or the worst gift, depending on the recipient, and the mug. We like the nonchalant vibe of this one.
8InQuizitive Cubes: Arts, People & Culture
InQuizitive Cubes ($15, Nordstrom)
Run out of things to talk about? After the White Elephant is over, guests can sit down and play this quiz game and test each other's knowledge in the arts, people and culture. It's also a great hostess gift.
9Electric Wine Bottle Opener
Oster Electric Wine Bottle Opener ($18, Bed Bath & Beyond)
Never wrestle with a manual corkscrew again. This gadget also opens the foil wrappers around the corks and is good for a big party, opening up to 30 wine bottles with one charge.
10Lip Gloss Fidget Spinner
Girls Glamspin Lip Balm ($10, Saks Fifth Avenue)
Satisfy someone's need to curb excess energy and have shiny lips with this one great gift.
11Stress Reliever Desktop Punching Bag
Desktop Punching Bag ($19, Vat19)
We all get stressed out sometimes, so this gift is fitting for anyone. A few whacks will make anyone feel instantly better.
12Mad Libs
Best of Mad Libs ($6, Amazon)
Another party game that can be played after the grab bag. You don't even have to be an English major for this classic word game that asks players to supply nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs to create crazy stories.
133D Cat Playing Cards
Kikkerland Playing Cards ($9, Amazon)
Old-school playing cards combine with sweet 3D photos of cats for an interesting game experience. They are plastic and waterproof so can even be used pool side.
14Damn You, Autocorrect!
Damn You Autocorrect! ($12, Amazon)
This hilariously relatable book is all of us when sending a text and then realizing autocorrect did something bad, really bad. Author Jillian Madison took the best of her autocorrect disaster website to put together this collection of the worst and funniest word-revising phones have ever done.
15Microwavable S'mores Maker
Progressive International Microwavable S'mores Maker ($10, Amazon)
S'mores making without having to find wood, start a fire, whittle a marshmallow stick or get ash in your eyes? Sounds awesome.
16The Daily Mood Flip-chart
The Daily Mood Flip-chart ($9, Perpetual Kid)
This flip book includes 47 different moods that allows someone to display their emotional state, from bouncy to neglected to fabulous, without saying anything at all.
17Star Wars "Chop Sabers"
Star Wars Light Up Chop Sabers ($13, Think Geek)
Whoever uses these will be the coolest person at the sushi bar. They combine technology with Star Wars with... sushi.
18Swear Word Coloring Book
Swear Word Coloring Book ($10, Amazon)
As many adults are looking for stress relief, coloring has become the new yoga. Coloring is actually way better as you don't need to bend into pretzel shapes or buy a whole new wardrobe. This coloring book provides even more stress relief, as it allows you to let loose a few profanities in the process.
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