Navigating White Elephant Gift Exchanges
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If you’re familiar with our gifting philosophy, you know that the idea of a White Elephant gift exchange can be kind of intimidating! We believe in giving thoughtful, unique, and personal gifts, so if you’re participating in an exchange where you don’t know who will end up with your gift it may be hard to think of
What is a White Elephant gift exchange?
If you’re not already familiar with the concept, a White Elephant gift exchange usually involves each attendee bringing one wrapped and unmarked gift, and placing them in a pile when they arrive. Each guest is given a random number (or names are randomly drawn) and they select gifts in that order. But there’s a twist! People can steal gifts, and you never know who is going to end up with what.
How do I pick what gift to bring?
It can be really tough to pick a gift for someone if you don’t know who that someone is! If you can’t pick a thoughtful, unique, and personal gift, it can help to have some other guiding principles to go by to pick out something that (almost) anyone will appreciate. Check out these tips to keep in mind when picking out the perfect White Elephant gift.
What’s the setting?
You may not know the exact recipient, but you probably know the setting for the event! Is this a work party? Maybe go with something that would be helpful in an office environment like a mug or this fun heated mouse pad hand warmer! If your friend group is hosting, try to think about what everyone has in common. Does your inner circle love board games? Check out our board game gift list for ideas! Try browsing the A-Z gift list page for inspiration if you’re stuck.
What’s the budget?
Most White Elephant gift exchanges have a maximum amount you can spend on the gift you’re supposed to bring. Make sure you stick to that limit when brainstorming ideas!
When in doubt, go practical!
If you’re really out of ideas, go with something useful! Something for cleaning, cooking, exercise, or mindfulness will usually be a hit with the majority of folks in a group. Plus, it’s always better to get a gift that you can actually use instead of something that’s likely to gather dust in the back of your closet.