13 Best Elephant Gifts (2025): Coffee Pot Mug, Legos, Sushi Magnets, and More

Honored Kubuka

• These days marijuana is a non-alcoholic drink for $40: Bringing a bottle of booze is a white elephant; My husband and my husband’s team almost swapped bottles of alcohol like a safe bench with enthusiasm. I think you can do better, but bring the THC spirit. This spirit is light and slightly fruity, sitting somewhere between a floral gin flavor profile and a sweet one. My friends and I tried a pomegranate cocktail instead of tequila, which was delicious, and we also liked it with seltzer like thc with a gin and tonic twist. It’s just fun, too. I would skip this for a work group or any group that would be green friendly, though.
• Booze usually: This is always a safe food! You can also bring a bottle of nonalcoholic wine if you want an option that everyone can have.

Which does not bring the White Elephant

Here’s what some of the white elephant fights I went to last year, or the most inappropriate comments our group heard:

• A basic candle, one. No one needs a candle they could get at the store. Despite the fact that there is a nice topic that certain appeals exist in the group, such as the above D & D candles for my nerdy friends or written candles for book lovers, skip bringing one candle to the exchange of the white elephant. Or make a candle part of a gift basket; Our lovely scented candle goes well with some kitchen or garden accessories.
• Puzzles. I think that difficult puzzles to make puzzle gifts for bad people will want more pieces, while novices will want it easier. If you choose a puzzle that is too specific to the theme, the recipient may not like it as a puzzle or a fan of that topic. Instead, I’m featuring fun Paint Paint-by-number giveaways.
• Living animals. Look, you shouldn’t give Easter chicks to children, and you shouldn’t give anything remotely – including a mouse, a fish, or anything alive.
• Sex toys and lingerie. I have actually been to toong toy-thed gift exchange, and I would recommend it to the right groups of friends. But if not, unless you’re good friends with the rest of the group and you’re sure it won’t go wrong (and no kids will be around), it’s safe to buy your essentials instead. It is inappropriate to exchange business gifts.
• Real garbage. I didn’t think I should write this one down, but with one of the gifts I was exchanging, someone wrapped a piece of trash as a joke. As someone who used to say the gift was trash, I’m begging you: don’t do this.

White elephant rules

If you’re headed to the first elephant gift exchange, here’s a quick preview of what to expect.

Everyone will bring a wrapped gift (often under a certain price, like $25) and place it in the pile or in the middle of nowhere. After that, each person will draw a number indicating their place in the gift selection. When your number is called, you can choose and not open a gift from the pile, or steal one that has already been given out by someone. Most exchanges will have a limit on how often a gift can be reported – usually about three times – so if you have a great gift on your hands then it’s time for someone else to choose to keep it. If your gift is stolen, you can unlock a new one or steal a different gift (no takebacks, sorry).

These rules can vary depending on the host and their house rules, so be sure to ask if the rules start with the game. Happy exchange!