White elephant parties might not be as prevalent when the holidays coincide with a pandemic, but if you're lucky enough to be invited to one, you're going to want to be prepared. In addition to taking safety precautions, that means showing up with a gift that people will covet (translation: steal) for its usefulness, quirkiness, or unrivaled hilarity. Here are ideas that fall into all three categories.
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$12 from TeePublic
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Masks are likely to be a fun gift this season, and with this clever design, you can win the white elephant party.
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$33 from Amazon
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A white elephant gift doesn't have to be funny or naughty to be stealable. Take, for instance, this set of 24 fortune-cookie-shaped bath bombs that are colorful, conceal a fortune inside, and contain "100% pure, natural ingredients and essential oils."
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$18 from Amazon
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Who can possibly resist stealing this BPA-free, dishwasher-safe, pasta-straining creature that can even double as a helmet?
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$14 from Amazon
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People cannot resist cute and miniature things, and we're guessing the participants at your white elephant get-together won't be any different.
$13 from Natural Annie Essentials
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Looking for a timely and topical gift? While there's no telling what this candle smells like, reviewers say it's got a "phenomenal" scent, which we're guessing means it doesn't evoke a dumpster fire.
$9 and up from Amazon
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Okay, yes, this is actually a sweatshirt, but with nearly 30 styles to choose from, you can find an option that someone at your white elephant party will decide they can't live without.
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$17 from Amazon
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Sample review: "This is both ridiculous and spectacular. It just might be my best Amazon impulse-buy ever." Translation: a white elephant party hit in the making.
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$17 from Always Fits
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This candle will resonate with your party participants on so many levels, we'll bet anyone who doesn't end up with it will be asking you where you found it.
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$20 and up from Amazon
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It might not be the cleverest of gifts at the white elephant party, but it's warm and fuzzy when we could all use a little more warm and fuzzy in our lives. It comes in six different colors and patterns.
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$20 from Pinch Provisions
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This 18-piece kit contains lots of steal-worthy stuff: a snack clip, comfy socks, face- and hand-cleansing towelettes, sporks, a sofa yoga guide, and a two-sided coin to help decide: "one more" or "go to bed."
$11 from Amazon
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Sometimes the most popular gifts are the ones that are actually useful, and this coffee warmer will keep any work-from-homer fueled throughout the day.
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$33 from Amazon
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In these trying times, it's almost a guarantee that this stylish set of cocktail tumblers is gonna be a hot ticket white elephant item. You might even want to steal 'em back yourself.
$15 from Crate and Barrel
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Scratch-off posters are one of the hot gifts of 2020, and this one will give them something to look forward to (in a year when it sometimes doesn't feel like there's enough of that).
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$15 from Always Fits
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This hilarious book pays tribute to decades of bad bridal fashion that will have female white elephant guests in fits of laughter (that is, when the book isn't being stolen from them).
$12 and up from Uncommon Goods
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Because cute but impractical gifts are just the type of gifts you should be toting along to the white elephant party. Each taco-dino holds two hard-shell tacos and makes meals a roaring good time for all.
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$20 from Amazon
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The folks who make Chia Pets have introduced a few new products this year that capitalize on pop culture, including this adorable version. We honestly can't decide if this one or the Chewbacca version will be fought over more, so we'll let you make that call.
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$10 from Amazon
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Dog shaming is popular on social media and it won't be any less so at your white elephant gathering. This book offers 192 pages dedicated to the naughtiest (but clearly repentant, in some cases) pups.
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$29 from Amazon
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It's pretty much a guarantee that anything that was once advertised on late-night TV and seeped into the collective snark of the national consciousness will make for a perfect white elephant gift.
$28 from Amazon
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Anyone can buy a tortilla blanket and think it's cute, but the truly imaginative know that bacon is going to trump tortilla at just about any white elephant gathering.
$11 from Amazon
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You cannot bring something as lame as a coaster set to a white elephant party and not expect it to get swapped. Unless, of course, the coasters you bring are so cool, clever, and fun that they will be a coveted item.
$17 from Amazon
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Few authors are as clever and witty as they are informative, but Bill Bryson is near the top of the list in that category. This bestselling book is equal parts human anatomy and humor.
$14 from Uncommon Goods
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This 100-card set offers two decks of cards that "introduce discussion-prompting topics (like things to never bring up on a first date) and potentially suitable connections (like sadism, constipation, and the Bible)." Seriously, who could resist?
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$12 from Amazon
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This is just one of those things that most people don't realize they want until they know it exists.
$14 from Amazon
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There are few people out there who don't love dogs, and who can resist a collage of dogs making the goofiest faces possible while trying to catch a treat?
$10 from Amazon
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It's funny looking, colorful, and provides pleasure — in other words, totally stealable.
$20 from Uncommon Goods
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A swimsuit calendar, yes, but not the one you're thinking of. Instead, this version offers up a year's worth of adorable animal illustrations — from bears and sloths to tigers and penguins — suited up in their cutest bathing gear.
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$20 from Amazon
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Because, yes, there apparently is a slow cooker with every imaginable theme these days.
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$13 from Amazon
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It's 2020 and literally everyone could use a serotonin boost. Give it to your party goers via unbearably endearing creatures.
$25 from Amazon
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It's been a helluva year and we could all use something to reverse any negative energy. There's bound to be one hippie at the party, right?
$20 from Amazon
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This lamp — with 16 colors, five modes, and five levels of brightness — just needs to be turned on to be one of the coolest white elephant gifts ever.
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