Ten Creative White Elephant Gift Ideas for the Office

Your office is having its annual White Elephant gift exchange, and you can't bear the thought of ending up with another pair of Mr. and Mrs. Claus salt and pepper shakers. You weigh the social consequences of bringing an unwanted gift versus just sitting this year out. Don't despair! This article contains ten creative White Elephant gift ideas that are sure to please your coworkers.

Choosing the right White Elephant gift - the one that will have your colleagues buzzing at the water cooler for years to come - is a delicate art. Whether you choose a gift that is practical or attractive, edible or spendable, you're shopping on a budget and often at the last minute. With that in mind, this list compiles ten gifts that are easy to find at major U.S. retailers and cost under $20.

The Fun
Ultimately, the White Elephant gift exchange is about fun. Extend that idea of office camaraderie by gifting a game. The 20 Questions Handheld Game by Radica ($12.99 at Toys R Us, in purple or blue) is a fascinating twist on a classic game. The player thinks of an item, and the game asks increasingly specific questions to determine what the item is. The artificial intelligence of the game is uncanny, and the new owner of this gift is bound to spend hours trying to outsmart the machine.

The coffee drinkers of your office will get a kick out of the whimsical Emergency Coffee ($10 at Restoration Hardware), four servings of coffee presented in a sardine can. And if your coworkers don't want this gift for themselves, they'll be trying to nab it to stuff the stocking of a coffee-guzzling friend or relative.

Throw a little political controversy into your office's White Elephant exchange with Stephen Colbert's I Am America (And So Can You!) ($26.99 list price with discounts online at both Borders and Barnes & Noble). Colbert's political irreverence is sure to liven up the conversation at the gift exchange!