Cheap White Elephant-Gift Ideas

Over the years I’ve participated in a lot of white elephant gift exchanges, and the best part is seeing the expression on the person’s face when they open their gift. We don’t always follow the traditional rules step-by-step, but we still have just as much fun. I know some people wrap items from home, that they don’t want anymore or they re-wrap unwanted gifts that were given to them, and that’s okay. It’s fun and all part of the white elephant gift exchange. But the question is, what to do when everything has been given away, and there aren’t any more gifts to re-wrap?

Well, I think a quick shopping trip can solve that problem. Remember, these are just ordinary white elephant gifts. Some people set their price limit a little high, but generally , a price limit of $5 - $10 dollars will do just fine. These gifts don’t have to be fantastic or even unique. However, they do have to be gifts that can be used by either a man or a woman. That’s the fun part! We don’t know who the gift will end up with. The gifts can be as serious or as silly as the group want them to be. It’s also up to the group to set the price limit. Our office group usually stick to the $5 - $10 dollar limit. There are some very good gifts that can be bought in that price range, even for white elephant gifts. Below is just a sample of the goodies that fall within the $5 range.

• Finger nail and toe nail clipper set
• Scissors
• Calculator
• Cookie cutters
• Scented candles
• Dish towel set
• Mug
• Candy dish
• Calendar
• Address book
• Sample box of chocolate covered cherries
• Holiday figurines
• Comb
• Shoe shine sponge
• Can of Planters nuts

These are some pretty good white elephant gifts. If I received any one of them, I would be keeping it. There would be no re-wrapping and giving them away next year. The next list of gift ideas is just as nice, but they fall within the $10 dollar range.