Last Updated on January 26, 2024 by Ellen Christian
Don’t attend a white elephant party before you check out these white elephant gift exchange ideas! Find out what to bring for a white elephant party.
Posts may be sponsored. This post contains affiliate links, which means I will make a commission at no extra cost to you should you click through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Table of Contents
White Elephant Gift Exchange Ideas
Do you enjoy white elephant parties as much as I do? If you’re not quite sure what a white elephant party is, keep reading. You’ll want to host your own.
If you receive a white elephant party invitation, I hope that you’ll accept. A white elephant party is a party held around the holidays where everyone brings one wrapped gift that would be suitable for just about anyone attending the party. It’s not intended specifically for one person which is half of the fun.
How do you do a white elephant exchange?
All of the gifts are placed in one area. The gifts should not have to or from labels on them. The rules are fairly simple. The first person takes a gift and unwraps it.
The next person can either take a gift that has been unwrapped or take a new gift that’s wrapped from the pile. If your gift is stolen, you take a new wrapped gift and unwrap it.
Then on to the next person until all of the gifts have been unwrapped. Once a gift has had three owners, that’s it. It stays with the third person to steal it back.
Best white elephant gifts
If you’re wondering what type of creative white elephant gift ideas are the most popular, online retailer zulily has created a list of the top tips to ensure you’re all the envy of the party:
Join Forces – Form an alliance with one or two friends and agree to split or share the gifts.
Wear Your Poker Face – Don’t show excitement when you get a good gift, but act like you love the bad!
Don’t Jude a Gift by its Wrapping – Often the prettiest wrapped gifts have the worst present. You never know!
But how do you source a truly “steal-worthy” gift?
According to a recent survey by zulily:
- Almost a quarter (24%) of Americans’ favorite part about a White Elephant party is getting a fun, unexpected gift.
- While almost half of Americans (46%) would rather laugh at their gift then gag in disgust (3%).
- The most desired White Elephant gifts Americans would like to receive are Whimsical Garden Figurines (23%), followed closely by a Wine Glass that holds a Full Bottle of Wine (21%).
Check out the selection at zulily when choosing your white elephant gifts. Here are a few of my favorite examples of white elephant gifts.
- Beauty gifts like rollerball essential oils
- Christmas themed plush hot water bottles
- Figurines like a sunbathing mermaid
- A bird bell ornament for your tree
I hope a few of these white elephant gift exchange ideas have inspired you. You can find all of these and more on zulily so don’t delay. Check out this post for ideas on how to choose theme party invitations for your party.
Ellen believes you can feel beautiful at any age and size. She shares healthy beauty and fashion information geared toward women over 40. She is a direct sales rep for several fashion and beauty businesses.