White Elephant Gifts
Are you looking for the perfect White Elephant gift? Or Dirty Santa gift? We use those terms interchangeably in my family, but if you want to get technical, we each bring a white elephant gift (aka a gag gift) to the Dirty Santa exchange on Christmas Eve.
My little sister introduced our family to the fun that is Dirty Santa! It has become a Christmas Eve tradition that we all look forward to all year long!
(Please note that this post includes affiliate links. They’re boring, but you can read my full disclosures here if you want.)
In case you aren’t familiar with a Dirty Santa exchange, let me explain how it works.
Dirty Santa (White Elephant) Instructions:
1. Ask party-goers to bring a wrapped gift. Place all gifts in a pile for everyone to see.
2. Count up all the participants, and place that many numbers in a hat. For example, if you have ten participants, write the numbers 1-10 on small pieces of paper and place them in a hat.
3. Let each participant draw a number to determine an order to open gifts.
4. The person who drew number one will select and open the first gift.
5. The person who drew number two can then choose to open a gift OR steal the gift the previous player opened.
6. When a player’s gift is stolen, they can choose to open a new gift or steal someone else’s gift.
7. Each gift can only be stolen three times.
8. Continue in this fashion until everyone has had a turn.
If you’ve ever played Dirty Santa, you know that there’s usually that one gift that everybody wants. One year my brother brought a huge suitcase full of Salt City scented candles. I bet there were 100 awesome candles in there! My sweet sister-in-law initially chose the gift and was thrilled. She didn’t even open it all the way once she saw what it was, she just wisely hid it under her seat. Unfortunately for her, we had all seen it, and the fight was on! Luckily, through some serious strategy, she did end up with her candles.
The favored gift usually gets stolen repeatedly until the game finally ends. Sometimes it’s a funny gift (last year the most sought after White Elephant gift was a sequined Dwight Schrute pillow), and sometimes, like with the candles, it’s a very valuable gift. Gift cards are always very popular, but they aren’t all that fun to open.
If you’re looking for the perfect gift for a White Elephant party, I’ve listed several gift ideas that will be a hit! Some of them are of the super-cheap-(or FREE!)-DIY-variety, and others you can just purchase from Amazon. So you’re sure to find something that will fit your budget and your time constraints.
White Elephant Gifts Your Friends will Fight Over
Goldfish! Not the yummy, cheesy snack. I’m talking about a live fish. A new pet. Who wouldn’t love that? Slap a bow on it, tuck it in a gift bag with a container of fish food, and pray it doesn’t die (especially if the brand new owner is a child). This gift will not get stolen over and over and you may become the white elephant party pariah, but it’s sure to get lots of laughs!
Human Organ Transplant Lunchbox
Yum! Need I say more? I just know that if I wrapped this gift for my family white elephant exchange that all of my brothers would fight to the death for the privilege of owning it! I’m thinking about packing it full of frozen steaks. Or liver.
Poop Like A Champion Breakfast Cereal
Oh my gosh! I can’t tell if this is real! The photos look like dog food, but they actually have a commercial which makes it seem legit, if somewhat awful. I’d never pay $11 for an actual box of cereal (unless it was a gigantic 10 pound box from Costco!) but I’m really considering this for our White Elephant party this year. Be sure to read the comments for a hearty laugh!
I bought these for my sister for her birthday last year, but not as a gag gift. These were in earnest! Growing up, my sister would eat all the pickles and then drink the juice! She’d even hid jars of pickles in her room. Every year my parents would fill her Christmas stocking with jars of pickles. So I bought her pickle pops for her birthday, and she really ate them and she really loved them. Whether you have a pickle-loving-sibling or just want something funny, these and the pickle lip balm are a great choice!
Perfect for the little girl who loves unicorns; Unicorn Meat. Okay, I’m just kidding. That would be heartless and horrible and cruel. But it might be just a little funny as long as you aren’t the parent who has to deal with the nightmares.
Oh, and then you could give her these Unicorn Bandages to try to fix the unicorn inside the can. Traumatize her a little more. Or maybe that’s going too far?
Here’s another funny idea from Pinterest. I tried to track down the original to give the creator credit, but couldn’t. These donut seeds would be an especially amusing gift for a policeman. I created the label in the second photo. Here is the downloadable file. If you print it at 75% on regular letter paper (I’d use cardstock) it will be the perfect size to fold and staple over the top of a sandwich bag.
These Prank Pack boxes are so comical to wrap your actual gift in. My brother bought several of them for our Dirty Sants one year and we all laughed and laughed over the boxes. You could put a gift card inside, or a large bag of lindt truffles or m&m’s or whatever you think your recipients would like. Aren’t they great?
Motion Activated Toilet Nightlight This is pretty funny, right? Everyone will get a laugh out of this gift. However, it would actually be very appreciated by someone like me! Years ago I read a news story about a giant snake that was found in a toilet. It had come up through the sewer pipes. There was a picture, too, and it scared me to death — I will never forget it! So now I always have to check the toilet before I can bring myself to shut myself in the bathroom.
Do you know someone who worries that she will not be wearing clean underpants when emergency strikes? This would be the perfect White Elephant gift for her! My grandma always told us to wear nice undies in case we were in an accident and emergency personnel had to remove our clothing. She must worry about that!
These sweet Emergency Underpants come in a convenient (and discreet) carrying case that will fit in your pocket, purse, or glove compartment to eliminate anxiety over code brown disasters. Combine them with these Shart Wipes for even more peace of mind (and hilarity!).
Check out this wacky assortment of gifts for bacon lovers everywhere: Bacon Flavored Floss, Yodelling Bacon (wha?), Bacon Bandages, Bacon Soap and a Bacon Wallet.
I found this amusing White Elephant gift at The Lily of the Valley Craftroom. She has free printable labels, too, for the digitally challenged.
Creamed Possom with Sweet Potatoes Garnished in Coon Fat Gravy. Oh, my gosh! I have no words! Lol!
I thought this was pretty funny and I wanted to use it last year, but I’m too cheap to pay that much for a fake can of something, so I made my own funny label. This label is the perfect size for a 15.25 oz can of anything. I just glued mine onto a can of corn, right over the old label. My sister laughed and laughed.
Feel free to download, print (regular letter-sized paper works great) and use that label yourself, if you’re looking for a cheap, easy, white elephant gift.
Beardski Hat I think anyone would get a kick out of this bushy, biker-beard beanie. In fact, I think this could easily be the gift that causes fights and eternal animosity toward the Dirty Santa player who wins it.
I want one to wear skiing on the days I just want to be left alone. I’m pretty sure, wearing this, that nobody would try to share my lift chair or make small talk.
Straw Hat, assembly required
I found this image on Pinterest, but couldn’t find who to attribute it to. I used this same idea for our Dirty Santa exchange two years ago, but I wrapped a cardboard box of old straw (we use straw on our farm, as animal bedding) and taped a ‘Straw Hat — assembly required’ label on the front. It was cheap and easy, but it was a big hit!
Crazy socks are always great White Elephant gift ideas! You can choose from: Canine Paws, Zebra Hooves, Feline Paws, Mermaid Tails, Chicken Legs and so many more. The chicken leg socks remind me of the time my husband wore shorts to visit my cousin. She asked, “Are those your legs, or are you riding a chicken?” We still laugh about it. Or at least I do. He doesn’t wear shorts much anymore.
I’m thinking about buying a pair for everyone in the family and wrapping them up in place of the usual Christmas Eve jammies. How funny would that be?
Loafers- make your own for less than $2 by cutting up two loaves of french bread. Use the bread you cut off for your Christmas stuffing, and it brings your cost down even more. This Dirty Santa gift is practically FREE!
Bargain Counter Augmentation Kit
This was my Dirty Santa gift last year. The tag reads: Inflate, tie and insert into bra. Caution, avoid sharp objects and squeezing. My 13-year-old niece chose this gift, opened it, turned bright red and shoved it deep into the chair beside her. But she was not quite quick enough — everyone saw. We all had a good laugh!
Redneck Bubble Bath
I found this idea on Pinterest, too. There were several funny variations of this funny White Elephant gift. The writing on the label might be too small to read, so I’ll type it out for you.
Sweet, soapy, bubble bath? No, thanks! Go organic and “make your own bubbles”. Redneck Bubble Bath features an ample supply of beans, allowing you to create an extra-bubbly bath experience. Simply cook the beans, season them with Tabasco and enjoy the meal about an hour before your soak. Redneck Bubble Bath is a gift that keeps on giving! 12 oz. Made in USA.
Speaking of rednecks… Who wouldn’t fight to the death for a mullet that sweet? If you bring this gift to the White Elephant party you will get to bask in the glow of the popularity of the bobcat mullet.
My eyes! My eyes! Everyone who sees you in this will wish they could unsee it, and that’s only half the fun! This apron is a must-have for Dads with teenagers! You just might win the White Elephant party with this gift!
This looks so real I’m sure whomever wears it gets a lot of horrified double takes! So it’s kind of like a gift that keeps on giving, because the owner gets to enjoy people’s reactions every time he wears it.
Dwight Schrute Sequined Pillow
The hubs dominated last year’s White Elephant party with this exact pillow as his gift. It was strategically stolen and then cried over as it met its final owner. It’s no wonder that everyone wants a little Dwight!
And I’ll end with a couple of funny gag gift ideas from Make It & Love It. Tell me you wouldn’t laugh your head off over one of these! I think my favorite is the ‘Shave with Me’ Barbie! Click over to read all about their White Elephant gift escapades.
Happy gag gifting, friends! Don’t forget to pin these hilarious white elephant ideas for later!
I truly hope you’ve found the perfect White Elephant gift! If you’re still looking for the perfect gift for that special someone, though, read:
>>>How to Find the Perfect Gift for Anyone (no joke!)<<<
I’d love to hear about the funniest gag gifts you’ve seen at your own White Elephant and Dirty Santa parties. Leave a comment below and share!
I host a white elephant every year and you have to have super cool/funny/unique gifts as the host. Not to mention an extra incase someone forgets or is invited last minute! After many years, it’s hard to come up with ideas – this is definitely the best list I’ve seen in a while. I literally LOL at the donut seeds. Love how cost effective these laughs can be, GREAT JOB!
DO NOT give away living creatures and “hope they will make it”. That’s just awful.
I found it really interesting that you suggest so many jokes that have been in movies before! My wife told me that her new job always does a big white elephant exchange, and she doesn’t know what kind of gift she should give. I will be sure to tell her that she should try and find a gift from a movie!
That’s so funny Mark! I don’t watch many movies so I didn’t even know they were from movies!
I love the augmentation kit!
That one kills me!
These are hilarious! I hope I can get some friends together to do white elephant this year!
I hope you can, too! White Elephant parties (or Dirty Santa parties) are such a blast!
These are hilarious, makes me want to have a white elephant gift party now!
You should! They are so much fun!
These are seriously hilarious!!
Glad I’m not the only one who thought so! White elephant gifts are so much fun!
these are hilarious! I know a few people who need some of these
Me, too! I might even need one or two for myself, actually!
This list is great! My sister actually bought my dad a toilet light and he loved it. Especially at night because he would never turn the bathroom light on hahaha.
Yeah, I think the toilet light is actually kind of nifty, in addition to being funny!
These are hilarious and would be a huge hit at most any party (as long as everyone brought along their humor). 🙂
So true — some people seem to leave their humor at home!
I kind of love that toilet light! Too fun! And the loafers. Clever. haha
-Lauren
I need to buy myself the toilet light, ha, ha! And I’m definitely going to bring loafers to one of our upcoming Dirty Santa parties!
These are super fun ideas! It’s hard to believe it’s already time to start thinking about Christmas. Pinning this !
I’m posting this pretty early, so it can gain traction on pinterest before Christmas. Thanks for pinning!