Non-gag gift ideas for white elephant

[my3sons77]

Items that have been a big hit with our families white elephant gift exchange are:

Starbucks gift cards
Gift card to a nice restaurant (ie: Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, etc)
A nice blanket
A scratch off lottery ticket

White Elephants are fun

 

[TwoMisfits]

Lots of good ideas...most I would have given...

But, a nice "I'd never buy myself" food combo would be really good, ala Williams Sonoma. Sometime like a Bread and Dipping Oil combo (so a $10 gift card to a bread shop with a Williams Sonoma or Whole Foods Flavored Dipping Oil), a Christmas Baking combo (a WS bread/muffin mix with a nice pot holder), a Coffee Lover's combo (a $10 Starbucks gift card with a nice mug), etc...

 

[Pigeon]

Some of the other ideas are good. I think gift cards are the best. Also unisex gifts-- USB drives or folding umbrellas. I think you can also get those portable phone battery rechargers for under $20. They're sometimes called lipstick chargers. I've seen them at TJMaxx and Marshalls for that price.

Personally, I'd skip the lottery tickets --I'd just feel like I didn't get a gift and the candles because I know too many people who hate them.

 

[secretpantssam]

We do one at work every year- though I work mostly with young men. Things that have been a big hit in the past: flashlights, mutli tools, bluetooth speakers, and blankets. I love the idea one PP said about Tide and toilet paper...I'm a sucker for practical gifts! Wine is also good.

 

[Lynne G]

wine or other alcohol -even cheap, always gets fought over.

Soup mugs that are for the microwave.

Travel mugs. With instant coffee or hot chocolate packs.

Re-useable bags, in fun colors, with a gift card to a store.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Be sure to remember that you have some one under 18 and or 21. I got into trouble once for handing my teen age DS and DN a lottery ticket in the parking lot of a super market. Not pretty. Also you do not want to put yourself in the position of offering alcohol to a minor.....so....... Maybe better to just skip them. I like gift cards, and even though you wanted to avoid it......food is always a great choice for most people.

 

[kellia]

Remote lighting! We got these one year and love them. We've since given them as gifts and use our year round for the lamps in our family room.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_357408-6690...1&currentURL=?Ntt=remote+for+lamps&facetInfo=

I am getting one of these for myself!

 

[Minnesota!]

We do lottery tickets and alcohol. A bottle of Jag was the last thing we "fought" over!

We have one coming up on 12/6 so I am taking note - love the m-n-m jar/cash one!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I usually stock up on these blankets at Target (regularly $17.79, but I wait for a sale, plus the 5% off with using the Redcard). I found Polar Express last year in a $5 bin (but lots of other Christmas DVD's can be found cheaply). I put the movie, blanket, and some cheap $1 boxes of candy and microwave popcorn in a cheap basket. This usually goes over well at White Elephant parties.

One of the hottest items with men at the last White Elephant I went to was one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/17-Lighted-Co...&qid=1416252387&sr=8-11&keywords=traffic+cone

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Movies on DVD from our youth/young adulthood are always popular

Funny t-shirts

A couple of boxes of K-cups

Bag of Starbucks coffee with a SB giftcard attached



If you want to have a really fun white elephant exchange, have everyone bring a "re-gift" - my office does this and it's always a riot. You just never know what is going to be in those boxes/bags! Sometimes the same items get recycled year to year...

 

[my3sons77]

Movies on DVD from our youth/young adulthood are always popular Funny t-shirts A couple of boxes of K-cups Bag of Starbucks coffee with a SB giftcard attached If you want to have a really fun white elephant exchange, have everyone bring a "re-gift" - my office does this and it's always a riot. You just never know what is going to be in those boxes/bags! Sometimes the same items get recycled year to year...

The office party sounds fun!

 

[MeridaAndAngus]

I'd go with a very easy to use gift card - Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts. Something with very broad appeal so whoever gets it is more likely to actually use & enjoy it.

 

[Aryn]

I am invited to one this year and my gift is a wine glass that holds an entire bottle of wine from 5below. Plus a bottle of wine and a packet of wine wipes, so they don't have red smiles. I really want it!

 

[marthachick]

I saw on Pinterest a largish reusable jar that they put a toilet paper tube in the middle of and then filled the jar with M&Ms around the tube. Inside the tube they put cash. Sounds like a good gift to me! Plus a nice surprise if no one opens the jar before the game is over.

I think I would use a paper towel tube cut to fit rather than a toilet paper tube. The idea of using a TP tube just skeeves me out. And I'm not a germaphobe. (Or at least I don't think I am.) Otherwise, sounds like a fun gift!

 

[nikkistevej]

We do this at work and for hubby's family(not immediate- all the cousins, aunts, uncles), alot of times local sports team stuff get alot of attention, (blankets, platters, etc) last year I wrapped a Ravens(we all live in Baltimore) platter, people were stealing that left and right.

 

[MomToOne]

Saw this on Slickdeals today - it's only for store pickup, so a store in your area will need to have it in stock, but it seems like a nice adult gift: http://www.kmart.com/sandra-by-sand...W006288655001P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1 (Sandra Lee 3 piece pizza stone kit)

If you are a Shop Your Way member (you can sign up free), you can also use coupon code HOMESALE10 for another 10% off, making it just $4.50. You could add a Redbox gift card for 4 movie rentals with it, or a classic $5 DVD, and still be under $10!

 

[rszdtrvl]

We purchased 2 of our 3 gifts for our family exchange at my parents house Christmas day this weekend. Our limit is $10 because we are buying for each other also, not just doing this exchange.

We got :

2 boxes of Hershey Pot of Gold Chocolates (one is assorted chocolates and another is the pecan/caramel/chocolate Turtle things)
and
Mixing bowls with lids/measuring cup/measuring spoons set (Walmart BF special)

I was going to get the electric griddle (Walmart BF special) but our store sold out of them already (they always do - I think that is one of the hottest BF items in our city - I remember when we could buy the BF deals like that online - those were the days!).

My main thing when purchasing stuff for those exchanges is to buy something that I, myself, would want. I have been known in the past to steal my own gifts back, LOL.

For the third gift, I was thinking of something like a battery operated screwdriver or bathroom towels or a gift card. Not sure exactly what we will be getting yet.

 

[Eastern]

Some great ideas here! I especially liked the traffic cone.

 

[scrapquitler]

I need to buy several white elephant gifts, $20 max, there will be men and women, ranging in ages from 17-70. Any ideas other than typical food, lotion, candles, ornaments, etc? For one I may do a bottle of wine and chocolate, but I need a few more ideas. Thanks!

KCups

Dishtowels and a couple co-ordinating potholders.

Flashlight.

Car scraper/brush (if you live where you get snow/ice).

Some sort of gadety/tool thing for the guys. My husband usually buys a few of those screwdriver sets with interchangeable tips for his work grab bag...he says a guy can never have too many of those.

A battery organizer to hang on the wall and/or some batteries (we usually buy a pack of 24 or 26 AA or AAA at BJs for about $12...all our remotes use them and we seem to ALWAYS need them).