'White Elephant' gifts

[Cherbear013]

My family plays the 'dice game' each Christmas for getting gifts. Each person brings a small gift or two and puts them in a big pile. Then we pass dice around and if you roll doubles you take a gift from the center (they are all wrapped). Its always fun to see what crazy gifts people bring!

My aunt is changing the game a little this year and is asking everyone to bring a gift worth $10-$15 per person. It can be gender specific you want. Any ideas on what would be good gifts for a wide range of people? I was thinking maybe a gift card, but that's kind of boring. Or maybe a game of some sort? Help me come up with something useful and fun!! TIA!!

 

[Fyrefly]

So we're migrating from white elephant gifts to useful gifts, but you still want something goofy, am I getting you right?

Well something I just thought of is that making dinner around the days up to the holidays with everything else hectic going on can be a bit tricky. So I was thinking for both the useful factor and the weird factor, you could wrap up a rotisserie chicken for about $10. Just get before the party and make sure you fridge it after it's been picked. If you wanted you could have a premade thing of mashed potatoes ready and a frozen veggie waiting to give to the chicken-winner later.

Well you wanted useful and silly. That's what I got. Mainly because I would be amused to unwrap a chicken.

 

[chris31997]

Make a basket of themed items. Like make-up, hair accessories, kitchen stuff.

If you have a creative person in your group you can do a basket with what ever craft they are into.

You can go to the dollar store and get hot chocolate, candles, lotion, soap, whatever.

 

[Cherbear013]

Yeah, I guess my family is wanting more useful gifts this year

That would be hilarious!! I like getting gifts for others that are a little out there and not something you would think of getting everyday.

 

[scrapquitler]

My family plays the 'dice game' each Christmas for getting gifts. Each person brings a small gift or two and puts them in a big pile. Then we pass dice around and if you roll doubles you take a gift from the center (they are all wrapped). Its always fun to see what crazy gifts people bring!

My aunt is changing the game a little this year and is asking everyone to bring a gift worth $10-$15 per person. It can be gender specific you want. Any ideas on what would be good gifts for a wide range of people? I was thinking maybe a gift card, but that's kind of boring. Or maybe a game of some sort? Help me come up with something useful and fun!! TIA!!

We do this in my family. There's always a wide range of gifts because everyone (even the little kids) participates. Some of the things I have contributed in past years or that we have gotten: a box of k-cups, one of those giant rice krispie treats, candles, a marshmellow shooter, a nerf gun, christmas ornament, poker chips/cards set, a board game, a plunger (my brother did that ), holiday placemats, a lava lamp, a first aid kit, a car wash kit, scratch off lottery tickets, a chia pet, a small george foreman grill, a small lego set.

 

[Clemson Cruiser]

I have bought one of those huge stockings from the dollar store, the kind you can almost fit into, and stuffed it full of toilet paper rolls (bought on sale with coupons of course!). This was a huge hit because it was funny trying to guess what it was, and who doesn't need toilet paper.

classic but obscure DVD's, such as the Goonies, Gremlins, Outsiders are pretty popular too.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Bed Bath & Beyond can be a gold mine for these sorts of gifts. They have cute cool stuff, along with the "As Seen on TV" offers. (Hey, I use my Mr Steamy dryer balls all the time, I got those one year)

Sometimes snack food items are VERY popular and get "stolen" often before the game ends. Gourmet type chocolate covered pretzels were a hit, as was a nice box of salt water taffy (we live near the shore).

One year I put a few Tervis Tumblers with the travel lids in there. I TRY to get useful things, but can't resist some "goofy" items. So I bought a couple of Star Wars Light sabers one year.

My brother but a small statue of the Empire State Building (he works in NYC), but that was just SO useless, it was the dud of the bunch that year. And I suspect it was something laying around his house.

We just started playing this 3-4 years ago, with my side of the family, and we DO laugh ALOT while it is going on, so for that, I am grateful!

We have 5 college age girls in the family mix, so this year I am tossing in at least one pillow pet. Oh yeah, one year I put in a Zebra print snuggie that was also stolen a few times.

 

[malibuconlee]

We do a $10 guy/$10 girl gift exchange. This year DH bought golf balls (he did go over a bit). I got a cast iron cookie pan/mix set for $5 and a $5 DVD with Christmas movies on it for the girls.

I've also done a $10 Burt's Bees set.

 

[i*heart*minniemouse]

We went to a party on Saturday that had a White Elephant exchange...what fun! It was the game where you could steal someone else's gift and then they would have to pick another or steal from someone else...3 steal limit.
The most popular gift stolen -
Breakfast in a bag. Ground coffee, pancake mix and real maple syrup.
Other popular gifts - local brewed beer gift pack, starbucks mug and coffee, 3 movie tickets with candy.
The funniest - a portable, plastic folding toilet. It was the type you would buy to use while camping or hunting. It looked like a chair with 3 folding legs and came with plastic bags for...well, easy to figure out. It was the most beautifully wrapped with a beautiful gold bow.
What fun!

 

[mafibisha]

Bed Bath & Beyond can be a gold mine for these sorts of gifts. They have cute cool stuff, along with the "As Seen on TV" offers. (Hey, I use my Mr Steamy dryer balls all the time, I got those one year)

Sometimes snack food items are VERY popular and get "stolen" often before the game ends. Gourmet type chocolate covered pretzels were a hit, as was a nice box of salt water taffy (we live near the shore).

One year I put a few Tervis Tumblers with the travel lids in there. I TRY to get useful things, but can't resist some "goofy" items. So I bought a couple of Star Wars Light sabers one year.

My brother but a small statue of the Empire State Building (he works in NYC), but that was just SO useless, it was the dud of the bunch that year. And I suspect it was something laying around his house.

We just started playing this 3-4 years ago, with my side of the family, and we DO laugh ALOT while it is going on, so for that, I am grateful!

We have 5 college age girls in the family mix, so this year I am tossing in at least one pillow pet. Oh yeah, one year I put in a Zebra print snuggie that was also stolen a few times.

So you don't wrap the gifts? Everyone sees whats there? Is that what most of y'all do?

DHs side of the family is doing something similar this year, but the gifts will be wrapped.

 

[akcire]

So you don't wrap the gifts? Everyone sees whats there? Is that what most of y'all do?

DHs side of the family is doing something similar this year, but the gifts will be wrapped.

I can't speak to how other people do White Elephants......

However, when we do them everything is wrapped.

We either pick numbers or let the oldest person or the youngest person--pick first.

They pick a wrapped gift and unwrap it infront of everyone. Than if we used the number system, the next number picks or the first "picker" chooses the next "picker". The second person can either steal the gift that was opened by the first person or they can choose to open a wrapped gift.

This goes for all of the participants. Each person can either steal a previously unwrapped gift or pick their own, no one is safe until all the gifts are unwrapped.

This way everyone pays attention throughout the whole process. No man wants to take a bathroom break after he as secured a 5 pack of beer as his gift, only to find he is now the proud owner of a box of tampons when he gets back to his seat. Yes this happened at a work party.

At our work party you could only bring something from your home that you would no longer use. The stuff that came was hilarious. One lady lost a ton of weight and brought her cake pans and a big pair of her old pants, the lady that brought the tampons no longer had a need for them, the guy who brought the 5 pack, had purchased a 6 pack and decreed the beer gross. The best was the recent divorcee who brought a bunch of inexpesive picture frames that used to hold photos of her ex (no kids involved). Technically it was anonymous, but it was pretty easy to figure out. It was always a good time.

 

[PatMcDuck]

So you don't wrap the gifts? Everyone sees whats there? Is that what most of y'all do?

DHs side of the family is doing something similar this year, but the gifts will be wrapped.

Yes, we DO wrap the gifts, but we play that game where you can either pick a new wrapped gift, or steal one that someone else already chose and unwrapped.

 

[mafibisha]

Yes, we DO wrap the gifts, but we play that game where you can either pick a new wrapped gift, or steal one that someone else already chose and unwrapped.

I would think they'd be wrapped, but you said earlier:
"Sometimes snack food items are VERY popular and get "stolen" often before the game ends."

So how do they know what they are? Do they have a lovely aroma? Or are gifts of food un-wrapped?

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

I am going to my holiday work party tonight and we are doing this exchange. My gift is a wine bottle wrapped with label "the night before" and a bag of starbucks coffee wrapped with the label "the morning after". I have placed both wrapped items in a christmas bag.

 

[Plumeria9]

How about the Justin Beiber perfume. I see a thread a few above yours entitled that, and to me, that is just screaming "WHITE ELEPHANT"!

 

[curlyjbs]

So I guess it's best to be last if the stealing option is there huh? It would seem the last person has the best chance of getting the best gift.

 

[torinsmom]

I would think they'd be wrapped, but you said earlier:
"Sometimes snack food items are VERY popular and get "stolen" often before the game ends."

So how do they know what they are? Do they have a lovely aroma? Or are gifts of food un-wrapped?

Well, you pick a gift, unwrap it, and then others who pick after you can get a wrapped gift OR they can take what you unwrapped already. We play that a gift can only be stolen three times.

Gift cards are always a huge hit at our party, but not very fun. I almost bought a pair of "Booty Pop" inflatable underwear for this year's party, but it might have caused one of my elderly aunts to pass out, LOL. Don't know what I'm bringing, but ours isn't until January. I'll figure it out before then.

 

[PatMcDuck]

So I guess it's best to be last if the stealing option is there huh? It would seem the last person has the best chance of getting the best gift.

Well, for us, the person who goes first, gets to also go last. (otherwise, they have no option to steal). We draw for numbers, so whoever draws #1 has the best chance for the best gift.

Since it is family, we have "fixed" who gets to be #1, my nephew has aspergers and the whole concept was a little stressful for him, so we gave him #1 (he was unaware of this). But now that he is older, and used to the "game", we do not do that.

I think families adjust and make up the rules to best fit their family.

 

[BMC423]

It is really funny that I found this board today... before today I have never even heard of White Elephant! Well at work today my manager sent out an email, instead of Secret Santa we are doing a white elephant gift exchange. Our rule are that it should be a regift... no purchasing anything for your "person" This should be very very funny!

I am going to my holiday work party tonight and we are doing this exchange. My gift is a wine bottle wrapped with label "the night before" and a bag of starbucks coffee wrapped with the label "the morning after". I have placed both wrapped items in a christmas bag.

This a great idea I love this!

 

[mjantz]

DH & I have 2 white elephant exchanges to go to separately. I usually just grab a few things that IMO have hung around my gift shelf too long & toss them in the bag. Sometimes they're hits & sometimes they're misses but at least they are not in my house anymore!!