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VettedGifts
Jordan Thomas Forbes Staff
Forbes Vetted
This story is part of the Forbes Vetted 2023 Holiday Gift Guide, where you can find handpicked presents for everyone on your list.
Who doesn’t love a white elephant gift exchange? It’s one of the few gift-giving events where the rules are minimal and your choices are only limited by price (which is perhaps the golden rule: Do not go over budget). Otherwise, the only real goal is to incite a small frenzy. To help you get inspired, we rounded up the best white elephant gifts under $30—from the practical to the unique (and everything in between).
There are three simple guidelines to finding the perfect white elephant gift. First, the aforementioned budget. Stick to it—it was selected for a reason. Second: A pure gag gift can be fun, but it typically ends up in the bin. Aiming for something funny and useful, unique or consumable makes for a more well-rounded present. Lastly, tailor your gifts to your audience. A gift exchange among friends will have a much different tone than an office party. With that in mind, go forth and shop the best white elephant gifts under $30 that all the party guests will want.
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Best White Elephant Gifts Under $30, At A Glance:
- Best Traditional White Elephant Gift Under $30: Cody Foster Glass Vintage Food Ornament (Caviar)
- Best Practical White Elephant Gift Under $30: Gerber Gear Suspension-NXT Multi-Tool
- Best Beauty White Elephant Gift Under $30: Starface Hydro-Stars Hydrocolloid Pimple Patches (32 Count)
- Best Food White Elephant Gift Under $30: The Original Proper Popper Microwave Popcorn Bowl
- Best Tech White Elephant Gift Under $30: Vobaga Electric Coffee Warmer
- Best Funny White Elephant Gift Under $30: Hey Foly Ramen Refrigerator Magnets
- Best Spa-Inspired White Elephant Gift Under $30: Okuhida Yunohana Onsen Powder
- Best Unique White Elephant Gift Under $30: The Pasta Tarot Deck
- Best Artsy White Elephant Gift Under $30: Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor Set
Best White Elephant Gifts Under $30
Potted Plants For Anyone With A Green Thumb
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Gardens may be winding down, but these little terracotta planters can bring a little green into your space throughout the winter. Each kit comes with everything you need to start growing lavender, daisies, catnip, poppies or clover.
A Retro Puzzle
Puzzles are a winter staple—perfect for a relaxing weekend getaway or a cozy night in. Le Puzz takes puzzling seriously, with uncommon designs and random-cut pieces that will pose a decent challenge to any puzzle lover. Plus, you basically have a work of art when you’re done.
Japanese Meditation Candles
These thoughtful candles are composed of environmentally friendly rice wax and rush weed wicks. Each candle has a 15 minute burn-time that’s perfect for a little meditation break. The package is equally as gorgeous as the candles, making it a unique gifting experience all around.
A Chic Ornament
Ah, a Christmas ornament, the most traditional of casual holiday gifts. This caviar bauble steps the sentiment up with a fun, vintage-inspired design. If caviar doesn’t do it for you, there are tons of cute pantry-inspired designs on Food52’s site.
A Tool For Serious Snackers
This condiment fork solves the snacker’s lament: Should you wiggle your little piggies in the pickle jar or dirty a clean fork? The holster attaches to most jars and holds the FridgeFork in place, so you can quickly snag a pickle (or a couple of olives) without any extra fuss. If you’re more of a cornichon fan, this little grabber tool is great too.
A Calendar Inspired By Our National Parks
Parks Project National Parks 2024 Calendar
A gift fit for any nature lover, this 2024 calendar is full of unique art and donates a portion of proceeds to national conservation efforts. It’s a win-win that will have the giftee looking forward to the new year.
A Beloved Multi-Tool
If your white elephant crew is made up of outdoorsy folks, this multi-tool might start a riot. The tool folds up into a compact 4.25-inch size, but still houses needle nose pliers, a wire stripper, three flathead drivers, a #2 cross driver, awl, nail file, scissors, tool lock, can opener, bottle opener, partially serrated blade and pocket clip.
A Fun (And Functional) Pop-Up Book
Great for science-loving adults and kids alike, this pop-up book can transform into six fully functional tools—including a planetarium, an infinite calendar and a playable instrument.
Girl Dinner Accoutrements
With the rise of tinned fish night and girl dinner this past year, Fishwife has become a foodie staple. These responsibly sourced tins are delicious and adorably packaged. And if the giftee really likes them, they can sign up for a subscription service to try all of the flavors.
Trendy Blemish Patches
A skincare essential, these hydrating pimple patches are a cute way to deal with a less cute problem. The hydrocolloid patches are designed to absorb fluids and reduce inflammation. The set includes 32 stickers and a cute refillable carrying case with a mirror for on-the-go touch ups.
A Microwavable Popcorn Bowl
Everyone loves popcorn, right? It’s a delicious, easy snack made even easier with a microwaveable popcorn bowl. Just add kernels (and your oil/seasoning of choice) and pop it into the microwave for about four minutes. Voila: you’ve got a perfect bowl of homemade popcorn for a cozy movie night.
A Stylish AirPods Case
Casely’s unique AirPods cases are a perfect example of a fun but useful white elephant gift. They offer 48 styles in a variety of patterns and colors—as well as matching phone cases and portable chargers.
An Electric Mug Warmer For Hot Coffee All Day
I spend a lot of time walking back and forth between my desk and the microwave: The Sisyphean task of keeping my coffee warm. This electric mug warmer sits on your desk and keep your beverage warm for hours. It can reach up to 149 degrees, has an auto shut-off after four hours and a light that lets you know when the pad is still hot to the touch.
A Daily Calendar For The Dog Lover
Inspired by the popular Instagram account, WeRateDogs, this day-to-day calendar by Matt Nelson will start your mornings off right with a funny dog photo, caption and rating that’s always over 10 because, well, just look at that face. This gift is especially great for a workplace white elephant party—who wouldn’t want this on their desk?
A Pair Of Trendy Socks
Socks don’t have to be a secret, hidden beneath your shoes. These best-selling fashion socks come in bold, whimsical designs, like the Tree of Life above or these strawberry ruffles. If you’re looking for something less baroque, these retro-inspired tube socks are an excellent option.
Playful Fridge Magnets
The refrigerator is the unofficial art gallery and message board for many homes, but often magnets go overlooked. These ramen fridge magnets can stand on their own as fun décor or hold up that pending wedding invitation (that you should RSVP to soon, by the way).
A Disposable Camera To Capture Lasting Memories
Disposable cameras are back, baby. Gone is the era of the perfectly posed picture, we’d rather capture the moment (and leave our phones in our pockets). Pass it around a party, bring it on your next trip or keep it in your bag—you never know when the photog mood might strike.
A Fun Breakfast-Themed Candle
Your giftee may never burn this adorable candle. Playful and nostalgic, choose from sweet culinary delights—like the Lucky Charms design above—or savory snacks, like a bowl of mac and cheese.
A Funky Art Print
This London-based illustrator makes fun, stylized designs, like this bold lobster or these graphic sardines. But any fun and funky art print from a favorite artist would make an excellent gift.
A Cute Tea Infuser
The ManaTea might be a bit of a cliché in the stocking stuffer game at this point, but it’s still an excellent white elephant gift. Cute, functional and entirely based around a bad pun—what more could you want?
Best-Selling Pens For An Artist
Sometimes old-school methods just hit different: Texting will never feel better than penning a letter and sketching by hand has a different fluidity than a tablet. If your group has any artists or writers, a good set of pens is a swoon-worthy gift.
Wine Purifiers For A Headache-Free Night Out
This is the perfect gift for the wine lover who suffers from common sensitivities like headaches or restlessness after a glass or two. Supposedly, these wine wands help purify your glass (and also restore open, oxidized wine) without impacting the flavor. So you can enjoy your rosé without the stress of a rough morning after.
A Light For Late-Night Bookworms
This rechargeable book light is perfect for late night readers, knitters or really any hobbyist who could use some illumination. It’s comfortable, has an optional 30-minute auto-off timer, three lighting temperatures and an 80-hour battery life.
Fun Culinary-Inspired Nail Art Stickers
Equal parts playful and stylish, these culinary-inspired nail stickers will please any foodie. You can even pick up a holiday themed design to really get into the seasonal spirit.
A Cute Neon Light
Amazon makes tons of fun neon-inspired LED lights that are bright and surprisingly effective for the price. (I actually have a few myself.) The cute lounging cat above (or this furry friend) will please animal lovers or you can go a little more esoteric with something like this tropical sunset design.
A Roaring Headlamp
This battery-powered lamp works great for kids or as a silly (but still functional) option for adults. You can find highly-rated classic headlamps under budget as well, if you want a more traditional design (but who can say no to a roaring headlamp?).
Elegant Scented Matches
These handmade matchsticks are sustainably harvested from Aspen wood and smell like orris, iris and petitgrain. It’s an elegant gift from the inside out, including chic packaging. All in all, a fun way to add a little extra pizzazz to a practical tool.
A Set Of Cute Reusable Food Savers
Help your giftee reduce food waste with these handy silicone food savers. The food huggers come in a variety of sizes that can slip over fruits, veggies and open containers to keep them fresh. You can also choose from a handful of fun colors.
A Funny Wine Bottle Stopper
This bottle stopper will keep your wine fresh and looks great doing it. It’s funny, it’s fun, it’s functional. What more could you ask for? Psst, it also comes as a cute cat.
Tarot-Inspired Seed Collections
If you’ve got some green thumbs in your group, check out this cute seed collection. Each set includes unique seeds in fun, tarot-inspired packaging. The tomato collection above includes Mushroom Basket Tomato, Hillbilly Tomato, Dr. Wyche’s Yellow Tomato, Blueberry Cherry Tomato and Black Beauty Tomato seeds. You can also pick up a herb collection, flowers and more.
A Beloved Portable Charger
Perfect for frequent travelers (or folks who just can’t seem to keep their phone charged), the Zendure Power Bank is a super popular and reliable portable charger. You can power up two devices at once and it also provides quick charging to any 3.0 compatible devices (but you’ll need an extra cord).
A Simple But Classic Lawn Game
Every family has a game they play when they get together. (For my in-laws, it’s pétanque, which is basically bocce with slightly different rules.) Yard games are a fun way to casually socialize in a larger group without having to devote too much attention to a complex set of rules.
Adorable Handmade Soaps
It doesn’t get much cuter than these vegan jelly soaps. Shaped like adorable little frogs, this set comes in a strawberry-scented 12-pack. The shop offers different scents and shapes, like a large mint frog or this sleepy vanilla pug.
A Popular Handheld Juicer
This practical and reliable bar tool is durable, works well and is dishwasher safe. A win-win-win. It’s great to have on hand for co*cktails, mocktails or just adding a little fresh citrus to your water. Keep in mind that the different colors offered vary by size.
What Are Some Unique White Elephant Gifts Under $30?
The best unique white elephant gifts are niche but useful. Funny is great, but you don’t want to shell out for something that will get thrown away at the end of the night. Items that your giftee can enjoy in their day-to-day—but that they may not have thought to buy for themselves—is the sweet spot. Consider consumables, like a bottle of local cider or honey, or practical tools—like a quality set of pens or a reading light. Local shops are another great way to find unique gifts while supporting artisans and artists.
Where Can I Find The Best Deals On White Elephant Gifts Under $30?
Shopping sales online is your best bet to find the largest variety of deals on white elephant gifts under $30. You can’t beat instant access to sites like Amazon or Etsy—especially when it comes to the sheer diversity of products. However, shopping local is also an excellent way to find affordable gift selections. Check out a local bookstore or farmer’s market for some knickknack inspiration.
Can I Personalize Or Customize White Elephant Gifts Under $30?
Absolutely—to a point. The nature of a white elephant gift exchange is largely random, so the best gifts will apply to the majority of the party. However, customizing your white elephant gift to the audience is a fun way to give it a little extra flair (and guarantee everyone will be fighting for it). Shared hobbies or inside jokes are great opportunities to personalize your gift while still keeping it applicable to the group at large.
More Gifts Stories To Shop
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- The Best Gifts For Friends
- The Best Gifts For Christmas
- The Best Gifts For Foodies
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