Arguably, the point of a white elephant exchange is not the gift you take home but the chaos and camaraderie leading up to it. Of course, to get the party going, you need the right gifts—the guffaw-inducing, the ridiculous, the appealingly useful, and the purely delightful. From pickle bandages to a puzzle of pooping puppies (yes, that’s right), below you will find a wide range of affordable ideas that are sure to spark the competitive gift-grabbing spirit.
If you’re looking for more wallet-friendly gifts, check out our guides for under $10, under $50, and under $100 gifts, as well as stocking stuffers and secret santa gifts.
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Fancy pastas
Greenomic Good Hair Day Pasta
These handmade, 100% durum wheat semolina pastas come in a variety of styles, including multi-colored butterfly bows and a braided plait flavored with peperoncino.
$14 from Greenomic
The price of a box of Good Hair Day Pasta may seem a bit absurd—even for premium pasta that’s handmade in Italy with bronze casts. But this is exactly the kind of affordable luxury that would delight a gift recipient. Each stylish box shows a plastic pane in the shape of a hairstyle surrounding the illustrated face of a woman. Choose from different styles, such as a cacao springs mane, a basil- and lemon-flavored tangle of fettuccine, or a crimped lunghi bucati.
Sweet chopstick holders
Various Wing On Wo & Co Fruit Chopstick Rests include a watermelon, peas, carrot, celery, and more.
Photo: Wing on Wo & Co.
Wing On Wo & Co. Chopstick Rest
These adorable, vibrantly hued porcelain chopstick rests come in a variety of fruit and vegetable forms, including watermelon, eggplant, and pink radish.
$3 from Wing On Wo & Co.
The Wing On Wo & Co Fruit Chopstick Rests are absolutely delightful, with cutesy, colorful options like watermelon, eggplant, and pink radish. The affordable ceramic rests are about 2.5 inches long, and they’re made by the “oldest continuously operating store in Manhattan’s Chinatown,” according to the website. Just note that they must be hand-washed.
Hot pot
The MoMA Farfalloni Pasta Pot Grips on a red pot, on top of a wooden cutting board and beside a bottle of olive oil.
Photo: MoMA
MoMA Farfalloni Pasta Pot Grips
These two oversize, heat-resistant silicone “pasta” bowties, which fit over pot handles for safe carrying, are dishwasher-safe and just slightly ridiculous.
$1 from Uncommon Goods
$16 from MoMA Design Store
There’s something inherently funny about oversize pasta bowties, and the Farfalloni Pasta Pot Grips are also practical, helping cooks to drain actual pasta. These 4-inch-wide silicone pot holders are heat-resistant and dishwasher-safe. They’d also be amusing at a dinner party, for transporting a big Dutch oven of stew (or any other dish) to the dinner table.
Canned crayons
Mudpuppy Andy Warhol Soup Can Crayons + Sharpener
This charming, colorful, 4-inch-tall tin holds a sharpener and 18 quality crayons named after Warhol references, like Hot Dog Bean Soup and Grape Marilyn.
$22 from Amazon
$21 from Walmart
A pink-and-teal riff on Warhol’s iconic 1962 painting, the Mudpuppy Andy Warhol Inspired Soup Can Crayons tin is roomy enough to hold 18 crayons and the included sharpener, and there’s still space for additions (like more crayons or little toys). When we tested the Mudpuppy crayons—which sport cheeky, Warhol-inspired names, like “Invisible Sculpture” for white—we found that they were on a par with other quality scribblers. Unlike cardboard Crayola boxes, the 4-inch-tall tin can isn’t prone to disintegrating at the bottom (and spilling crayons all over in transit).
Universal snickers
101 Pooping Puppies Jigsaw Puzzle
Delivering on its promise of squatting pooches, this 1,000-piece puzzle keeps the laughter rolling with German shepherd, golden retriever, and Bernese mountain dogs doing their business.
$20 from Amazon
$33 from Walmart
We know seniors and 7-year-olds alike who find nothing funnier than good old-fashioned bathroom humor. And that’s exactly why the 101 Pooping Puppies Jigsaw Puzzle is the perfect family game. This challenging-yet-doable puzzle clocks in at 1,000 pieces, and the pieced-together sights of a poodle or a pit bull doing their business is sure to keep everyone engaged.
Very cutesy
A hand holds a Marvling Bros Kawaii Cross Stitch square.
Photo: MarvlingBrosLtd / etsy
Marvling Bros Kawaii Cross Stitch Kit in a Matchbox
These itty-bitty cross-stitch projects are as giftable as they are cute, which is to say, extremely so. But the small print of the pattern can be hard to see for people with low vision.
$7 from Etsy
The Marvling Bros Kawaii Cross Stitch Kits—one of our favorite fabric crafts for adults—come in more than a dozen squeal-inducing versions, including a smiling taco, a toadstool, and a strawberry. Each kit includes instructions, an embroidery needle and floss, and cross-stitch fabric. While the kit is intended for intermediate cross-stitchers, the sweetly designed, matchbook-sized containers will likely get snatched up by adoring young kids.
Easy recipe research
The New York Times Cooking Page-A-Day Calendar 2025
This tidy calendar features top NYT Cooking recipes, making it an analog answer to the daily conundrum of what to make for dinner (or a lunch, side, or dessert).
$16 from Amazon
$16 from Walmart
$18 from The New York Times
The New York Times Cooking Calendar helps ease the perennial question of “what should we have for dinner?” With one recipe per weekday and one for the entire weekend, each pull-off page delivers a doable dinner, side, or dessert, with choices like sesame salmon bowls and carne adobada. Staff writer Mari Uyehara’s partner found that the 2024 calendar added new standards to their weekly dinner rotation—without requiring any of the usual research efforts.
Lovely Lego
The Lego Cherry Blossoms placed in a vase inside a home.
Photo: Lego
Lego Cherry Blossom Celebration Gift
A fun ode to spring, this lovely, 430-piece set of two branches sports sprays of pink and white flowers flecked with light green leaves. Plus, they’ll never wilt.
$15 from Amazon
$15 from Walmart
$15 from Best Buy
The Lego Cherry Blossoms will last much longer than the two weeks of their ephemeral floral namesake. The 430-piece set turns into two separate branches, one with darker pink and the other with white-and-blush flowers, dotted with green leaves, which would fit nicely into a bud vase. While quick to build for an adult or Lego-savvy kid, it’d also make for a sweet shared project with a smaller child.
Fun French press
An exclusive MoMA Bodum Caffettiera French Press in green and lilac.
Photo: MoMA
MoMA Bodum Caffettiera French Press
We love the classic lines, the low price, and the consistent cup of coffee this French press produces. This version comes in two exclusive colorways.
$25 from MoMA Design Store
The 34-ounce MoMA Bodum Caffettiera French Press—the budget pick in our guide to the best French presses—has a smooth steel filter and chrome-plated borosilicate beaker, and it produces a rich cup of coffee. This particular model comes in a couple of fun tricolor designs—with a different hue for the lid, handle, and plunger top—at the MoMa Design Store. Choose from blue-green-red or green-purple yellow.
Vampire-friendly garlic press
Ototo Gracula Garlic Crusher
This cloaked crusher deftly minces multiple cloves but also pulverizes seed, nuts, and spices.
$19 from Amazon
According to most chefs and our kitchen testers, a garlic press is one of the kitchen gadgets you can skip. (Mincing is better than smushing.) But the Ototo Gracula Garlic Crusher has metal teeth to chop and mince as you twist the head, and it can tackle ginger, nuts, and other grindables as well. It’s charming, quirky, and exceptionally well reviewed.
A foot makeover
Baby Foot Original Exfoliation Foot Peel
Tingly but effective concentrations of lactic acid and glycolic acid team up for a deeply exfoliating callus treatment.
$25 from Amazon
This Baby Foot Exfoliation Foot Peel enjoyed a bout of internet fame a few years ago, in part because it’s a little weird. And it used to be much harder to get your hands—or, rather, feet—on. Recipients tape their tootsies into gel-filled booties for an hour—after rinsing and waiting a few days, skin begins to slough and peel. It’s safe and immensely satisfying. The lactic and glycolic acids work even better if your feet are presoaked and pliant.
Competition-grade cube
The MoYu RS3M Maglev speed cube with its white, green, and red faces visible.
Photo: Marki Williams
MoYu RS3M Maglev
This highly adjustable and smooth-twisting cube is a great starting point for novice cubers, and it has the chops to help you keep up with more-experienced speed solvers.
$12 from Amazon
A twist on the classic Rubik’s Cube, the MoYu RS3M Maglev uses magnets in its mechanism, so it’s pleasantly smooth and easy to manipulate (it doesn’t have any of that crunching noise you get with old-school cubes). Our testers deemed it great for novices and practiced cube-heads. If your recipient doesn’t appreciate this particular type of brainteaser, they can always use it as a paperweight.
A cozy headlamp
Etsfmoa Unisex Beanie with Light
This combination beanie and headlamp has a bright, rechargeable light embedded in a soft, warm hat.
$15 from Amazon
(price varies by color)
Staff writer Samantha Schoech brought this genius Etsfmoa Beanie with Light to a Yankee swap last year, and it became the coveted gift to snag. She later bought herself one, and it became a lifesaver while she was putting on tire chains in a snowstorm after dark (she failed, but at least her head was warm and she could see). This soft acrylic beanie has a flat, bright light that can be removed for USB recharging. It has an on-off button in the middle and runs about eight hours on a charge. Better headlamps are available, but this model is the coziest.
Play-anywhere game
A banana-shaped bag containing word pieces on a green background
Photo: Michael Hession
Bananagrams
This word-building game is played at breakneck speed, and it’s fun for groups of all ages.
$15 from Amazon
$20 from Walmart
This lightning-fast Bananagrams game combines the wordsmithing of Scrabble with the heart-pounding pace of Boggle. It’s easy to learn, works for two to eight players, and comes in a portable, unmissable banana-shape pouch. Because players race to finish first (rather than for points) and create their word grids freeform, the game doesn’t require a board or even a scoresheet.
Star power
Faber-Castell Paint by Number Museum Series The Starry Night
Patient painters can re-create museum masterpieces with these classic paint-by-number kits, featuring works by Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Georges Seurat.
Buy from Amazon
$12 from Walmart
May be out of stock
Adult coloring books are so early 2010s. So we’re calling it now: The paint-by-number genre is this decade’s meditative, grown-up art pursuit. And no sets are as appealing as the Faber-Castell Paint by Number Museum Series. Each package includes a 6-by-8-inch canvas, six 5-milliliter pots of acrylic paint, a soft brush, and (most importantly) detailed yet easy-to-follow instructions for mixing. We love “The Starry Night” miniature, but you can also choose works by Seurat and Monet, depending on your recipient’s artistic proclivities. A tiny chipboard easel is included, but each artist will need to provide their own beret.
Pine away
Paine's Fir Balsam Incense in its packaging.
Photo: Paine’s
Paine Products 24 Balsam Sticks & Holder
These rustic incense sticks smell like the Maine balsam boughs they’re made from.
$20 from Amazon
May be out of stock
The contents of the Paine Products Balsam Sticks & Holder are unassuming, to be sure: a block of wood drilled with a crude hole and 24 nubby brown logs. But the unfussy presentation belies a transportive experience. Each tiny cylinder is rendered from Maine balsam boughs that are ground, dried, and pressed. When they are lit, the resulting scent is rich, resinous, reminiscent of Christmas, and not overly earthy or cloying like some incense. The nostalgic box is charming, too, and it looks lovely without any extra wrapping.
Measuring moppets
Fred M-Cups
These plastic Russian nesting dolls are really six handy dry measuring cups.
$14 from Amazon
“Oh, how cute … white plastic matryoshkas,” your unwitting recipient will marvel. But you know better. These little babushkas are not only traditional Russian nesting dolls but also handy measuring cups. The tallest of the three dolls is just 5 inches, and each half is cleverly labeled with six dry measuring increments, from a quarter to a full cup. The plastic is food-safe and BPA-free, so your recipient can use them to make batches of chocolate kolbasa and buckwheat blinis.
Pizza by piece
Nanoblock Pizza
This 160-piece plastic brick set becomes a 5-centimeter slice with everything.
$17 from Walmart
May be out of stock
When the Wordle dust settles, gamers will appreciate this 160-piece Nanoblock Pizza set. Challenging enough to be engaging but not so tricky (or tiny) as to be enraging, the Lego-like set is a fun distraction for whoever ends up with the fully loaded slice. Once your gift recipient has crafted their mini piece o’ pie, the assembled item is just 5 centimeters, so it won’t take up too much space when it’s proudly displayed.
Anti-aging ornamentation
Cody Foster Wrinkle Free Ornament
A 5-inch Botox syringe rendered in sparkly painted glass.
$16 from Philippa Roberts
May be out of stock
$20 from Amazon
The most common cosmetic treatment in the world, Botox injections are plenty popular with everyone from the stars of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills to those suffering from chronic migraines (it’s proved to be an effective treatment in clinical trials). Men and women of a certain age might giggle over the idea of a Cody Foster Wrinkle Free Ornament swinging from their tree. As gag gifts go, this one is pretty enough to keep, with a pastel teal tube and glittery needle. If this ornament appeals, buy it now. The topical Cody Foster glass ornaments tend to sell out.
Pickled plasters
Bioswiss Pickle Bandages
These seemingly silly pickle adhesive bandages are sterile and sticky enough for small cuts.
$10 from Amazon
Klutzy kids often grow into klutzy adults, but that doesn’t mean their first-aid kits have to grow up too. Unlike some novelty adhesive bandages we’ve tried that feel cheap and flimsy, these photorealistic Bioswiss Pickle Bandages stick strongly to the skin for sterile wound care, and they also broadcast the wearer’s love of dill and fermentation. This is a great gift for a parent, someone with two left feet, or anyone with a playful streak; a more carnivorous crew might enjoy the bacon slab version.
A fragrant jalopy
D.S. & Durga Wild Brooklyn Lavender Auto Fragrance
These elegantly scented air fresheners are the antidote to the cloying, artificial smells of gas station air fresheners—but they’re a lot more expensive, too.
$15 from D.S. & Durga
You don’t need to suffer from migraines to dread the sight—and the scent—of a tree-shape air freshener dangling from the rearview mirror of an Uber car. Based in New York City, editor Gabriella Gershenson doesn’t have a car, but she likes this the D.S. & Durga Auto Fragrance so much she hangs one by her desk to gently scent her workspace. Her favorite, Wild Brooklyn Lavender, smells of the herb, concrete, and suede—an earthy floral effect, not anything like the stomach-turning scents of ye olde piquant pines. The brand also offers a handful of other evocative olfactory moods, like Big Sur After Rain and Portable Fireplace.
Croaky clean
Dependable Products Frog Sponge Holder
This loyal plastic frog keeps sponges clean and dry.
$9 from Amazon
We’re not saying that storing a sponge in the mouth of an amphibian makes doing the dishes any less of a drag. Well, actually we are saying that, and we’re also saying that the Dependable Products Frog Sponge Holder is more than just a jester. By lifting a sponge up and out of the sink, this holder helps it stay fresh longer, as well as easier to find for quickie cleaning projects. The frog is made from a sturdy plastic that doesn’t mold and dries quickly, and his eager jaws readily held any size sponge we tried.
Fancy faux treats
Sugarfina Martini Olive Almonds White Chocolate
The white-chocolate-covered almonds dressed up as martini olives are crunchy and convincing.
$9 from Sugarfina
Sometimes the creation of whimsy requires nothing more than making one food look like another. Here, Sugarfina Martini White-Chocolate Almonds masquerade as martini olives—and we are smitten. But unlike so many other novelty sweets, these are certified kosher and don’t include artificial flavors.
Unkillable kitchen plants
TabEnter Cactus Fridge Magnets
Photo: TabEnter
TabEnter Decorative Refrigerator Magnets
These dainty cactus-shape magnets are more than strong enough to hold up a postcard or shopping list.
$7 from Amazon
for 12
Real plants make risky presents. They require sunlight, water, attention—and they still might die. But not TabEnter Refrigerator Magnets: Not only do they serve an important utility, holding up photos and grocery lists on the fridge, but they also require no care whatsoever. These cacti magnets are especially cute and, according to customer reviews, strong for their diminutive size.
Sing along
Kidwill Wireless Bluetooth Karaoke Microphone For Kids
Despite its name, this gift is not just for kids. This combination karaoke mic and speaker can also record songs and change your voice with up to five effects.
$22 from Amazon
True, there’s no replacement for a proper karaoke night. But the lucky recipient of this portable karaoke microphone can at least recreate the party at home, albeit on a smaller scale. The Kidwill Wireless Karaoke Microphone, which connects to a music source via Bluetooth or a 3.5-millimeter audio cable, has a long-lasting battery to amplify voices for several hours of crooning fun. A lot of cheap karaoke mics are sold online, but of those priced under $25, this mic has some of the best reviews we’ve found.