White Elephant Gift Ideas Under $30 That Get Stolen

How white elephant works, in two minutes

Everyone brings one wrapped gift at the same budget. Players draw numbers. Number one opens a present and shows it to the room. Everyone after that has a choice on their turn: unwrap a new gift, or steal one that has already been opened. Whoever loses a gift to a steal then opens another gift or steals something else.

House rules vary, so say yours before you start. The common ones are a limit on how many times one gift can be stolen (three is typical, after which it is locked to its owner), no stealing straight back from the person who just stole from you, and a last chance for number one to swap with anyone at the end. It is also called Yankee swap or dirty Santa. Same game, different name.

Gifts people will fight over

The gifts that get stolen first are the ones you can understand at a glance and imagine using tonight. A Lodge cast iron skillet is the classic: nearly everyone cooks, it lasts decades, and a good one for the price is a genuine steal. It is the gift that makes people glance at their own cupboards and wish they had brought it.

An insulated whiskey glass with a wood grain sleeve looks far more expensive than it is and suits anyone who drinks, or anyone who likes a good looking thing on a desk. For people who would rather unwrap something edible, a Milk Bar cookie tin gives the winner an instant treat to share, which is a quiet way of making friends in a room full of colleagues.

1. 1

   Chef Collection Skillets

   The classic steal: nearly everyone cooks, it lasts decades and a Lodge skillet at this price beats most gifts twice the cost.

   $19.90Lodge

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2. 2

   Assorted Cookie Tin - 6 Count

   An instant treat the winner can share, which makes friends in a room full of colleagues.

   $28Milk Bar

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Safe, useful gifts nobody resents

If you do not know the group, go for things almost every adult would use. A hardcover Moleskine notebook is neat and will never offend. A brass Craighill pen is a small object that feels much more expensive than it is, and it is the kind of gift that sits on a desk for years rather than in a drawer by January.

A magnesium body butter suits anyone with sore shoulders or a long commute, and works for any gender, which matters in an office draw. A large bag of Lindt truffles is the sensible choice when you want to spend very little and be sure it will be eaten. None of these will start a fight, and that is exactly why they are good for a first time group.

1. 3

   Classic Notebook Hard Cover | Moleskine NAM

   Neat, neutral and never wrong for a group you barely know.

   $22.00Moleskine

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2. 4

   Kepler Pen

   A small brass pen that feels far pricier than it is and stays on a desk instead of in a drawer.

   $10Craighill

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3. 5

   Magnesium Recovery & Relief Body Butter

   For sore shoulders and long commutes, and it works for any gender in an office draw.

   $25.00Uncommon Goods

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4. 6

   Lindt Lindor Assorted Milk Chocolate Truffles Large Bag - World Market

   The sensible low spend choice when you want to be sure it gets eaten.

   $13.29World Market

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Fun and a little different

When the group is close and likes a laugh, pick something with a story. A 1000 piece Galison puzzle with a swirl of color gives the winner a quiet weekend and looks lovely on the box. It is a gift that draws a steal from the person who watched it being opened and thought, I want that.

A set of cardboard animal build kits, with narwhals, anglerfish and red pandas, suits anyone with a creative streak or children at home. A de stress set with a pillow mist and bath soak is the gentle gift for the colleague who looks like they need an early night.

1. 7

   Sensing Colors by Jessica Poundstone 1000 Piece Puzzle

   A swirl of colour that looks lovely on the box and gives the winner a quiet weekend.

   $17.99Galison

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2. 8

   Mini Weird & Wild Animal Build Kit

   Cardboard narwhals, anglerfish and red pandas for the creative colleague or anyone with children at home.

   $24.00Uncommon Goods

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3. 9

   De-Stress Gift Set

   Pillow mist and oat bath soak for the person who looks like they need an early night.

   $26.00Uncommon Goods

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What to spend, and what to skip

Set the budget in the invitation and keep it as a single number. Twenty five dollars is the most common office limit, and many groups go to thirty for friends and family. Choose a number the least well off person in the group is comfortable with, and tell people it is a ceiling, not a target.

Skip gag gifts that are only funny once, anything alcoholic unless you know the group, and anything that needs a battery or a subscription. A gift is better when the thief can use it that evening. Wrap in plain paper, so nobody can guess what is inside from the shape.

Running the party and the draw

Write numbers on slips, and let each person draw one in secret. Keep the stealing time boxed: ten minutes per ten players is plenty. If your group has remote people, ask them to ship a gift to the host in advance, and let the host unwrap on their behalf on camera.

If your group prefers a classic Secret Santa where each person buys for one named person, our free generator does the draw with exclusions and keeps each match private. After the party, HintDrop is where people can save the gift ideas they really loved, so a year from now there is a list to start from.