最好的Wh 7ite Elephant Gifts for Less Than $30

Tech gets expensive, so to get gadgets within your white elephant budget, you need to downsize. A modern gift exchange staple is a phone-charging battery brick big enough for multiple charges, like the Anker Portable Charger for around$17 on Amazon. Or for a portable Bluetooth speaker, you could go for the JBL GO2 (pictured above) for around$25 on Amazon.

True, mugs are a dangerously popular gift option. But how about something to fill those mugs with? Even if the gift recipient isn’t a big tea or hot cocoa drinker, it’s a smart thing to have in the home for hosting guests during the holidays.

Go for an assortment of tea flavors for around$3 at Trader Joe’s(my favorites are the ginger turmeric and the harvest blend). Throw in a mug that looks like a gnome home (as pictured above) for$17 on Natural Life. Gifting something that people can sip on is the perfect mix of charm and utility.

Speaking of charm and utility: As a rule of thumb, “quirky” is the name of the game in white elephant. Take this mini waffle maker, which comes in various festive shapes like agingerbread manorsnowflakefor $13 atDash. Or you could go for something that serves more people at once, like a double dip bowl (with designated areas for chips versus dips) for $20 atCotton On. All in all, searching for quirky kitchen equipment will turn up fun and surprisingly useful results.

White elephant exchanges are also the perfect time to offer up one of those practical items—something that could actually improve someone’s quality of life—that we never seem to buy for ourselves. For me, it’s something like touchscreen gloves. I know how much use I’d get out of them, and yet I’m resigned to waiting until they fall into my lap with a bow. A pair of touchscreen gloves will put you out about$12 on Amazon. Other ideas for low-cost practical gifts: A quality water bottle, a tumbler for hot drinks, or a reusable tote bag.

Okay, perhaps gag gifts will most definitely not be the most coveted item at your White Elephant party. However, the reaction to them will be sure to spice things up. After all, the real appeal of gift-giving is the chance to show off your sense of humor and ingenuity, right?

对话的礼物,想freaky animal paw socks, ayodeling pickle, or the above-picturedcat butt tissue dispenser. Here are some more ideas for gifts that arejust raunchy enough(without going too far, like if this is your company’s white elephant party).

If you live somewhere that gets cold, it’s always a safe bet to lean into the holiday theme and gift something fuzzy, cozy, and warm. Gifts like this also fall into the realm of “things that would improve my quality of life but I never buy them for myself.” You can’t go wrong with a cozy reversible throw blanket for$30 on Pottery Barn, or maybe some high-quality wool socks for$25 from Darn Tough.

If you can’t settle on one item, try curating a collection of small items. Here are some of our ideas for themed collections, but you can and should customize depending on your budget:

• Movie night: Popcorn. Funkypopcorn toppings. Candy. Hot chocolate. Fuzzy socks. A little slip of paper with your Netflix login. You can’t go wrong with a cozy movie-night theme. There’s even a pre-packaged movie night box for about$23 at Hallmark.
• Spa day: Think classic “treat yourself” supplies, like face masks, nail polish, and bath bombs. Throw in a candle to help set the pampering vibe.
• Fly right: Pick from the array of travel-sized must-haves, including ear plugs and perhaps even a neck pillow (with a note abouthow to wear it correctly).

在这些DIYarrangements, the sum is greater than its parts—it’s all about finding a theme with a lot of freedom.