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Doing a White Elephant Gift Exchange with your family this year? Then check out this list of 20 Fun and Functional White Elephant Gifts Under $30! Everything is in stock and will be there before Christmas with Amazon Prime! (At the time of publishing, subject to change.)

Not sure what a White Elephant Gift Exchange is? Then you are missing out! It’s a fun party activity that usually happens around the holidays.

White Elephant Gift Exchange

There are TONS of different ways to play. You can even purchase actual games to help facilitate the gift exchange! Like this White Elephant Party Kit called Swappy!

But the basic premise for a White Elephant Gift Exchange is simple and honestly all you need is a group of people, wrapped gifts brought by each of the participants, slips of paper numbered 1 to however many gifts you have (to assign the order in which everyone chooses a gift), and a hat or container so people can draw their number.

The host will tell you a gift theme, if there is one, and set a price limit for each gift. Some gifts will be awful; some awesome, just don’t get too attached to “your” gift in case someone decides to steal it!

To start: go in numerical order. The person who drew the #1 gets to choose from any of the wrapped gifts. They open the gift; the person who drew #2 goes next.

Person #2 takes a wrapped gift from the pile and then chooses to either swap their wrapped gift with the first person’s unwrapped gift, or unwrap the gift they picked. If they choose to swap gifts, person #1 gets to unwrap the new gift.

Next, person #3 chooses a wrapped gift from the pile. They then decide if they want to swap the wrapped gift for an unwrapped gift from either person 1 or 2.

This goes on until there is only one gift/person left. The last person gets to choose to swap any unwrapped gift from the group or take the last wrapped gift.

If they swap a gift from someone else, the person who loses their unwrapped gift gets to decide if they want to steal another gift or open the last unwrapped gift.

BUT they cannot steal back a gift from the last person who stole it from them. For example, person 10 is the last one to go and decides to swap gifts with person 4. Person 4 can either open the last gift or take a gift from anyone other than person 10, and so on…

You keep going until the last gift is unwrapped! It can take minutes or hours depending on how many people you have participating and how much swapping goes on.

It’s fun way to spend time with your family/friends. There are usually a lot of laughs and “pretend” arguments (hopefully no real ones). The important part is that everyone has a good time.

Hope you like my gift choices! Do you have a different way to play? Let me know in the comments.

Gift Suggestions

20 Fun and Functional White Elephant Gifts Under $30

There is a little something for every personality, from $5 to $29.

16 Comments

Pam Wattenbarger on December 16, 2020 at 4:54 pm

I see several of those I want! The 2020 wineglasses and the Onion calendar would be a welcome addition to our house!
Amber Myers on December 16, 2020 at 5:59 pm

I love so many of these. I tend to send gifts like this to my husband, who is deployed.
Ciara on December 16, 2020 at 8:03 pm

This is such a fun idea ! I love the covid icecube maker that’s hilarious
Bri on December 16, 2020 at 10:05 pm

Love White Elephant parties! These all such great ideas!
Monica Simpson on December 16, 2020 at 11:31 pm

These really are the perfect white elephant gifts. I would love to get those polar bear socks or that tortilla blanket!
Tasheena on December 16, 2020 at 11:39 pm

So many amazing big gift ideas. I would love any of these items.
Nikki Wayne on December 17, 2020 at 12:46 am

Sounds like a fun party. I love the wine caddy gift idea.
melissa christine on December 17, 2020 at 6:33 am

These all look like fun gifts to give, I like the socks and the tortilla blanket
Kathy on December 17, 2020 at 11:27 am

I’m loving all of these. Some of these are really funny. White elephant gifts are the best.
Mama Maggie's Kitchen on December 17, 2020 at 3:10 pm

Oh I am so excited for our White Elephant Gift Exchange this Christmas! These items are really nice. I will keep them in mind.
Janeane M Davis on December 17, 2020 at 8:55 pm

These are some great gift ideas. There is a lot of silly fun.
Catalina on December 18, 2020 at 5:33 am

How cute is this COVID Ice Cube Mold Tray! Something to remember from this year! 🙂
- Kate on December 20, 2020 at 12:15 am
  
  Right?!? I really kind of love it!
Anosa Malanga on December 18, 2020 at 11:47 am

Ohhh, I am so glad I was able to drop by your post. You made my day! Now I have plenty of ideas on what to give this holiday. I love the beer belly pack! Haha
Ruth I on December 19, 2020 at 3:43 am

These are such a crazy and fun gift ideaa. They would be laughing hard once they opened it. I’m already getting a good picture of them.
Everything Enchanting on December 19, 2020 at 3:50 pm

Oh wow! This sounds so much fun I love these gift ideas too❤️