How to Choose the Perfect White Elephant Gift

What is practical but attractive, suits just about everyone, and costs under $25? Every December, hundreds of people ask this same question as they try to find the perfect gift for a White Elephant gift exchange. But even those criteria aren’t enough to make a White Elephant gift perfect! The trading or stealing element of White Elephant exchanges means the ideal White Elephant gift has to be desirable too, so desirable that everyone in the game will want the gift you bring.

So how do you find that one gift that your entire group will covet? Keep in mind a few basic rules, and your office popularity will skyrocket.

Rule number one: Choose a gift that everyone will love. That advice seems self-evident, but finding a successful gift relies upon correct interpretation of the advice. What it means is that you should consider everyone in the room, rather than choosing something that Aunt Sally will find funny or something that the receptionist has been blabbing about for weeks. Think about what the group doing the White Elephant gift exchange has in common, and choose a gift that caters to that common element. You can consider specific needs or wants when determining what to eliminate. For example, if your office has a Weight Watchers group, you should not bring sweets. Your gift should appeal to the widest range of people possible.

Rule number two: Ask yourself why the gift is a good one. If the answer is that it’s cute or funny or if you don’t know, don’t buy it! I’ve participated in years of White Elephant exchanges, and the gifts that were passed around the least were those that had no use. Meanwhile, popular gifts were those that filled a specific need. For example, a portable massager moved from hand to hand one year, circulating among the more stressed members of the office staff. When choosing a gift, if you can articulate why you think the gift will be popular among your group, you are more likely to have a popular present.

Rule number three: Pick something unique. Anyone can go out and buy their own candle, chocolates, or Christmas ornaments. The surprise hit of one White Elephant exchange I participated in was a rosemary tree. The giver found this herb bush at a local Whole Foods and admired it for its Christmas tree shape, never expecting that it would be the most coveted gift of the year! Another winner was a set of hot sauces that inspired an appropriately heated reaction from participants.

However, there is one major exception to this rule, and that is gift cards. Gift cards are always appropriate, let the receiver choose their own gift, and should always be from popular, local stores with a wide selection of items. (Some sure winners are gift cards to major retailers such as Target, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble or Borders, and local grocery chains.) If you think about it though, you’ll see that this exception to rule three is really an adherence to the first rule to choose a gift that everyone will love.

Rule number four: Avoid bringing something from home. No one wants the socks that Aunt Mildred gave you last year, even if you never wore them. Whatever it is, if you don’t want it, chances are your friends or coworkers don’t either. Whatever you gift should be new and in the original packaging. But even this rule is sometimes breakable. A friend related the story of the year she hit the jackpot when a newly married coworker brought in an extra ceiling fan she’d received after her wedding. If you have a new, unopened gift at home that’s of considerably higher value than the stated budget of the White Elephant gift exchange, feel free to make someone’s day.

Rule number five: Don’t bring a religious gift. Unless you’re at a church gift exchange, considering your audience means leaving the religious items at home. That means no gifts that reference Christmas, including Christmas ornaments or anything with Santa Claus.

Are you ready to shop yet? If you follow these five simple rules, your chances of choosing a crowd-pleasing present are much better. Consider your audience, justify your choice, stray from the norm, and stay away from regifting items from home and sending a specific holiday sentiment. Then sit back and watch everyone fight over your contribution.