48 Actually Good White-Elephant Gifts

It’s winter. Everyone’s hands are dry. Put a smile on their face when they’re moisturizing their chapped knuckles with this adorable Squishmallows-themed honey-scented hand cream.

At the last white-elephant party I attended, these Nerds Clusters were one of the most fought-over items.

Sampler sets make nice “works for anybody” gifts, because the variety increases the odds they’ll find at leastonething they like. This around-the-world-themed set ofspicesfeatures eight varieties including royal cinnamon and smoked pimentón paprika, and the passport-style packaging is a fun novelty.

Here’s a cute, but not too cutesy, place to rest their chopsticks.

Everyone has to do dishes. Make the chore a little more tolerable with this crocheted pig dish scrubber.

Strategist writer Erin Schwartz recommends this money-manifesting soap as a tried-and-true white-elephant offering. I recommend pairing it with a scratch-off lottery ticket.

Strategist senior editor Ailbhe Malone says she’d scramble for this pouch if someone gifted it at a white-elephant exhange. The checkered design is neutral enough to work for a variety of ages and genders without being boring.

Or go with our favoritetravel jewelry organizer. It’s one of those little life upgrades they may not know they needed.

This possum air freshener is actually banana-scented; it’s a funny and still technically useful choice for sillier groups.

This fast-paced,Solitaire-adjacentcard gameis simple enough for anyone to learn to play — and chaotic enough that they won’t want to stop. Strategist contributorLaura Guidrysays the dopamine hit from playing is “euphoric,” which is why she brings it with her on hikes and to bars.

This guess-the-song game with kazoos is easy enough for anyone to play and Malone reports that it was “astonishingly good fun” at her family’s Christmas gathering last year.

Instead of an easy-but-predictable bar of “fancy” chocolate, bring a pack ofPocket Coffee. Each individually wrapped piece is filled with liquid espresso for a delicious and especially zippy treat.

Senior editor Jen Trolio has been carrying her keys on one of these well-made and easy-to-open brass loops for years; it’s a nice upgrade from the standard split keyring.

Like your childhood Lip Smackers, but with a late-night gas-station vibe. (Plus, they are 30 SPF.)

Tattly’s temporary tattoos are a great choice for a crowd that skews more funny or adventurous and come in lots of different designs — there’s even a“grown-up” collectionwith afull sleeve. This Snoopy set has broad appeal but isn’t overly generic.

Protect their coffee table with these photorealistic pizza coasters that even come in a cardboard pizza box.

A steel-wire cheese slicer is simply the best way to slice cheese at home. It’s not something most people already have, so it should be welcome addition to just about anyone’s kitchen. And if there’s room in the budget, I’d pair it with a block of your favorite cheese — just pick a hard one that can go unrefrigerated for the duration of the party.

If your white-elephant crowd skews as young as Gen-Alphas — or includes young-in-spirit grown-ups — Trolio says her 6- and 9-year-old kids have become absolutely obsessed with this robot gecko that climbs up the walls, and the adults in her extended family are pretty charmed by it, too.

A standard box of chocolate screams “I picked this up at the drugstore on the way here.” A bag of this artisanal Swedish gummy candy, recommended by Trolio, feels much more thoughtful and delightful.

This LEGO kit will make for an unkillable display once they’ve put it together.

This handy doodad that writer Brenley Goertzendiscovered in her dad’s junk drawerlifts the top off a canned beverage, making it possible to make a mixed drink right in the can, add ice or a garnish, or simply avoid having the pull tab in your face.

A cheeky martini-glass-shaped tumbler feels much more stylish than your standard cylindrical one for sipping drinks at the pool or beach. It’ll probably get a chuckle, but it’s also very usable.

Handheld fansare great for keeping cool in the summer but also for drying nail polish and mascara. I’d definitely try to steal this bedazzled one thatParis Hiltonswears by.

If the person who ends up with this holiday baking sampler isn’t much of a cookie-maker, they can use this trio of apple-pie spice, pumpkin spice, and gingerbread to make flavored popcorn or syrups for coffee and cocktails.

Strategist managing editor Kelsie Schrader gifted me these farfalloni pot grips in our staffSecret Santa exchange, so I can assure you firsthand of the delight they elicit.

Just a giant bucket of salt that’s sure to get a laugh, while ensuring the recipient has several years’ worth ofour favorite finishing salt, which is also featured in Wartzman’s guide to thebest food gifts.

Thisice-cream thermosvacuum seals your pint to keep it chilled for as long as a few hours. Writer Katherine Gillespie swears by hers to transport ice cream on long subway rides and walks, whether she’s traveling to pick up her favorite flavor or bringing dessert to a friend’s place. As a white-elephant gift, it’s the perfect balance of fanciful but useful — no oneneedsone, but it opens up a whole new world of ice-cream possibilities.

Our best (less expensive)label-maker, so they can finally get organized … or so they can have some fun labeling things that definitelydon’tneed labeling.

For another non-necessary-but-nice-to-have food tool, consider this orange peeler that writer and co-founder ofPermanent CollectionFanny Sing swears by.

Even if you don’t have a Baggu girlie in your group, the brand’s delightful prints make its reusable bags a nice-looking and genuinely handy gift for all sorts.

Or, just a big ol’ tub of sweet and spicy Virginia peanuts. This family-owned company has been selling peanuts for decades, and according to Trolio, the Sweet Heat flavor is perfectly balanced and delicious.

For a solid self-care gift, bring this eye mask that’s lightly weighted with clay beads to provide gentle pressure and that your recipient can heat in the microwave or pop in the freezer for some added hot or cold therapy. It has become my go-to for a quick after-work nap on particularly stressful days.

Or for a different self-care angle, bring this relaxing pillow spray. Strategist deals editor Sam Daly has gifted it multiple times and is especially fond of its scent: a blend of lavender, chamomile, and vetiver.

This surprisingly comfortabletravel pillowis the one Gillespie uses on the 23-hour flight from New York to visit her hometown in Australia. It’s a travel gadget just about everyone could benefit from, and it isn’t a pain to pack.

A nonalcoholic beverage sampler will interest anyone who likes interesting sodas and seltzers. This 18-pack of sparkling water thatChristina Riccilikes features flavors like cranberry, apple, and watermelon.

Save them a trip to the chiropractor with this back-massage tool thatOttessa Moshfeghcan’t live without.

If they light an incense cone in this adorable ceramic green cottage, the smoke will rise out of the chimney. It comes with 20 incense cones that have notes of winter eucalyptus, juniper, and fir needle.

This easy-to-useBluetooth speakerconveniently clips on to a backpack, bike, or even a showerhead.

How about a paint-can-size tub of the “best potato chips,” according toAmy Sedaris?

A bottle of wine as a white-elephant gift is boring. But a three-liter tin of genuinely good Greekolive oil?Opa!

A Jell-O but-make-it-fancy variety pack that Aranita says is quite good and “not nearly as cloying” as Jell-O itself.

The modern (andTikTok viral) upgrade of the classic granny cart, for anyone who schleps a lot of stuff.

All the fun of a Polaroid, but with the hundreds of photos in your photo roll at your disposal.

Strategist writer Ambar Pardilla says she and her fellow employees fought over these ultra-cozy blankets when she worked at Anthropologie. Surely everyone at your white-elephant party will fight over one too.

Adigital picture frameis a truly great gift that can be appreciated by just about anyone with a camera roll on their phone, even if they don’t realize it — and this is our favorite one.

A self-heating mug that keeps their coffee or tea piping hot is a true luxury that will ruin them for regular mugs but soon become something they can’t live without.

It will get a laugh when they open it up, but it’ll seriously improve their bathroom routine. And because thisbidetis easy to install, they can start using it pretty much as soon as they get home.