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25 best White Elephant gifts for all budgets
Get ready to swap those gifts
By now, we’re pros when it comes to Secret Santa, from rude, to cheap, to genuinely good gifts, we’ve got the secret present swapping down. So this festive season we’re looking to give Secret Santa an upgrade; introducing White Elephant.
White Elephant, or Dirty Santa as it’s sometimes know, is similar to Secret Santa, except it sees the gift givers have the opportunity to swap and steal ‘better’ gifts. Yep, no more going home with yet another pair of socks (although we do love socks), if you prefer Aunt June’s boujie shower set, you can rightfully steal it off her.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to play White Elephant and our selection of the best gifts, for whatever your budget is.
How to play White Elephant
For all first-timers who don't know how exactly the gift exchange works, here’s the gist: Everyone brings a wrapped gift that falls in the same price bracket. Some groups may agree on a £10 limit, or £20, or maybe £50! Then each person draws a number to determine the order in which everyone gets to choose from the pile of wrapped gifts. Sounds easy, right? But there’s a twist! When it's your turn, you don’t have to pick a present from the new gift/unclaimed pile. If you’ve got your eye on a present that someone else has already opened, you can choose to put your friendship to the test and steal their gift instead. Cue the ~drama~!
What to gift in White Elephant
The vibes of White Elephant/Dirty Santa season are, totally unmatched. Not only are these get-togethers wildly entertaining, but they’re also the most fun to shop for. White Elephant gifts def require some brain power, though, because you gotta know your audience. Do you want something on the more wholesome side for a family Christmas reunion, something that showcases your comedy skills to impress your new partner’s friend group, or something a lil scandalous (depending on your audience, of course)? Before you get overwhelmed, let us assure you that we have high-quality ideas that check all those boxes in this vast list of the best white elephant gifts under £50 on the internet.
Below, you’ll find 25 white elephant gifts that are totally stealable and pretty inexpensive (we’re talking under £50!). From cute candles and useful kitchen accessories to hilarious card games, this list has everything you need to make this year's White Elephant the best one yet.
A handy gadget they never thought they needed? An electric wine opener. Struggling to open a corked wine bottle will never be a thing again with this easy-to-use device that works with just a push of a button.
A. Mini. Waffle. Maker. That’s it. That’s the caption.
“What are people going to steal,” you ask? This. They’re going to steal this.
Be prepared to fight hard for this one.
They won’t remember what life was like without this scalp massager because it’s that good.
Four words that are music to anybody’s ears: Cocktail in a bag. And with this selection box of six different flavours you can sample the best of Nio's Cocktails.
If for some reason they haven't got their hands on a Stanley this year, then this is sure to cause some serious battles in the group.
Ok these glasses are actually too nice to give away, which makes them perfect White Elephant material.
Calling all the chocolate lovers in your game, this two piece set is worth fighting over as it features a full size bottle of Hotel Chocolat's signature Velvetised Cream and a box of their delicious chocolate macarons.
Yes we may be adults but that doesn't stop us wanting a Jellycat for Christmas. And this one would certainly get Sabrina Carpenter's approval.
Our love of all things cowboy is going nowhere as we head into 2025.
Everyone and their mum seems to be wearing a knitted hood this year, so get in on the action for your White Elephant party.
A new year means new bedding and we reckon anyone would love this set of bow print bedding.
A coffee machine under £50? Oh arguments will be started for sure.
Gisou's signature hair oil is always at the top of our list for Christmas so if someone brought this for White Elephant we think we'd love them forever.
A ridiculously fun game that is sure to break the ice after a potentially tense White Elephant.
Need a gift under £10 that’s actually useful and cool? This electric candle lighter is way less intimidating to use than a match—and it’s rechargeable, so you can use it over and over and over again.
A classic party game for a reason, everyone will be wanting to steal this one.
This could just be the thing that'll help them fall asleep faster! Made up of a soothing combination of lavender, camomile, and vetivert oils, one spritz of this pillow mist on their pillow and bedding will do the trick.
It’s time they level up and get a ~fahncy~ travel mug. This particular one (that’s incredibly nice on the eyes) will keep drinks hot or cold, depending on what you're sipping.
Hannah is the Shopping Editor at Cosmopolitan, covering all things from chic home decor to trendy fashion finds, TikTok products that are actually worth your $$$, and the perfect gift to buy for your boyfriend's mom. She previously wrote for Seventeen and CR Fashion Book. Follow her on Instagram for hot takes on red carpet fashion and pictures of her office outfits that nobody asked for.
Megan Uy is an associate shopping editor at Cosmopolitan, where she searches for the best products in all things fashion, home, beauty, sex, gifts, and more, so you don’t have to. When she’s not writing for the site, she’s whipping up some cool and trendy content for the fashion section of the print magazine. She’s been with the brand since 2019 (when she was an itty-bitty editorial fellow), and she's also written for Delish, House Beautiful, and People. Follow her on Instagram to get some BTS of the editor life and chaotic NYC content. Also, feel free to hit her up if you ever wanna discuss the madness that is TikTok.
Daisy Maldonado is an editor who covers everything from the latest fashion news to deeper looks at beauty culture and the internet’s most talked-about pop culture moments. She’s especially interested in the intersection of style and digital culture, and loves exploring what the trends we follow say about us. When she’s not writing, she’s probably four pages deep on The RealReal searching for vintage designer pieces or planning her next trip abroad (she lived in Paris for a year and hasn’t stopped talking about it since). Her work has appeared in Vogue, Bustle, Allure, and many more.
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