Gifts are one of the best parts of Christmas. Truly, who doesn’t want to receive something authentic and well thought out? This year, many Americans said they spent around $1,199 on buying gifts. However, sometimes, the perfect gift isn’t always the most expensive one.
The examples on this list certainly prove that. You don’t need loads of cash for presents like an Elvis decanter or a comprehensive ancestry family tree. Just some time, effort, and a willingness to find out what the other person likes. There’s no room for scented candles here, and these folks will certainly not be re-gifting their cool-as-heck Christmas gifts next year!
#1 Probably The Coolest White Elephant Gift I’ve Received. An Elvis Decanter From The ‘70s That Is Filled With McCormicks Whiskey And Plays Music
Image source: Juniorsfarmerfrancis
#2 My Wife Got This In A White Elephant Gift Exchange
Image source: Cienniwa
#3 My White Elephant Gift Was My Aunt’s Annual Paco Calendar. 12 Months Of Her Favorite Chihuahua, Now The Star Wars Edition
Image source: akhunt1002
Finding the perfect gift is not easy. That’s why the holiday season causes immense amounts of stress for people. In fact, 40% of Americans say that not knowing what gifts to buy seriously messes up their holiday vibe. That worry is only second to having to navigate overcrowded stores during Christmastime.
You’ll find lots of White Elephant exchange gifts on this list, and Americans really seem to love their gift exchanges. People online have even been noticing how popular White Elephant is in 2025. A previous poll in 2023 found that the majority of Americans who celebrate Christmas (84%) participate in some kind of gift exchange.
#4 I Was Gifted A Whole Metre Of Spaghetti For Christmas
Image source: MothingNuch
#5 I Was Gifted My Maternal Grandmother’s Nearly Complete 8th Generation Family Tree
Image source: Srob87
#6 I Was Once Gifted A Solid Bar Of Copper
Image source: InfinitelyMobius
The popularity of Christmas gift exchanges differs by the age of the person. Gen Z is the most likely (98%) to take part in White Elephant or Secret Santa, with Millennials following closely (72%). Surprisingly, Gen X is the generation least likely (45%) to participate in a gift exchange, and Baby Boomers (50%) are in the middle.
On average, Americans planned to participate in six gift exchanges in 2023. The numbers for 2025 are still pending, but in 2024, the online platform White Elephant Online reported that 4,600 players participated in 3,000 gift exchanges with the help of its website, swapping around 47,000 gifts in total.
#7 I Was Gifted A Piece Of The Berlin Wall
Image source: Doom-Slay
#8 A Sawfish ‘Saw My Great Grandfather Gifted Me. ~107 Cm Tall
Image source: LeftyTesti
#9 Was Gifted Four Leaf Clovers That Are Growing Obscenely Tall
Image source: BubblyComedian3
It’s probably not ideal to gift someone what you want to get for yourself. Luckily, most Americans agree, as, on average, the gifts they want to receive differ slightly from what they give to other people for Christmas. In 2025, the most popular gifts to both give and receive were clothes and shoes.
However, the most common gifts Americans bought for someone else were toys and games, vouchers or gift cards, food and snacks, books, and health and beauty products. Ironically, out of these, people wanted to receive gift cards the least. Only one in ten Americans says they would like to get a voucher as a Christmas present.
#10 My White Elephant Gift With Its Ecstatic New Owner
Found this at an antique and oddities shop near me. Paid $18, then taped $20 worth of candy to the back of it. She was so happy! I guess her jeep caught fire last year. I’m not sure if this was even the same year, very, very doubtful. But she was so happy to get it. The candy was just a bonus.
Image source: Indridd
#11 My White Elephant Gift This Year Was A Picture Of Elephants Participating In A White Elephant
Image source: Daniel_Loftus
#12 My Gift From Our Office’s White Elephant
Image source: JurrasicPotato
Of course, gift preferences differ according to age as well. Older people don’t really want to receive clothes, books, or health and wellness products. In the poll, they listed their preference as “other,” meaning more personalized or less conventional gifts. Sports equipment, vouchers, music, movies, and video games were also among the least favorites for those aged 60 and over.
#13 A Gift Given To Me Because I Unicycle. His Little Legs Go Up And Down As You Cut
Image source: LucidLV
#14 Someone Boxed And Wrapped A Hot And Fresh Grocery Store Rotisserie Chicken For Our Annual Cut-Throat Pollyanna Party This Year
We’ve been doing this party for more than 15 years at this point and surprisingly no one has ever brought a hot meal as a gift. This was hilarious and it was coveted and stolen during the night. The person who brought it did a great job at sealing it in the box to prevent any odor or hints that there’s a whole chicken in the pile of presents.
Image source: Argument_Select
#15 Glow Gloves I Got At A White Elephant A Few Years Back
Image source: NovelFlyer
White Elephant might be gaining more and more popularity in recent years because it’s a bit more interesting than your average Secret Santa. The origins of the White Elephant gift exchange are traced back to Siam, or modern-day Thailand. According to legend, the king would give white elephants to subordinates whom he didn’t like. And that logic tracks to this day: White Elephant is about giving away silly, unusable gifts, with the chance for other participants to steal them.
#16 When You Hear That Your Friends Are Doing A White Elephant, You Need The Absolute Best Gift
Image source: gingitbros
#17 I Just Got Rick Rolled Via White Elephant Gift Exchange
Image source: LukeMccleve
#18 Had A White Elephant Gift Exchange With Family. Here’s My Contribution
Image source: sixtninecoug
But what if you’re completely out of ideas about what to give another person? Well, the starting point would be making peace with the fact that you’re probably not going to give someone the perfect gift. Let’s be real: those don’t exist. People like different things; some want a gift that’s thoughtful and personal and doesn’t cost a fortune, while others may prefer that it costs at least more than $10. Some people prefer experiences; others want more tangible things like accessories, clothes, or certain objects.
#19 Just Finished My White Elephant Gift
Image source: rori3
#20 We Think This Is The Perfect White Elephant Gift
Image source: littlebluecalabasas
#21 I Definitely Won White Elephant
Image source: 38DDs_Please
Still, you can usually get some hints about what a person would like if you know them at least a little bit. Erica Cerulo, the co-host of the A Thing or Two podcast, told Vox that there are three gift-giving boxes that might give you some direction about what to gift a person.
- Can I introduce someone to something they might not otherwise know about?
- Can I get them a nicer version of something than they would buy for themselves?
- Or can I make them feel seen?
#22 Got This Big Roll Of Toilet Paper As A Gag Gift For Christmas. Whose Laughing Now?
Image source: Mikebenitez10
#23 My Family’s Annual White Elephant Gift Exchange. Everything You See In This Picture Must Be Displayed In Our Homes For The Entire Year. And Yes, Someone Got A Christmas Tree
Image source: beauttifulllife
#24 I Wrapped Up $25 Dollars Worth Of Quarters For A White Elephant Gift
Image source: hi17734
Another strategy, often used for giving presents to kids, is the five gift rule. Some choose to give one gift from each category, but if you’re gifting to a colleague or an acquaintance, choosing one from each category would suffice.
- Something they want.
- Something they need.
- Something to wear.
- Something to read.
- Something they don’t know they need.
#25 This Urkel-Centaur Was A Gift In My Family’s White Elephant Gift Exchange Last Night
Image source: BoxterCrabshire
#26 I’d Say I Won My White Elephant Gift Exchange
Image source: slothwarriorIV
#27 This Was Received As A Gift But Neither Of Us Know What It Really Is. It’s Wooden, Seemingly Handcrafted, Has A Leather Loop. Kinda A Bowl, But Like Not?
Image source: AmbsAmbsAmbs
You don’t have to dread the holiday season because you don’t know what to give people. Many of us are in the same boat and are just trying to figure things out! Most people even prefer to give gifts compared to receiving them, and 82% of Britons believe they are good gift-givers. So, chin up, because this Panda believes in you, and this list might even help you get an idea or two!
#28 I Made A Playable Guess Who For A White Elephant Gift Exchange
Image source: CamJude
#29 Every Year My Friends Have A White Elephant/Gag Gift Christmas Party. This Year I Gave A Generic Thrift Store Painting With A Few Things I Added
Image source: thejohnblog
#30 Made My Own Christmas White Elephant Gift
Image source: jumpedupjesusmose
What did you get for Christmas, Pandas? Let us know what Santa put under your Christmas tree this year. Also, don’t be shy and share the gifts you gave to others, too! You might give some good ideas to others about what to gift next Christmas. If you feel like reading some juicy Christmas family drama, check out this story about a woman who is refusing to host Christmas dinner for the eighth year in a row!
#31 My White Elephant Gift Exchange Item In Decoy Wine Bag. I Love A Laugh But I’m No Monster. There’s A Liquor Store Gift Card In The Bottom Of The Bag
Image source: NormanB616
#32 This Dashboard Bobblehead I Won At Dirty Santa
Image source: someonerezcody
#33 A Bamboo Keyboard Received By Dad As A Gift
Image source: _the69thakur
#34 My Insurance Company Sent Me A Christmas Gift. It’s A New Battery For My Fire Alarm
Image source: GamerMamaWithCats
#35 Given As A House Parting Gift, A Small Turtle Figurine, Not Sure If Real Gold, Random Numbers On The Bottom
Image source: janienicesocks
#36 Ceramic Holder Of Some Kind? Small? Business Card Size? From An Elderly Relative
Image source: CableSufficient2788
#37 My Girlfriend Received This As A Gift And We Have No Clue What It Is
Image source: RollinBart
#38 I Got A Signed Picture Of Chuck Norris From A White Elephant Gift Exchange
Image source: BananaJoe_1910
#39 I Won The White Elephant Gift Exchange
Image source: Lordmilligan
#40 The Perfect Combination Of Two White Elephant Gifts
Image source: mustachiou1
#41 This Was One Of The White Elephants Gifts At The Christmas Party Last Night
Image source: ohineedascreenname
#42 The White Elephant Gift I’m Giving At Tonight’s Christmas Party
Image source: hgiwvac9
#43 My Contribution To The Family White Elephant Gift Exchange. No One In My Family Is Named Helen And I Found The Photo On The Internet
Image source: Misiman23
#44 Stainless Steel Object With An Angled Hooked End. Given As A Gift
Helpful-Fruit-1404:
High Quality Stainless Steel Spaghetti Pasta Measure Tool with Hook, and that’s a more likely gift than a surgical tool, too.
Image source: MrMalta
#45 My White Elephant Gift To An Unfortunate Coworker
Image source: gambino13
#46 Picked The Best Gift At My Family’s White Elephant
Image source: BabyHuey
#47 My Company Gifted Every Employee A Fire Extinguisher
Image source: KTthemajicgoat
#48 Somebody Gifted My Dad Around 15 Lbs Of Provolone
Image source: is_this_metal072317
#49 What Is This Thing Received By A Family Member As A Christmas Gift?
Top half silver, bottom half wood. Around 10-12 cm long, stamped with ‘S*B’, an anchor, lion and horseshoe.
Edit:
Thanks for the answers guys!
Nail buffer (minus the covering) produced in 1938 by Synyer & Beddoes in Birmingham.
Image source: Kennysnaps
#50 Literal White Elephant From Our Gift Exchange
Image source: BruteClaw
#51 White Elephant At Work. 80 Gift Cards And Only 1 With Money
Image source: XGueroX
#52 Someone Special Is Getting A Solid Gift At The White Elephant Exchange Tonight. (The Hat And Scarf Are Hot Glued On)
Image source: Renzodagreat
#53 This Thing Came With The Perfume Gift Set But I Have No Idea What’s Supposed To Be
It feels like it’s made of clay or something but there’s no description in the box or anything.
lightningusagi:
It’s a perfume diffuser. You can spray your perfume on it, and it will absorb it and release the smell into the air.
Image source: Solve-Problems
#54 $500 Thank You Gift From Seattle’s Space Needle To My Grandfather (In Law) In 1974
Image source: RevolutionaryWeek573
#55 A Gift From A Friend With Some Unfortunate Word Placement
Image source: Meranek
#56 These Sodas I Got As A Gift
Image source: XplorPineapple
#57 My White Elephant Gift. 1,000 Individually Bagged Pennies
Image source: Clubcub
#58 My White Elephant Gift
Image source: foooodmooneyyy
#59 Prank Gift Box I Put Together For An Office Gift Exchange
Image source: albhednomad
#60 4 Inches, Plastic, Pointed On One Side. Received As A Christmas Gift, What Is This For?
KilFallen:
Looks like a page spreader for reading. Point end goes into the spine and thumb in hole so you can one hand books easy.
Image source: Karljoneill
#61 Christmas Gift From My Loving Friend
Image source: reddit.com
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