2016 White Elephant Gift Guide: Office Edition

If you’re looking for a perfect White Elephant office gift for your holiday office party, consider this your official gift guide! The memo went out on Friday – “Office party: Meet in the conference room at 3pm, bring a side dish and a White Elephant gift (valued at around $20).” This sounds fun enough, right? The office holiday party always ends up being an event worthy of water cooler talk for weeks to come. But what should you buy as your White Elephant gift? If you’re looking for something fun, safe-for-work, and memorable – as well as inexpensive, consider the following ideas.

White Elephant Gift Idea 1: A Box of Wine

Just because most White Elephant gift exchanges tend to applaud the inclusion of silly or outrageous gifts, why not combine something elegant – but then give it a twist? Wrap up some wine, but make sure to buy your favorite boxed varietal to elicit a few laughs, and most likely appreciation, from your co-workers. Step it up a notch with a funny wine glass – extra points if it fits an entire bottle of wine.

White Elephant Gift Idea 2: Silly Mugs

Mugs are universally popular, since most likely more than one person in your office gets their day going with coffee. But why not order a silly mug that can deliver a hilarious and personal message that only you and your colleagues will understand? Choose from an assortment of customizable mugs to help create your perfect White Elephant gift.

White Elephant Gift Idea 3: Outrageous Calendars

One gift that keeps on giving all year long is a desk or wall calendar, and you can find some truly goofy calendars to pair perfectly with an off-the-wall office party in no time. One of the most popular calendars this year is the “People of Walmart” calendar – itself a 365-day visual reminder of some of Walmart’s most…unique shoppers.

White Elephant Gift Idea 4: Desk Accessories with a Twist

Consider ordering a “high-heel” tape dispenser, or a “funny face” pencil/pen holder to add to your office partner’s desk accessories, then watch as they think, “Hmm… this is pretty silly, but I’ll actually use it!” Office-themed gifts are perfectly suited for White Elephant gift exchanges as they’ll likely get used quite frequently and they’re an easy reminder of your office friendships.

White Elephant Gift Idea 5: Fun Card & Board Games

Cards Against Humanity comes right to mind, but virtually any fun card or board game will work at your office gift exchange. Keep it safe for work, but don’t be afraid to push the boundaries a bit and purchase an irreverent game that will have everyone in stitches while playing.

White Elephant Gift Idea 6: Noise-Isolating Headphones

This gift might be looked at as your way to subtly block out the office chatterboxes, but good quality headphones are also a sought-after gift for audiophiles and gamers. Search online and you can easily find a pair of headphones or earbuds for about $20, then wrap it up and watch as the lucky recipient opens your thoughtful and office-appropriate White Elephant gift!

If you’re on the planning end of the office’s White Elephant festivities, keep the following ideas in mind:

1. Understand the history of the holiday tradition with our fun White Elephant infographic
2. Lay out the rules early on so the invitees understand the process
3. Provide some examples of appropriate gifts to make shopping easier
4. Create pre-numbered slips of paper to establish the gift order
5. Provide food and drinks – possibly “white foods” like ice cream or white chocolate
6. Have fun and create memories with your office buddies!

White Elephant gift exchanges are a big part of most office holiday party traditions, so keep your guests on their toes, laughing and engaged in the gift-exchange process this year!