10 Unexpected White Elephant Gifts

The white elephant gift exchange is my favorite part of our small group Christmas party. (You can call it yankee swap or whatever you want, but it's the game you play by these rules.) One year, Devin literally made a t-shirt with one of the group's inside jokes on it. The next year, he gave a flashlight, a dirty hardhat he found in our basement, and his grandfather's hand-me-down sandals, labeling the ensemble a "DIY Miner's Kit." I don't remember if I was the only person hysterically laughing.

The goal is to be creative and give something that falls in AT LEAST one of these categories:

• inexpensive
• potentially useful
• good for laughs or straight up WEIRD
• kinda cute. 

Whether you've got a holiday gift exchange planned, or if you're looking for a surprise gift for the person who already knows what else you bought them...

This list is for you: 

1. Baby wipes, chocolate syrup out of the back of your fridge, and glitter, all in a bag with the label "Date Night Kit."
2. A Ron Swanson mug that's funny even if you don't watch the show. 
3. An enema. (Devin literally almost bought an enema one year to wrap up as a gift for our small group's party. I almost died.)
4. The kitchen gadget you don't use anymore. 
5. Small box of tea + a mug in a trash bag. 
6. This unicorn-head mask. 
7. Really, any mask. 
8. The dad-bod fanny pack. Make sure to select "extra hairy happy trail" at checkout. Jk. That's not an option. But it should be. 
9. A really good-smelling candle + $5 Dunkin donuts giftcard, in a random Amazon box that would suggest "I put zero effort into this gift" (WHEN IN REALITY...)
10. 5-10 rolls of toilet paper. Unused, obviously. 

What are some ridiculous or cute or useful gifts that you'd give at a white elephant gift exchange?