Gift ideas · 7th annual list · updated November 2026

Funny white elephant gifts

These get a laugh when they're opened, and someone still wants them at the end of the night. That's rarer than it should be. Most gag gifts are in a donation bag by January.

1. 1

   Oversized wearable blanket hoodie

   Up to $40
   In stores todaySteal factor ★★★★☆

   Funny to open. Whoever ends up with it is usually wearing it, hood up, before dessert.

   Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

2. 2

   Giant novelty candy (5-lb gummy bear or chocolate bar)

   Up to $40
   1-2 day shippingSteal factor ★★★★☆

   Ridiculous to look at, and by the end of the night it will have been passed around, sampled and slightly dented.

   Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

3. 3

   A gift card hidden in a ridiculous package

   Up to $25
   In stores todaySteal factor ★★★★☆

   Put a $25 gift card inside a tissue box, an empty can of beans, or seven boxes nested inside each other. Everyone wants the card, and by box number six the whole room is counting along.

   Gift card wall at any grocery store

4. 4

   Tortilla burrito blanket

   Up to $20
   1-2 day shippingSteal factor ★★★★☆

   It looks like a giant tortilla and it's a real, warm throw blanket. It gets a laugh, then it gets stolen, then someone spends the rest of the party wrapped up as a burrito.

   Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

5. 5

   Nicolas Cage sequin pillow

   Up to $20
   1-2 day shippingSteal factor ★★★★☆

   Brush the sequins one way and it's a plain cushion. Brush them back and Nicolas Cage is staring at you from the couch. Few gifts under $20 get a louder reaction.

   Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

6. 6

   $10 in scratch-off lottery tickets

   Up to $10
   In stores todaySteal factor ★★★★☆

   It might be worth $1,000. It's probably worth $2. People steal it for the suspense and scratch the tickets at the end, which is as close to live sports as most office parties get. You have to be at least 18 to buy them, and older in a few states.

   Any gas station or grocery store

7. 7

   Cards Against Humanity

   Up to $30
   In stores todaySteal factor ★★★☆☆

   Good for a group of friends. At the office it's a gamble, and HR is the house.

   Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

8. 8

   Nostalgia hot dog toaster

   Up to $25
   In stores todaySteal factor ★★★☆☆

   It toasts two hot dogs and two buns at once. It looks ridiculous and it works, and someone will ask to borrow it for their Super Bowl party before you've left.

   Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

9. 9

   Exploding Kittens

   Up to $20
   In stores todaySteal factor ★★★☆☆

   Quick to learn and sold everywhere. The box art gets a laugh before anyone opens the rules. Nobody opens the rules.

   Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

10. 10

    Emotional support pickle plush

    Up to $15
    1-2 day shippingSteal factor ★★★☆☆

    A plush pickle whose whole job is emotional support. Grown adults steal it so they can explain it to the room, then keep it on their desk well into spring.

    Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

11. 11

    Over-the-trash-can basketball hoop

    Up to $15
    1-2 day shippingSteal factor ★★★☆☆

    Good for office swaps. Someone usually has it hung over a trash can before the party ends, and by Monday there's a leaderboard.

    Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

12. 12

    The Screaming Goat (desk toy)

    Up to $10
    In stores todaySteal factor ★★★☆☆

    Press the goat and it screams. Someone will keep pressing it all night, and by the second hour you'll understand why it only cost ten dollars. Target usually has it near the books or the checkout.

    Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

13. 13

    UNO Show 'Em No Mercy

    Up to $10
    In stores todaySteal factor ★★★☆☆

    UNO, rebuilt to be meaner. There are cards that make you draw ten. Expect a round to start the moment the swap is over.

    Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

14. 14

    Motion-activated toilet night light

    Up to $10
    1-2 day shippingSteal factor ★★★☆☆

    Everyone laughs when it's opened. Then whoever takes it home uses it every night at 3 a.m. and stops laughing.

    Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

15. 15

    Toilet golf putting set

    Up to $15
    1-2 day shippingSteal factor ★★☆☆☆

    A putting green that wraps around the toilet. Better for loud friend groups than for work, where it would come up in a meeting.

    Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

16. 16

    Dinosaur taco holder

    Up to $10
    1-2 day shippingSteal factor ★★☆☆☆

    A triceratops that holds two tacos. It gets the laugh when it's opened, and unlike most gag gifts it actually gets used on taco night.

    Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

17. 17

    "If you can read this, bring me wine" socks

    Up to $10
    1-2 day shippingSteal factor ★★☆☆☆

    The classic "bring me wine" socks. The "coffee" and "tacos" versions are the ones to bring if someone from HR is playing.

    Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

18. 18

    Shower beer or wine holder

    Up to $10
    1-2 day shippingSteal factor ★★☆☆☆

    A suction-cup holder for a can or glass in the shower. It sounds like a bad idea, and people who own one will explain, at length, why it isn't.

    Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

Budgets are what the gift typically costs at US stores, not a quote from any retailer, and prices move a lot around Black Friday. Check the price before you buy. Delivery speeds assume you're in the continental US and order before mid-December, when carriers slow to the pace of a group choosing a restaurant. Links go to retailer search results so you can check what's in stock near you.

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