Gift ideas · 7th annual list · updated November 2026

White elephant gifts under $20

Twenty dollars is the most common white elephant budget, and the point where people start taking it personally. The list mixes gag gifts with things people will use, occasionally in the same box.

1. 1

   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

2. 2

   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

3. 3

   Dash Mini Waffle Maker

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

   It costs ten dollars, looks like more, and makes a waffle about the size of a coaster. It often gets stolen ahead of gifts that cost three times as much, and the people who brought those gifts will bring it up in the car home.

   Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

4. 4

   $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

5. 5

   Hot sauce sampler set

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

   Some people will pass on it. The one person who puts hot sauce on their eggs will hold it with both hands until it freezes. Check the seasonal gift aisle in December.

   Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

6. 6

   Bluetooth beanie with built-in headphones

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

   Sounds gimmicky, but it's handy for walking the dog, and it's one of the few tech gifts at this price. You'll look a little like a radio host. The dog won't mind.

   Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

7. 7

   Anker 10,000mAh power bank

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

   Nobody has ever been disappointed to get a phone charger, least of all the coworker at 4% battery. A safe pick when you don't know the group.

   Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

8. 8

   Codenames

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

   A party game that works for families and coworkers alike, and people keep playing it after the holidays, usually with a lot of shouting about one-word clues.

   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

    Waterproof shower speaker

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

    It's cheap and it works, and most people sing in the shower anyway. Now the neighbors get the backing track.

    Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

11. 11

    Heated eye mask

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

    People who stare at screens all day want this one, and most of them will be at the office party.

    Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

12. 12

    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

13. 13

    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

14. 14

    Squishmallow (12-inch)

    Up to $15
    In stores todaySteal factor ★★★☆☆

    Adults steal these as often as kids do, and with less shame. Look for a holiday character.

    Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

15. 15

    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

16. 16

    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

17. 17

    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

18. 18

    Bag of good local coffee + a mug

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

    A safe adult gift. Beans from a local roaster make it look thoughtful, even if you picked them up on the way to the party.

    Any coffee shop or grocery store

19. 19

    Smart plug 2-pack

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

    Puts holiday lights on a timer. The tech-minded people in the room will take it quietly and have it set up by New Year's.

    Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

20. 20

    LED strip lights (with remote)

    Up to $15
    In stores todaySteal factor ★★☆☆☆

    Teens and twenty-somethings will steal this. Older crowds mostly leave it alone, so it goes to whoever has a bedroom that needs mood lighting.

    Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

21. 21

    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

22. 22

    HotHands hand warmers, 10-pack

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

    Looks boring until someone remembers their cold commute or their kid's early Saturday soccer game. Then it's the most practical thing in the room, and they will defend it.

    Find it: AmazonTargetWalmart

23. 23

    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

24. 24

    "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

25. 25

    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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