The Best White Elephant Gifts Under $30 That The Whole Party Will Want

Strike a balance between whimsical and practical with this adorable trinket dish. The sturdy ceramic tray is perfect for jewelry, makeup or keys, and will add a touch of playfulness to any space.

Gardens may be winding down, but these little terracotta planters can bring a little green into your space throughout the winter. Each kit comes with everything you need to start growing lavender, daisies, catnip, poppies or clover.

Puzzles are a winter staple—perfect for a relaxing weekend getaway or a cozy night in. Le Puzz takes puzzling seriously, with uncommon designs and random-cut pieces that will pose a decent challenge to any puzzle lover. Plus, you basically have a work of art when you’re done.

These thoughtful candles are composed of environmentally friendly rice wax and rush weed wicks. Each candle has a 15 minute burn-time that’s perfect for a little meditation break. The package is equally as gorgeous as the candles, making it a unique gifting experience all around.

Everyone should have a cool set of playing cards. This gorgeous deck was designed in collaboration with the Dutch interior designer Moooi. The custom art is lush and colorful, and made with paper sourced from sustainable forests.

Ah, a Christmas ornament, the most traditional of casual holiday gifts. This caviar bauble steps the sentiment up with a fun, vintage-inspired design. If caviar doesn’t do it for you, there are tons of cute pantry-inspired designs on Food52’s site.

This condiment fork solves the snacker’s lament: Should you wiggle your little piggies in the pickle jar or dirty a clean fork? The holster attaches to most jars and holds the FridgeFork in place, so you can quickly snag a pickle (or a couple of olives) without any extra fuss. If you’re more of a cornichon fan, this little grabber tool is great too.

A gift fit for any nature lover, this 2024 calendar is full of unique art and donates a portion of proceeds to national conservation efforts. It’s a win-win that will have the giftee looking forward to the new year.

If your white elephant crew is made up of outdoorsy folks, this multi-tool might start a riot. The tool folds up into a compact 4.25-inch size, but still houses needle nose pliers, a wire stripper, three flathead drivers, a #2 cross driver, awl, nail file, scissors, tool lock, can opener, bottle opener, partially serrated blade and pocket clip.

A vase can be easily overlooked, but it’s a home essential for anyone that appreciates a pretty bloom. This cute vintage-inspired design will brighten any space and can even stand alone as a fun sculpture when you’re between bouquets.

Great for science-loving adults and kids alike, this pop-up book can transform into six fully functional tools—including a planetarium, an infinite calendar and a playable instrument.

With the rise of tinned fish night and girl dinner this past year, Fishwife has become a foodie staple. These responsibly sourced tins are delicious and adorably packaged. And if the giftee really likes them, they can sign up for a subscription service to try all of the flavors.

A skincare essential, these hydrating pimple patches are a cute way to deal with a less cute problem. The hydrocolloid patches are designed to absorb fluids and reduce inflammation. The set includes 32 stickers and a cute refillable carrying case with a mirror for on-the-go touch ups.

These beloved Baggu totes are durable and attractive. They come in 32 unique patterns and colors, are machine washable and can hold up to 50 pounds. They’re sort of a do-it-all bag (and sustainable to boot).

Whether your skin could use a little refresh after a night out or you’re soothing a headache, this beloved ice roller is a tiny little spa treatment in the palm of your hand. You might want to go ahead and order one for yourself as well.

Everyone loves popcorn, right? It’s a delicious, easy snack made even easier with a microwaveable popcorn bowl. Just add kernels (and your oil/seasoning of choice) and pop it into the microwave for about four minutes. Voila: you’ve got a perfect bowl of homemade popcorn for a cozy movie night.

Casely’s unique AirPods cases are a perfect example of a fun but useful white elephant gift. They offer 48 styles in a variety of patterns and colors—as well as matching phone cases and portable chargers.

I spend a lot of time walking back and forth between my desk and the microwave: The Sisyphean task of keeping my coffee warm. This electric mug warmer sits on your desk and keep your beverage warm for hours. It can reach up to 149 degrees, has an auto shut-off after four hours and a light that lets you know when the pad is still hot to the touch.

Inspired by the popular Instagram account, WeRateDogs, this day-to-day calendar by Matt Nelson will start your mornings off right with a funny dog photo, caption and rating that’s always over 10 because, well, just look at that face. This gift is especially great for a workplace white elephant party—who wouldn’t want this on their desk?

Socks don’t have to be a secret, hidden beneath your shoes. These best-selling fashion socks come in bold, whimsical designs, like the Tree of Life above or these strawberry ruffles. If you’re looking for something less baroque, these retro-inspired tube socks are an excellent option.

The refrigerator is the unofficial art gallery and message board for many homes, but often magnets go overlooked. These ramen fridge magnets can stand on their own as fun décor or hold up that pending wedding invitation (that you should RSVP to soon, by the way).

Disposable cameras are back, baby. Gone is the era of the perfectly posed picture, we’d rather capture the moment (and leave our phones in our pockets). Pass it around a party, bring it on your next trip or keep it in your bag—you never know when the photog mood might strike.

Okay, so this gift is less for your friend and more for their pet. (But any cat lover knows that a good cat toy will entertain them both.) This rechargeable fish has a motion sensor that flops around when touched, and a durable plush exterior.

This handheld light is super cute. Designed to look like a book, the mini lamp is bound in wood and cycles between eight different colors. Each charge should last about two to three hours.

Your giftee may never burn this adorable candle. Playful and nostalgic, choose from sweet culinary delights—like the Lucky Charms design above—or savory snacks, like a bowl of mac and cheese.

There may never be a more perfect time for a novelty straw than a white elephant gift exchange. Customize the straw with inside jokes or funny words up to 10 letters—but beware the longer the word, the less stable the straw.

This London-based illustrator makes fun, stylized designs, like this bold lobster or these graphic sardines. But any fun and funky art print from a favorite artist would make an excellent gift.

Bring healing minerals from the northern Japanese Alps to your party with this Yunohana Onsen Powder. The natural hot spring mineral mix produces a relaxing, unscented milky water fit for a private onsen soak.

The ManaTea might be a bit of a cliché in the stocking stuffer game at this point, but it’s still an excellent white elephant gift. Cute, functional and entirely based around a bad pun—what more could you want?

Sometimes old-school methods just hit different: Texting will never feel better than penning a letter and sketching by hand has a different fluidity than a tablet. If your group has any artists or writers, a good set of pens is a swoon-worthy gift.

This is the perfect gift for the wine lover who suffers from common sensitivities like headaches or restlessness after a glass or two. Supposedly, these wine wands help purify your glass (and also restore open, oxidized wine) without impacting the flavor. So you can enjoy your rosé without the stress of a rough morning after.

This rechargeable book light is perfect for late night readers, knitters or really any hobbyist who could use some illumination. It’s comfortable, has an optional 30-minute auto-off timer, three lighting temperatures and an 80-hour battery life.

Kids or AFOL (adult fans of Lego—it’s a whole thing) will love this fun Lego-compatible mug. It’s available in several different colors and can hold hot liquid up to 100 degrees—but it is not microwave safe.

Equal parts playful and stylish, these culinary-inspired nail stickers will please any foodie. You can even pick up a holiday themed design to really get into the seasonal spirit.

This decorative piece is perfect for a desk or bookshelf. The specialized liquid inside the cloud crystallizes when it detects changes in barometric pressure (indicating a storm is on the horizon).

Amazon makes tons of fun neon-inspired LED lights that are bright and surprisingly effective for the price. (I actually have a few myself.) The cute lounging cat above (or this furry friend) will please animal lovers or you can go a little more esoteric with something like this tropical sunset design.

Where are my witchy pasta-loving girlies at? This unique divination set is full of pasta, pop culture references and funky art. Plus, tarot cards are traditionally supposed to be gifted, making this set even more perfect (if possible).

This battery-powered lamp works great for kids or as a silly (but still functional) option for adults. You can find highly-rated classic headlamps under budget as well, if you want a more traditional design (but who can say no to a roaring headlamp?).

Raise a glass to the late great Jimmy Buffet with these salty vessels. Bringing along a bottle of tequila would technically push you over budget—but maybe it’s okay to break the rules just this once.

Classic neck pillows are out, giant shrimp are in. This delightful plush pillow isn’t just a gimmick, it’s actually pretty cozy, surprisingly well made and comes in well under budget.

Functional but niche, this rechargeable hand warmer is the perfect white elephant gift for the chilly months ahead. The double-sided warmer comes in different designs and also has a built-in LED light.

If you’ve got a creative group of friends, this watercolor set will be a surefire hit. These traditional Japanese paints are vivid, vegan and come in a gorgeous giftable box.

Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone has an adorable eraser to take the edge off. This fun eraser set comes with 12 puffy popcorn pieces and a retro container to hold them.

These handmade matchsticks are sustainably harvested from Aspen wood and smell like orris, iris and petitgrain. It’s an elegant gift from the inside out, including chic packaging. All in all, a fun way to add a little extra pizzazz to a practical tool.

Help your giftee reduce food waste with these handy silicone food savers. The food huggers come in a variety of sizes that can slip over fruits, veggies and open containers to keep them fresh. You can also choose from a handful of fun colors.

This bottle stopper will keep your wine fresh and looks great doing it. It’s funny, it’s fun, it’s functional. What more could you ask for? Psst, it also comes as a cute cat.

Did you know Nintendo was founded in 1889? Pretty wild. But before it was making beloved video games, it was known for its handmade hanafuda playing cards. The deck above is not only gorgeous, but a fun card game to have on hand.

If you’ve got some green thumbs in your group, check out this cute seed collection. Each set includes unique seeds in fun, tarot-inspired packaging. The tomato collection above includes Mushroom Basket Tomato, Hillbilly Tomato, Dr. Wyche’s Yellow Tomato, Blueberry Cherry Tomato and Black Beauty Tomato seeds. You can also pick up a herb collection, flowers and more.

In the ‘90s, Giga Pets were the hottest gift around. This cute little handheld toy is packed full of nostalgia and has a handy little key ring so you can always keep it with you, even when you’re on the move.

Perfect for frequent travelers (or folks who just can’t seem to keep their phone charged), the Zendure Power Bank is a super popular and reliable portable charger. You can power up two devices at once and it also provides quick charging to any 3.0 compatible devices (but you’ll need an extra cord).

These handmade stamps will make a unique offering for a crafty group. Each stamp is hand-carved to look like various seeds including pine cone, sycamore, dandelion, acorn, poppy and rosehip. Choose from a single stamp or bundle all six together.

Every family has a game they play when they get together. (For my in-laws, it’s pétanque, which is basically bocce with slightly different rules.) Yard games are a fun way to casually socialize in a larger group without having to devote too much attention to a complex set of rules.

It doesn’t get much cuter than these vegan jelly soaps. Shaped like adorable little frogs, this set comes in a strawberry-scented 12-pack. The shop offers different scents and shapes, like a large mint frog or this sleepy vanilla pug.

This practical and reliable bar tool is durable, works well and is dishwasher safe. A win-win-win. It’s great to have on hand for cocktails, mocktails or just adding a little fresh citrus to your water. Keep in mind that the different colors offered vary by size.

This vibrant liqueur is made from plums, dark cherries and grapes. It’s pretty and unique—perfect for any craft cocktail lovers out there. Plus, Forbes Vetted readers can get an exclusive discount right now with code FORBES15.