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‘Tis the season for holiday parties! White elephants are being planned by friend groups everywhere… so it’s time to start shopping for the perfect gift. Lucky for us college students and recent grads (that are trying to ball on a budget), white elephant gifts don’t need to be crazy expensive at all. If anything, they just need to be thoughtful, memorable, and provide some good laughs. The point of a white elephant gift exchange is to have fun, after all! There are no wrong answers here, besties.
If you’re lost on what a “white elephant” is, I’ll explain. The rules are these: every party guest comes with a wrapped and inexpensive gift. Then, once everyone is there, everyone draws numbers to determine the order that they’ll go in. The first guest will choose an unwrapped present and open it in front of everyone. Then, the following players will choose whether or not they want to unwrap a new present or steal a gift from another guest. Anyone who gets their gift stolen will also have the choice to get a new present, or steal someone else’s. There are a few additional rules, but I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it.
To get your gift-giving gears turning, here are 15 white elephant gift ideas that are all under $10. Let the gift guide commence!
- MIni Photo Album
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All the pics you snap at your white elephant party can go straight into this mini Polaroid photo album (Urban Outfitters, $9)! Its pages are just waiting to be filled up with special visual memories that’ll last a lifetime.
- Mini Gingerbread House Kit
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This mini gingerbread house kit (Target, $4) is the perfect gift for artsy friends–or for people who just can’t get enough of treats in teeny tiny sizes.
- Sephora Skincare Set
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Calling all skincare gurus! We all have those friends who are the designated skincare, makeup, and hair stylists of the group. Whether they’re the ones receiving this gift or not, we guarantee that they’ll want to get their hands on this beloved Sephora cooling eye set (Sephora, $6) ASAP.
- The Screaming Goat (Book & Figure
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amazon Believe it or not, I got this Screaming Goat (Amazon, $8) gifted to me at a white elephant party a few years back. Not only is this gift the G.O.A.T. (literally), but it’s quite possibly the loudest and funniest things you’ll see unwrapped.
- Cute Car Freshener
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The perfect car air freshener (Urban Outfitters, $6) actually does exist and your friends might fight over who gets to go home with this.
- Bubble Candle
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A practical, cute, and super trendy gift is rolled into one with this bubble candle (Target, $10). Any friend ready to go full HGTV interior decorating mode will adore this simple gift.
- “NO” Desk Button
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target Another one that’s guaranteed to yield lots of laughs. Just don’t start hitting this “NO” Desk Button (Target, $10) every time your professor or boss assigns you new tasks… they might not find it as funny.
- Hair Bow
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Hair bows (Urban Outfitters, $10) are one. of the trendiest accessories of the season. Fashionistas will be pleased to see this stunning statement bow.
- Gel Undereye Pads
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New year, fresh eyes. Gifting these Gel Undereye Pads (Urban Outfitters, $6) will inspire a much-needed self-care Sunday during the holiday break. Be sure to snag some for yourself too since they’re on sale right now!
- Blemish patches
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Between finals and holiday travel, stress breakouts are bound to happen. Your friends will absolutely love these tiny, helpful blemish patches (SkinStore, $7) that can make magic happen for your skin overnight.
- Cute Sunnies
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The sun is always shining even through the colder winter months, so getting your friend some cute sunnies (Nordstrom, $10) is the perfect way to go.
- Face Mask(s)
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Sephora Another Sephora staple. It may feel like a basic gift, but you really can’t go wrong with a Face Mask (Sephora, $6)! You may just want to bring them for the whole group… so you can easily go from white elephant to face mask night.
- Funny Games
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Party games such as Get The Ick (Amazon, $10) are the gift that keeps giving. After your gift exchange, you can play all night long.
- LUXURY Soap Bar
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Probably the most wonderful-smelling gift we have listed here, a Mistral Floral Soap Bar (Anthropologie, $9) is the perfect present to get everyone smelling the scents of the season.
- White Elephant Ring Holder
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Amazon Quite literally a white elephant, this White Elephant Ring Holder (Amazon, $10) will make the daintiest gift and holder for your jewelry. Plus, elephants are said to bring lots of good luck. Wink wink.
