Select, Redeem, Steal: 33 White Elephant Gifts Your Coworkers Will Fight Over

Be the talk of the town (or at least the water cooler) with one of these perfect gift exchange ideas.

by But Zagat / Illustrations by Andrew Snavelly

deep breath. that's it. The moment you've been waiting for since last December.

This year, you won't just be stealing the White Elephant's gift. You'll steal the entire dang show.

Most Yankee Swap gifts (or Thieving Elves, Dirty Santa, etc.) are shoved under the bed, on a closet shelf, or… regifted.

not for you. Not this time.

We've rounded up a variety of unique, quirky, and maybe even useful gifts that you might just want to keep for yourself (or steal from Melanie in Accounting. Sorry, not sorry, Melanie...). Most are budget-friendly enough that you can buy one to pack and one to enjoy at home, just to hedge your bets.

And if you're just wondering what the White Elephant trade-off is? As a famous (fictional) Spanish swordsman put it: "Let me summarize."

A White Elephant swap is a holiday gift exchange in which co-workers, friends, or family members buy a variety of fun or awkward items (ideally both), usually under a certain price cap. Everyone wraps their choice. On the day of the exchange, gifts are collected and participants draw numbers. The person who draws the number 1 gets the first option that they must remove. number. 2 can choose a different gift, or "steal" the first gift. And so on until everyone has had a chance to screw, steal, or exchange, and everyone has a gift. (The "Yankee SwapOn an episode of The Office.)

Usually, the more exotic the gift, the better. Gag gifts are fine, but they have to be new (the loudspeaker pillows are spot on) and if you can find something unique and useful, even better. You never know what will impress someone. The higher the demand for the item, the more intense the competition.

Participants sometimes try to get rid of the smell by wrapping a small gift in a giant box, or opt for innovative parchment paper for something more upscale. But no matter what you call it, however you roll it, get ready to see an entirely different side of the people you share blood with, or spend more than 40 hours a week with. There's nothing like a little (friendly) competition to get people into the holiday spirit.

We've rounded up a variety of different gift types—from the silly to the sublime, to the ridiculously sublime. And if you love them, it wouldn't hurt to drop a link to this list in your Office Slack channel or family group chat - increasing your chances of walking away from something you love!