White Elephant Gifts That Don’t Suck

Finding White Elephant gifts can be a daunting task. If you don’t know what a white elephant gift is, it’s basically a gift exchange where people try to walk away with the best present. It is also known in other parts of the world as a Yankee Swap (maybe a little politically incorrect, hmm?) and Dirty Santa.

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What are White Elephant Gifts?

Dirty Santa, Yankee Swap, White Elephant – are all basically the same thing. You can typically find this game at the office Christmas party.

The rules can vary but how it generally works is like this:

1. Each player brings one wrapped gift to contribute to a common pool
2. Players draw numbers to determine which order they will go in. First or last is best because you have a chance to look over all the gifts before making your final selection.
3. The first player selects a gift from the pool and opens it – Everyone needs to see the gift.
4. The next players can then either pick an unwrapped gift from the pool or steal a previous player’s gift. Anyone who gets their gift stolen in this way can do the same – choose a new gift or steal from someone else.
5. Once all the gifts are open and everyone has one, the game is over.

White Elephant Gift exchanges are common at office Christmas parties. Photo Credit: Split the Kipper Flickr via Wunderstock (license)

But the problem with White Elephant gifts is you don’t know who you are buying a present for, so you have to find presents that both a man or a woman could enjoy.

Don’t be that jerk who buys the toilet bowl coffee mug. Here’s a list of cool unisex gift ideas that your Dirty Santas will be fighting over.

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Motorized Revolving Tie & Belt Rack

While I am by no means a clean freak, I love products that can help with organizing your home.

And this might sound weird, but I love hanging things on hooks. I am lazy when it comes to putting things on hangers, but with hooks, you just throw your item on there and go.

I have one of these in my own closet that I share with my husband.

He doesn’t have a lot of ties (he is more of a T-shirt and jeans kind of guy) but I have a lot of belts in all sizes and colors and fabrics.

How fun would it be to put them on this revolving rack?

This Battery Operated revolving rack holds 72 Ties and 8 Belts

What I like about this product is how little space it takes up in your closet. And it can hold 72 freaking ties!

If that’s not all, it even has 8 stationary hooks for belts as well.

It is so easy to install! I have created a little video to show you how to install this type of rack in your own closet. And I suck at stuff like this. But if I can do it, then anyone can.

Click the photo to watch the video demo:

Click for demo of the motorized tie and belt rack

One thing I want to mention, the hooks are plastic and very light. I don’t suggest putting anything heavy on them or they might break.

To put belts with wider buckles on them, you will probably need to take up 2 hooks and hang them horizontally.

This motorized revolving tie rack is a practical idea that also provides a little luxury for your very own closet. I think it makes a great gift for any man or woman.

Find one here for around $40.

Retro 4-Slice Toaster

I love toasted bread, bagels, and English muffins. My son loves Eggo waffles, and French toast.

I would really like us to eat breakfast together at the same time, but it’s a pain when you are waiting in line to use the toaster.

This 4-Slice Toaster is a lifesaver for a busy family.

This retro 4-slice toaster is a lifesaver for breakfast with a busy family

One of my favorite things about this toaster is the buttons on the front. There’s one specifically for bagels and another one just to defrost frozen waffles. I love this!

It also has slide-out crumb trays on the back, and you can adjust the levers in the front to half-mast for shorter items.

Here is my video of the unboxing and demo of me trying it out for the first time:

Click for demo of the 4-slice toaster

This retro look toaster comes in 3 colors (mine is the black and chrome) but has several modern features.

Find one here for around $50

English Muffin Splitter

Since we are on the subject of bread, here is something you probably haven’t thought of. Who couldn’t use an English Muffin Splitter in their life?

For the man or woman who has everything. But they probably never thought of this!

As any English Muffin connoisseur knows, English muffins are a total pain to open. Breaking them apart with your fingers usually ends up tearing them and using a knife gets crumbs everywhere.

Forget forks and knives. This English Muffin splitter creates perfect muffin halves with no mess!

Check out the demo here:

Click for demo of the English Muffin Splitter

This English muffin separator features stainless steel tines, durable plastic handles, and is dishwasher safe!

I also use the English Muffin Splitter to slice tomatoes. Just push the prongs into the tomato and use them as a guide to cut your slices evenly!

Find it here for under $20.

Electric Knife Sharpener

Here is another great gadget that anyone would enjoy. This electric knife sharpener has 2 separate areas with automated blade guides for sharpening.

The left side has angled slots that sharpen the edges, and the right side is for honing and polishing the blade.

Who couldn’t use an electric knife sharpener in their life?

I use it about 4 times on each side and that seems to work really well.

It is a little noisy and my kid runs away from it when I use it. But it’s definitely not unbearable.

Check out my how-to video below…

Click for demo of the knife sharpener

It’s a nifty kitchen gadget that even looks nice on your counter and it has suction cups on the bottom to keep it from sliding around when in use. It works super fast and it’s also fun to use!

Find it here for around $20.

Portable Garment Steamer

Do you know anyone who hates ironing? That’s me. I think ironing is a big waste of time.

But this little portable garment steamer has changed my world.

You don’t need an iron with this portable garment steamer!

A garment steamer is so easy to use. You just fill with regular old tap water, plug it in, and wave it over your wrinkled fabrics. It works like magic!

Check out my demo of how easy a garment steamer is to use!

Click for demo of the Fabric Steamer

And it’s so fast too. Perfect for clothes, curtains, or sheets. It’s so compact, you can take it anywhere.

Remove wrinkles fast without an iron and don’t waste your money on a dry cleaner. This fabric steamer makes an awesome gift.

Find one here for around $20

Programmable 12-Cup Coffee Maker with Glass Carafe

This 12-Cup Coffee Maker with Glass Carafe has a programmable timer, removable basket, and pauses brewing so you can sneak a cup while it’s running.

This Black and Decker 12-Cup Coffee Pot sells for around $30 and works as well as the more expensive brands.

This coffee pot from Black & Decker is the one we have in my home and we love it!

It’s lasted longer than more expensive models we have tried and is such a bargain.

Find it here for around $30

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What do you think of these gift ideas? What was the best Dirty Santa gift you ever got? Leave me a comment and let me know!