*Paid link
Games and puzzles
A USAOPOLY card game played around a table, where every turn means choosing between risking another card and stopping safely.
Why we like it
Draw one more card or stop while ahead: every turn of Flip 7 comes down to that call.
The friend who nudges the table toward a bigger gamble gets to set the pace, and everyone else decides whether to follow.
Games and puzzles
A party game where players build goofy answers out of word magnets, arranging whatever words they hold into silly sentences.
Why we like it
Picture players building a reply out of word magnets, missing the one word they need and making do with something worse.
That scramble is where Ransom Notes gets its laughs, and it suits any crowd with a good supply of inside jokes. Its new owner has the next game night covered.
Home
A desk figurine of a black bear that props up a phone, adding woodsy cabin charm to a desk, shelf or counter.
Why we like it
A coworker who decorates their cubicle with moose mugs and plaid throw pillows can claim this bear from the gift table.
The lodge look they chase at work gains a wild animal that also holds their screen upright during video calls. Their cubicle ends up with a mascot keeping the phone in view beside that moose mug.
Games and puzzles
A party game about reading each other's minds, where players chat, debate and guess together during a lively social evening at home.
Why we like it
Strong opinions finally pay off in Wavelength, where each round asks players to guess what the others have in mind and then argue about it.
Whoever unwraps it can start a round on the spot, before anyone reaches for a coat, and the box heads home for future dinners with friends.
Electronics
Earbuds from Apple's AirPods Pro line for someone who likes listening to music, podcasts or calls while commuting or out and about.
Why we like it
Noise-canceling AirPods Pro 3 earbuds give any white elephant guest with a noisy commute something to steal.
Whoever ends up with them can quiet the train rattle and keep a favorite podcast clear all the way to work.
*Paid link
A logic puzzle game to pick up and work through challenge by challenge, figuring out how each solution fits together with patient thinking.
Why we like it
Kanoodle is the quiet pick in a pile of gag gifts, and it can make the rounds after unwrapping as guests try a challenge or two.
Its keeper gets a logic puzzle with plenty left to solve, a good match for any crossword fan on a slow weekend morning.
A matching card game where players look over cards laid out on the table and try to spot groups that belong together.
Why we like it
Eagle eyes win at SET.
Each round, players scan the cards on the table and race to call out a group that belongs together. Those are the same eyes that catch every crooked frame and typo, and everything packs back into its own tin.
A Pokémon trading card game collection to open, sort through and add to a binder or a deck for play against other players.
Why we like it
More than one guest may try to steal this Pokémon TCG collection, since plenty of adults remember trading cards at recess.
Its theme is First Partner Pokémon, the starters, shown in illustration art, so the final owner can pick a favorite partner and give it a page in the binder.
Ages 7+
A deck-based card game that a group deals out and plays around a table, easy to bring out for a quick round anywhere.
Why we like it
This UNO deck makes an easy swap prize for anyone whose family gatherings mix adults and kids.
The maker labels it for ages 7 and up, so older children and grandparents can play at the same table.
*Paid link
A manual French press for brewing coffee: add coarse grounds and hot water, let it steep, then press the plunger down and pour.
Why we like it
The Bodum Chambord French press hands the swap's slow-morning coffee drinker a hand-pressed brewer to fight over.
Its new owner decides how strong each pot comes out. On a weekend morning, the press can sit on the breakfast table, ready for refills.
(price and availability terms)
$35.14 at Amazon.com*See price at Amazon.com* (Bodum Chambord manual French press, gold)(price and availability terms)
$40.14 at Amazon.com*See price at Amazon.com* (Bodum Chambord manual French press, white)A set of lidded kitchen containers for storing leftovers, portioning make-ahead meals and packing lunches, keeping the fridge and pantry neatly organized.
Why we like it
Rubbermaid Brilliance containers bring a sensible choice to a white elephant pile, where any home cook can claim them.
The set gives a lidded spot to whatever they cook too much of, from soup to rice. Leftover holiday ham from the party can even ride home in one.
A pour-over brewer for making coffee by hand, pouring hot water slowly over the grounds so the brew drips through, ready to serve.
Why we like it
Any coffee lover at the gift swap has a reason to steal this Bodum pour-over brewer.
Its keeper picks the grind and the pace of the pour, so every cup tastes their way. On a slow Sunday, the brewer comes out with the newspaper and a favorite mug.
A scented jar candle with an apple-pie fragrance, lit on a table or shelf so a room smells like dessert baking.
Why we like it
Warm apple pie scent belongs with the swap guest who loves a kitchen smelling of baking but rarely turns on the oven.
Whoever steals it needs no special hobby, just a room at home they like to make cozy. The jar sits on a side table, its wick lit while they settle in with a book.
*Paid link
A punching bag made for a desktop, giving a playful way to blow off steam with quick jabs during a busy workday.
Why we like it
A frozen spreadsheet calls for a few quick jabs, and this punching bag stands right on the desk to take them.
Any teammate walking by can take a swing too, so the prize from the gift exchange ends up shared by half the office.
Electronics
A wall outlet extender that sits on an existing socket and adds extra spots for chargers, lamps and other devices in one place.
Why we like it
This Anker wall outlet extender is a quietly useful swap prize for anyone short on free sockets.
Most homes have a crowded outlet somewhere, so its final owner always has a spot to put it. Beside the bed, it lets a phone charger and a reading lamp share the same wall socket.
*Paid link
A humor book by Adam Mansbach, published as a single volume to read from start to finish.
Why we like it
Go the F**k to Sleep makes a grown-up White Elephant gift for a party full of tired parents.
Someone can read a page aloud as the gift gets stolen. It then goes home with whichever parent keeps it last.
An illustrated book by Randall Munroe, published as a single volume to read from start to finish.
Why we like it
Thing Explainer by Randall Munroe makes a White Elephant gift that suits almost any player at the party.
Guests can flip it open and read a page out loud. Whoever takes it home gets a coffee-table book.
A humor book by Francesco Marciuliano, published as a single volume to read from start to finish.
Why we like it
This book of cat poems makes a White Elephant gift for a party with a few cat owners.
Someone can read a poem aloud as it changes hands. Whoever ends up with it gets a coffee-table book.
Draw Secret Santa names on your phone and send private links.
The Wavelength guessing game puts a whole room on teams reading each other's clues, while the Flip card game dares each player to keep drawing or stop before the streak breaks.
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One alarm in early November, with this list’s newest picks.
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Chosen by our team from store data and what readers pick, not hands-on tests. Nothing is paid to be on this list. Recall notices checked . How we pick
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
