21+ Best Secret Santa and White Elephant Gifts for 2024

Love them or hate them, Secret Santa and White Elephant gift exchanges are a popular holiday tradition. A White Elephant party usually entails everyone buying a gift within a certain price range, gathering all the presents in a pile and drawing numbers to determine who gets to pick a gift from the file first — often, there are also rules around being allowed to choose a new wrapped gift or select something someone else has already opened. On the other hand, Secret Santa exchanges are when you pick a name from a hat or bowl and then buy a present for that person. In either case, it often means shopping for a great gift for someone you may not know very well — or at all. After all, unlike shopping for a gift for your mom or a teacher in your life, these kinds of exchanges often mean giving a present to a colleague you may not know, a friend of a friend or even a stranger.

To help you shop and take some of the stress out of your holiday season, we gathered gift ideas from past stories that have run on NBC Select, as well as recommendations from NBC Select staffers. Below, find some of the best gifts for Secret Santa or White Elephant parties.

SKIP AHEAD The best Secret Santa and White Elephant gifts in 2024 | Why trust NBC Select?

The best Secret Santa and White Elephant gifts in 2024

We rounded up gift ideas based on our previous coverage and NBC Select recommendations to help you find the right gift for your white elephant and Secret Santa gift exchanges.

JBL Clip 4

This JBL travel speaker won an NBC Giftable Tech Award last year and would make a great present for those who like to travel or who can’t live without music wherever they go. It has a built-in carabiner that lets you clip the speaker onto anything, plus it is small and lightweight (about half a pound). It also has IP67 dust and water resistance, perfect for travel or just hanging in the shower.

Moft Phone Tripod Stand

Compatible with iPhones 12 through 16, this phone tripod stand can be used as a selfie stick or to prop your phone up to watch things easily. When not in use, this Mag-Safe-compatible stand folds into roughly the size of a credit card. The stand is available in 10 colors — making it easy to find a shade whoever you’re giving it to will like.

Courant Catch:1

“White elephant is the time to give things people actually want to use, and one of my most used gifts (and one of the best ones I’ve received) is this charger,” says Biana Alvarez, an associate reporter at NBC Select. “I have multiple Courant chargers and they blend in so easily into different spots of my home and are convenient for a quick charge for anyone who needs one.” The charging pad has a no-slip bottom and is covered in OEKO-Tex-certified Belgian linen for a chicer look than most chargers.

Roku Streaming Stick

This device made our list of best streaming devices. It can be used to watch your favorite TV shows on apps like Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Max, Apple TV+ and more. It is small and portable, making it a breeze to plug it into a different TV if needed. The remote has buttons that can take you directly to certain streaming platforms, as well as voice controls if you’d rather direct what you are watching that way.

Twelve South AirFly SE

An NBC Select Travel Award winner, this little dongle is an essential travel gadget for anyone with Bluetooth earbuds or headphones — it lets you connect to a plane’s seatback TV wirelessly. NBC Select editorial projects manager Rebecca Rodriguez, who travels regularly with the wireless Apple AirPods Max, says it’s a must-have item for her — and would be good for anyone who loves to travel. After an initial pairing process, the AirFly will recognize your wireless device whenever it is on and near it, says Rodriguez.

Apple AirTag

Affordable and helpful — what more could you want in a Secret Santa gift? Place the Apple AirTag with anything you need to keep track of — like a wallet, passport, bag or more. Once placed, you can use the Apple FindMy app to pinpoint the exact location of your AirTag if it’s within 30 feet. The app will point to the location via maps if it’s outside that range. “I use Apple AirTags for all kinds of travel: everything from international trips to commuting to work,” says NBC Select reporter Harry Rabinowitz, who says he has one in his work backpack, his suitcase and his keys.

Hydro Flask Stainless Steel Reusable Mug

This stainless steel mug made our list of best travel mugs and tumblers. It features Hydro Flask’s signature TempShield insulation to keep beverages hot for up to six hours and cold for up to 24 hours, according to the brand. It’s insulated for optimal temperature control and has a splash-resistant press-in lid. Want to add an extra-nice touch to this gift? Pair it with a bag of coffee beans or a box of tea.

Calpak Tech Organizer

Help someone keep their tech organized on the go with this pouch from Calpak. The zipper bag has multiple mesh pockets specifically designed for cords, chargers and other accessories, as well as elastic bands that can hold things like a smartwatch, earbuds or other items. The bag is also slightly padded to provide protection

Govee RGBIC Floor Lamp

Sometimes the best White Elephant or Secret Santa gifts are the things you may not buy for yourself, but that are super fun to own. This floor lamp is a great example of just that. “I recently got this for my apartment, and anytime someone comes in to visit, they always ask me where I got it because it’s perfect for any space that can use some ambient lighting,” says Alvarez. “The best part is that I can control it from my phone and adjust the lighting to match my decor, movie, mood and more.”

Cards Against Humanity

A game where the goal is to make other players laugh the hardest? Yes, please. Cards Against Humanity comes with black and white cards. The dealer gives each player 10 white answer cards, then deals a black card with either a fill-in-the-blank statement or question. Each player has to pass a white card to the dealer — whoever’s funny answer makes the dealer laugh the most wins the round.

Bonaok Wireless Bluetooth Karaoke Microphone

This karaoke microphone connects to your phone via Bluetooth and allows you to play songs from any app, so you can sing along. You can adjust the music and microphone volume and skip to the next tune right from the microphone. This fun device comes in 14 colors and has a 4.4-star average rating from over 79,900 reviews on Amazon.

Bananagrams

One of the most gifted items on Amazon, think of Bananagrams as a cross between a classic crossword and Scrabble. To play, each player gets the same number of tiles and places them facedown. To start, someone yells “split” and everyone turns their tiles face up and tries to arrange them in their intersecting word grid. When someone uses up all their tiles, they yell “peel,” and every player has to take another tile from the bunch. The first person to use all their tiles in a grid wins.

Saiji Laptop Bed Tray Table

A laptop bed tray table made our list of dorm room essentials, but it’s also useful for those out of college. This lap desk can work on your computer while in bed or on the couch or as a dining tray. It has a soft wrist pad and retractable blockers to protect your laptop from falling if you want to use the desk at an angle. It also folds flat, making it easy to transport and store. The Saiji Laptop Bed Tray Table has a 4.6-star average rating from over 7,740 reviews on Amazon.

Papier Nose in a Book

Need a gift for a book lover? This reading journal from Papier allows you to jot down novels you want to read, take notes and write down favorite quotes from anything you’re in the middle of and has journal prompts that will help you think even more deeply about whatever you’re currently skimming. There is even a curated list of books Papier recommends at the back for those what-should-I-read-next moments.

Gritin Rechargeable Book Light

Speaking of book lovers, nighttime readers will appreciate this compact light. The rechargeable LED-powered light can be clipped onto a book to provide enough light to read. According to the brand, it has three color temperatures to choose from, and one full charge gives up to 80 hours of runtime.

Necktek Heated Shiatsu Neck & Back Massager

Gift an at-home spa experience for the back and neck with a Necktek massager. This one comes with hand straps to easily adjust the massager, a head pillow and the option to deploy heat to soothe tired muscles. According to the brand, it has 8 deep-kneading nodes that provide bidirectional massage to really get into tight muscles. This massager has a 4.3-star average rating from over 60,980 reviews on Amazon.

Kitsch Ice Roller

Stick this tool in the freezer and then roll it over your face gently to de-puff and soothe. The stainless steel barrel stays cool for an extended amount of time and the ergonomic grip makes it easy to hold, according to the brand. You can also use it with your favorite serum to help it glide more easily over skin.

ESW Beauty Raw Juice Cleanse Mask Set

“Sheet masks are one of my favorite ways to elevate my skin care routine and I always love gifting loved ones these masks,” says Alvarez. “I love this set because you can use a mask when you notice a specific issue pop up. For example, if I notice my skin is dry, I use the hydrating watermelon mask.” The set comes with five sheet masks, each addressing a different common complexion problem — clogged pores, dullness and more.

Kate McLeod The Body Stone Mini Sampler Set

This beauty brand makes pampering products that get lots of buzz on social media. According to NBC Select commerce editor Lindsay Schneider, the hype is well-deserved — especially on the brand’s best-selling body stone lotion bar. “I don’t always feel in the mood to put on lotion — sometimes the texture really bothers me or I’m just feeling lazy,” she says. “The solid lotion stones are my perfect solution for those moments because all it takes is a few swipes up my legs and arms and I’m good to go. Plus, the process of rubbing the stone on my body actually feels really luxurious and calming.” This gift set includes four mini-sized lotion stones in different sets — one with vetiver, another with rose and one with lavender.

Marycele Candle Warmer

Candles can add a nice ambiance and pleasant scent to any room. However, burning a candle can leave soot on the walls and even be a fire hazard. This candle warmer gives you all the perks without any of the negatives. Simply place a candle on the base, turn it on and a warming light will melt the wax to release the scent.

Free Rein Best Sellers Bundle

Few people wouldn’t appreciate getting this caffeinated gift in a Secret Santa or White Elephant exchange. The set comes with three different 12-ounce bags of Free Rein’s best-selling coffee — a light, medium and dark roast. You can purchase the set with either ground or whole beans. The coffee is made in Texas and was founded by a working cowboy.

Siesta Co. Sea Salt Flakes

Home chefs and foodies will appreciate getting their hands on this set of sea salt flakes. It comes in four different flavors — regular sea salt, smoked ginger, citrus and black — all of which can add a finishing touch and extra flavor to your dish. “I was immediately drawn to these Siesta Co. Sea Salt Flakes because of their aesthetically pleasing packaging,” says Alvarez.“I love how they come in a set already bundled up nicely so I don’t have to worry about packaging it up nicely as a gift.”

Why trust NBC Select?

Bethany Heitman is a writer for NBC Select and a journalist who has been covering beauty, style and home, and writing gift guides for nearly 20 years. For this article, I included highly rated products and items from brands we’ve previously covered.