The 10 best white elephant gift ideas for 2025

The best white elephant gifts are those that create a little intrigue as soon as they enter the gift pile. And a full-size, 4.3-pound firelog wrapped in holiday paper is impossible. No For information. It will almost certainly dwarf every other gift there is to receive, and will spark endless questions and speculation about what might be in the strange, surprisingly heavy box.

The fact that the comically large box contains KFC fried chicken-scented firelogs makes the whole gag even more amusing. I have a gas fireplace in my house, so sadly I don’t know what the KFC 11 Herbs & Spices Firelog actually smells like. Many online reviews claim that it smells “exactly” like the inside of KFC. Whether this is attractive to you probably depends on your affinity for the Colonel. But I can’t think of a more pleasant gift to give to someone who actually wanted to see what was inside the big, heavy boxes. – Karissa Bell, Senior Reporter

One gift anyone can appreciate is the gift of warmth, and a pair of these magnetic hand warmers are one of the cutest (and most convenient) ways to give it. They’re rechargeable little pucks that can be used to stick together or separately to warm frozen hands during winter – or really, any time of year. They heat up very quickly (in fact, within seconds) and will last up to eight hours on a single charge. They’ll also be great for people who insist that they never get cold because they’re so small and compact that they can use them quietly in their coat pocket, with no one the wiser. – Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor

Is there really any point to sushi or noodle night if you’re not eating your food in utensils protected by The Force? No, the answer is no. These lightsaber chopsticks glow different colors with just the press of a button and come with included batteries so your gift recipient can keep their plates safe from evil forces. Sure, they’ll be a hit among Star Wars fanatics, but anyone can find joy in a pair of extra-powerful chopsticks with which to have impromptu “food fights” between bites of sashimi. — V.P

Native Union is a French accessories company that made its name with the Pop Phone more than a decade ago. It was an oversized, old-fashioned telephone handset designed to plug into an iPhone when the world was still feeling the shivers of hope. It helped epitomize that brief period when we were using vintage photography filters while mixing the old and the new on our social media pictures. Now, the company has re-released the Pop Phone with USB-C, so you can connect it to any phone or device you want to take calls on. The audio quality is great, and this will probably be a more eye-catching statement in 2025 than it was in 2015. – Daniel Cooper, Senior Reporter

I’ve never been a big fan of jigsaw puzzles, but the art pieces that Magic Puzzle Company creates for you to assemble are a delight. For starters, each one has gorgeous and distinctive artwork – although there are multiple artists who have contributed to the company’s puzzle lineup, they all feel related, full of color, whimsy, and secrets that you’ll notice as you build. The puzzle pieces themselves are high-quality and solid, something that goes a long way to making putting together a puzzle fun.

But my favorite part is that once you complete the main puzzle, your job isn’t over. Each has sections that can slide around after you’re done, which opens up a new middle area to fill in with a bonus section of pieces. This new addition fits seamlessly into the puzzle and expands its story. It’s hard to describe, but it’s unlike anything I’ve seen in other puzzles. I’m fairly agnostic about our puzzle-makers, but I’m interested in learning more from the Magic Puzzle Company and finding out their secrets. -Nathan Ingraham, Deputy Editor

Who doesn’t want their living room to look like a galaxy far, far away? Your gift recipient may have to fight their little ones (or other people in your gift exchange) for this galaxy projector, which shines various light effects on the ceiling with adjustable brightness and speed. They can use it to achieve the perfect ambiance for their next Star Wars binge watch party, or just to sleep comfortably at night. In addition to the included remote and a companion app, the projector also has a timer so people can set it to turn off at bedtime. The mobile app will let them customize all aspects of their personal space sphere, from its nebula and twinkling effects, to the swirling colors, to the music it pairs with (yes, it even has a speaker built in). Forget those boring old smart light bulbs – this Galaxy Projector is the smart device that will level up anyone’s home environment. — V.P

What could be better than a warm and cozy beanie? A warm and cozy beanie that helps you see better when you’re walking the dog on a cold, dark, winter morning, going for an evening walk or rummaging around in your garage for a specific tool. This unisex beanie has a removable light on the front edge that has four LEDs inside and can last up to eight hours on a single charge. And when it needs more juice, you can simply remove the light fixture, recharge it and put it back in the cap. — V.P

Our desks are cluttered and boring, but this adorable little rechargeable light can brighten things up. The chibi flame inside the old-school kerosene lamp shape is made of silicone, so it’s as cute as it is smooth, and it has two lighting modes: candlelight and nightlight. The soft, warm color it emits will be great for setting the mood in your space, and it’ll be dimmable so you can get just the right amount of light for your taste. — V.P

The Banana Phone is exactly what you’d expect – a banana that’s also a phone. There may be no SIM card or service plan attached, but your gift recipient can pair it with their smartphone via Bluetooth so they can ditch that tired, $1,000+ handset and start taking calls the right way — with a piece of fruit. In addition to taking and making calls, they can also use Banana Phone with Google Assistant and Siri to ask about the weather or tell them “Play Cruel Summer by Bananarama.” Yes, the Banana Phone also works as a Bluetooth speaker and has a 30-foot range, so it can play tunes whenever they’re not using it to conduct official business. — V.P

If the goal of a white elephant gift is a form of low-key torture, then the Clocky Alarm Clock on Wheels might be the greatest white elephant gift ever. (Well, except for those weird people who wake up at 4:30 a.m. every day, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.) It’s an alarm clock that, if your giftee tries to hit the snooze button, runs away from them while continuing to beep, and tells them in no uncertain terms that it’s time to get up. And every morning, they will stumble out of bed in their sleep, cursing your name. -Terence O’Brien, former managing editor