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On the surface, white elephant gift exchanges seem plain and simple. Everyone brings a gift, you swap them, fight for the coolest one, and (hopefully) go home with the best gift of all. But in our experience, these Dirty Santa swaps require much more effort than you might initially think. For starters, who is your audience? With this question comes a slew of others, like should your gift be funny? Risqué? Totally normal? On top of that, how much do you have to spend? Over $100? Under $10? As for the final question: What in the world are you supposed to get?
Don’t worry, we’ve been there, too. And since we’re seasoned white elephant gift swappers, we’ve decided to create a curated list of the best presents for these types of gatherings, all for $40 and under. We believe that $40 can get you a gift that’s perfect for any swap, including one with friends, family members, and even coworkers (those are typically the hardest to shop for).
Ahead, we devised a comprehensive list complete with fun, creative, and unique presents that will be the hit of the night. They range from funny gag gifts that will make them laugh to cool and useful picks people will most definitely end up fighting over. The best part? You won’t spend a dollar over $40.