The ten finest white elephant items value preventing over for 2025

The most effective white elephant items are those that create a little bit of intrigue as quickly as they enter the reward pile. And a full-size, 4.3-pound firelog wrapped in vacation paper is inconceivable not to note. It’s going to nearly definitely dwarf each different reward that’s up for grabs, and can immediate limitless questions and hypothesis about what could possibly be within the bizarre, surprisingly heavy field.

The truth that the comically-large field holds a KFC fried chicken-scented firelog makes the entire gag much more amusing. I’ve a gasoline fire at residence, so I, sadly, don’t know what the KFC 11 Herbs and Spices firelog really smells like. Many on-line opinions declare it smells “precisely” like the within of a KFC. Whether or not that’s interesting to you or not most likely will depend on your affinity for the Colonel. However I can’t consider a extra pleasant reward to bestow on somebody who simply actually wished to see what was inside the massive, heavy field. — Karissa Bell, Senior Reporter

A present anybody can respect is the reward of heat, and a pair of those magnetic hand heaters is likely one of the cutest (and most handy) methods to present that. They’re rechargeable little pucks that can be utilized caught collectively or individually to heat up frozen palms in the course of the winter — or actually, any time of the yr. They warmth up tremendous quick (really, inside seconds) and can last as long as eight hours every on a single cost. They’ll even be nice for many who insist they by no means get chilly as a result of they’re so small and compact that they’ll use them stealthily of their coat pockets, with nobody the wiser. — Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor

Is there actually any level to sushi or noodle night time should you’re not consuming your meals with utensils protected by The Pressure? No. The reply isn’t any. These lightsaber chopsticks glow in numerous colours with simply the press of a button and include included batteries so your giftee can get proper to defending their plates from the forces of evil. Positive, they are going to be a success amongst Star Wars fanatics, however anybody can discover pleasure in a pair of extra-powerful chopsticks with which to have impromptu “meals fights” in between bites of sashimi. — V.P.

Native Union is a French equipment firm that made its title greater than a decade in the past with the Pop Cellphone. It was an outsized, old-school phone handset designed to plug into iPhones again when the world nonetheless felt a shiver of hope. It helped embody that temporary interval after we had been utilizing outdated images filters on our social media footage, mixing the outdated and the brand new. Now, the corporate has re-released the Pop telephone with USB-C, letting you hook it as much as any telephone or gadget you’d care to take calls on. The audio high quality is greater than effective, and it’s most likely extra of an eye catching assertion piece in 2025 than it was in 2015. — Daniel Cooper, Senior Reporter

I’ve by no means been an enormous fan of jigsaw puzzles, however the items of artwork the Magic Puzzle Firm makes so that you can assemble are a delight. For starters, every has attractive and distinctive art work — whereas there are a number of artists who’ve contributed to the corporate’s puzzle lineup, all of them really feel associated, filled with coloration, whimsy and a bunch of secrets and techniques you’ll discover as you construct. The puzzle items themselves are high-quality and strong, one thing that goes a good distance in direction of making a puzzle enjoyable to place collectively.

However my favourite half is the truth that when you end the primary puzzle, you’re not completed. Every has sections that may slide round after you are completed, which opens up a brand new center space to be crammed in with a bonus part of items. This new addition seamlessly matches into the puzzle and expands on its story. It’s onerous to explain, however it’s in contrast to something I’ve seen in different puzzles. I’m fairly agnostic about my puzzle-makers, however I’m itching to get my palms on extra from the Magic Puzzle Firm and discover their secrets and techniques. — Nathan Ingraham, Deputy Editor

Who doesn’t need their front room to seem like a galaxy far, distant? Your giftee may need to battle their younger youngsters (or others in your reward change) for this galaxy projector, which shines totally different gentle results up onto the ceiling with adjustable brightness and velocity. They’ll use it to realize the proper vibe for his or her subsequent Star Wars binge watch get together, or to soothingly usher themselves to sleep on a nightly foundation. Along with an included distant and a companion app, the projector has a timer too to allow them to set it to show off simply as they go to sleep. The cellular app will allow them to customise all elements of their private house subject, from its nebula and twinkling results, to the swirling colours, to the music that they pair with it (sure, there’s a speaker in-built as effectively). Overlook these boring outdated smart light bulbs — this galaxy projector is the sensible gadget that can level-up anybody’s residence setting. — V.P.

What’s higher than a heat and comfy beanie? A heat and comfy beanie that additionally helps you see higher if you’re strolling the canine on a chilly, darkish, winter morning, going for a night jog or rummaging for a particular instrument in your storage. This unisex beanie has a detachable gentle on its entrance edge that has 4 LEDs inside and may run for as much as eight hours on a single cost. And when it wants extra juice, you’ll be able to merely take the sunshine fixture off, recharge it and pop it again into the hat. — V.P.

Our desks are cluttered and boring, however this cute little rechargeable gentle can brighten issues up. The chibi flame contained in the old-school kerosene lamp determine is made from silicone, so it’s simply as squishy as it’s cute, and it has two lighting modes: candlelight and night time gentle. The gentle, heat hue it emits will likely be nice for setting the temper in your house, and its dimmable so you will get simply the correct amount of sunshine in your style. — V.P.

The Banana Phone is precisely what you’d count on it to be — a banana that’s additionally a telephone. It may not have a SIM card or a service plan connected to it, however your giftee can pair it with their smartphone by way of Bluetooth to allow them to ditch that drained, $1,000+ handset and begin taking calls the best manner — with a bit of fruit. Along with taking and making calls, they’ll additionally use the Banana Cellphone with the Google Assistant and Siri, to ask concerning the climate or inform it to “Play Merciless Summer season by Bananarama.” Sure, the Banana Cellphone additionally works as a Bluetooth speaker and has a 30-foot vary, so it might probably play tunes at any time when they’re not utilizing it to conduct official enterprise. — V.P.

If the purpose of a White Elephant reward is to be a type of low-key torture, then the Clocky Alarm Clock on Wheels could be the best White Elephant reward of all time. (Nicely, apart from these weirdos who get up at 4:30 AM on daily basis bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.) It’s an alarm clock that, in case your giftee tries to hit the snooze button, runs away from them persevering with to beep, telling them in no unsure phrases it’s time to rise up. And each morning, they’ll stumble away from bed drowsily cursing your title. – Terrence O’Brien, Former Managing Editor