White Elephant & Secret Santa Gifts Under $20 That Actually Get Stolen
Every gift exchange has the same two failures. The first is the gift nobody wants: a candle that smells like "winter," a mug, a second mug. The second is the gift somebody wants so badly it gets stolen three times and then locked, which is the whole point, and which is the gift you are trying to bring.
Here is a shortcut. Every celebrity prayer candle we make costs between $14 and $17.95, which is under the $20 cap on nearly every Secret Santa and White Elephant ever organized. Each one is an 8" glass devotional candle with a famous face painted on it like a renaissance saint. You can see the joke from across the room, and that is what a White Elephant gift needs.
The ones that start a steal war
White Elephant rewards the gift that gets a laugh the second the paper comes off. These are the proven crowd-pleasers:
- Tony Soprano: $16.95. Every room has at least three people who will fight over this, and at least one who will do the voice.
- Jennifer Coolidge: $16.95. One of our best sellers, and the candle most likely to be clutched to someone's chest while they refuse to give it up.
- Andy Reid: $16.95. Our quietly funniest candle. It works on football fans and on people who have no idea who he is.
- Trisha Paytas: $16.95. For the office where half the room gets it immediately and the other half needs it explained, which is a second round of entertainment.
For the Secret Santa you know nothing about
You drew someone from accounting. You have spoken twice, once about the printer. Go with someone nobody dislikes:
- Dolly Parton: $16.95. As close to universally loved as a candle can get.
- Pedro Pascal: $14.00. The internet's boyfriend, and one of the two cheapest candles we sell.
- Taylor Swift: $16.95. Statistically, they are a Swiftie, or they live with one.
- Beyoncé: $16.95. Nobody has ever been upset to receive Beyoncé.
When you know their team
Football fans are the easiest people in any office to buy for, because they never stop telling you who they root for. Pick their quarterback:
- Patrick Mahomes: Chiefs, from $16.95
- Josh Allen: Bills, $16.95
- Jalen Hurts: Eagles, from $16.95
- Joe Burrow: Bengals, $16.95
- Tom Brady: for the one who thinks the league peaked in 2007, $16.95
There are 15 more in our guide to gifts for NFL fans. For basketball people, there's LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Luka Dončić.
When you know their music
- Chappell Roan or Sabrina Carpenter: for the coworker whose desk has become a small shrine anyway, $16.95 each
- Kendrick Lamar: $16.95, for the person who had opinions about the Super Bowl halftime show
- Bad Bunny or Peso Pluma: from $16.95
- Lionel Richie: $16.95. Easily the most wholesome candle in the catalog. Nobody will steal it and everyone will want to.
- John Summit: $14.00, for the one who goes to festivals and wants you to know about it
Why a candle wins the exchange
- The joke works from across the room. Gag gifts that need explaining die in the gap between unwrapping and explaining. A saint candle of Tony Soprano does not.
- It doesn't go straight in a drawer. Most novelty gifts get one laugh. This one looks good on a shelf, so it keeps being funny in February.
- It fits the budget with room to spare. Most candles are $16.95, and Pedro Pascal and John Summit are $14. You will not be the person who blew the cap.
The practical bits: unscented, roughly 80 hours of burn, and it ships in 1–3 business days. Free US shipping kicks in over $35. If you have more than one exchange this year (the office, the friends, the family one with the aggressive uncle), buy them together.
Not sure who you drew? Start with our Best Sellers, or browse every candle we make.
Our candles are parody and commentary. They are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any celebrity, team, or league.
