11 Clever White Elephant Gifts That Are Surprisingly Useful at Home—All Under $25

As a shopping writer who has spent the last decade curating gift guides, I have strong opinions on white elephant gifts under $25. I firmly believe that white elephant gifts should be cheap (duh!), and also fall into one of two categories: absurdly interesting or extremely functional. If your white elephant gift is neither, then it’s probably going to be thrown out or stored at the back of a junk drawer. Or worse—regifted. And that’s no fun, is it?

Whether it’s a utilitarian kitchen tool designed to save time while cooking or a genius gadget that makes Christmas gift-wrapping much, much easier, these clever tools are the perfect white elephant gifts under $25, and your giftee will use them again and again. That is, if they’re not stolen during white elephant, of course.

Keep reading through for more clever tools that make great white elephant gifts under $25.

Little Elf 2-Pack Wrapping Paper Cutter, $14
Gamma Light Therapy Revive Red Reading Light, $25
Oeop 2-in-1 Mini Bag Sealer and Cutter, $20
Sleek Socket Original Flat Outlet Extension Cord, $22
Quskay 3-Piece Strawberry Slicer Cup, $9
Ototo Splatypus Jar Spatula, $10 (was $15)
Kitchen Gizmo Snap N’Strain Clip-On Pot Strainer, $13
TP-Link AC1200 WiFi Extender, $19 (was $20)
Chef’n Original Stem Gem Strawberry Huller, $8 (was $9)
Wacoi Auto-Rolling Egg Dispenser, $14 (was $17)

Little Elf 2-Pack Wrapping Paper Cutter

Credit:

Amazon

Give the gift of a simpler gift-wrapping process. This clever wrapping paper cutter makes it easier and quicker to wrap holiday presents. With no scissors required, it has a safe-to-use embedded blade that cuts crisply and cleanly on wrapping paper rolls that are 2.24 inches or smaller in diameter. It’s even heavy-duty enough to help you cut other projects, too, such as vinyl, craft paper, bulletin board paper, and more.

Gamma Light Therapy Revive Red Reading Light

Credit:

Amazon

This clip-on reading light does more than just illuminate your nighttime read. Whereas reading on a tablet exposes your body to sleep-disrupting blue light, this reading light has a 670 nanometer red light bulb that actually promotes natural melatonin production. It mimics the natural rays of the sunset, signifying to your body that it’s time to read, then go to sleep.

Oeop 2-in-1 Mini Bag Sealer and Cutter

Credit:

Amazon

This innocuous tool is secretly the handiest thing ever. It’s magnetic, so you can stick it to the fridge, then reach for it when you need. It can both cut and heat-seal bags with the push of a button. It’s perfect for opening (and sealing) chips, cookies, snacks, and most other plastic bags.

Sleek Socket Original Flat Outlet Extension Cord

Credit:

Amazon

Is this a boring gift? Maybe only at a first glance, but when it comes to functionality, there’s nothing better than this utilitarian outlet cover. Your giftee will absolutely use it—if not everyday. It’s an extension cord—and we always need more of those than we think we do—but it also eliminates the bulk and clutter that often comes with extra plugs. It hides the outlet with a sleek, flat cover, while still providing 3 feet of cord and three standard plugs. And because it doesn’t jut out of the wall like other cumbersome plugs do, you can push furniture closer to the wall to save space.

Keep scrolling for more clever tools that make great white elephant gifts that people will actually use. Each pick is under $25.