Baker's Dozen of Last Minute White Elephant Gift Ideas

1. Arts and crafts collection you forgot to send to your child's teacher at the beginning of the year. This could be pop tabs, Popsicle sticks, straws, small pieces of yarn or fabric, and so on. Should come in a very pretty box, inside the boxed used to wrap it up in.

2. Can of fish food that your fish won't eat fast enough to keep the water from turning cloudy. An excellent choice would be fish food granules.

3. A set of broken necklaces that you've always meant to fix, but never got around to doing. This should also come in a pretty inner box.

4. A set of dried up markers, preferably either in the original packaging, or a pretty hairband. Can substitute pens or empty mechanical pencils of varying lead sizes.

5. Your old set of speakers from your computer, or any other pieces of hardware that you no longer need, now that you have that part of your computer's setup updated.

6. That sweater you love but that shrunk. It should fit somebody, right?

7. Your old slinky that the neighbor's kid got ahold of and put a kink in.

8. Reloadable gift cards that recipient can reload themselves. Current balance should be a 'surprise'. Gift should include at least one, but several are also a treat.

9. Donated artwork from a young child, frame optional.

10. Snowballs in a plastic container.

11. DVD's that won't play for you any more. It must be the machine, honest.

12. That strand of Christmas tree lights that has a bad bulb. There's only 50, and you already have enough lights on the tree. You can afford to give this up, and someone might need the extra lights for a strand that they have that has a lot of bad bulbs.

13. Origami you've made, specially for the occasion. Must have at least three. A good choice would be of graduated sizes of the same style, and in the same kind of paper. Don't use Christmas card paper, as it doesn't fold well, and will waste the short amount of time you have to get ready for the party.

Have a good time!