Making White Elephant Gifts Out of Household Cast-offs

If you're in need of a white elephant gift, you first stop should be your own attic, basement or garage. Wherever you store your household cast-offs, you probably have a white elephant gift waiting to be discovered.

Old Furniture

Old furniture makes wonderful white elephant gifts. An old wooden bookcase, shelf, hanging rack, spice cabinet, table, or mirror in a wooden frame may be suitable for gifting in its present state. If it's dinged and scratched, a little sanding and painting can turn it into the perfect present. If it's a gag white elephant gift you need, paint it with graffiti. If you want a serious gift, turn that used furniture into a custom piece using paint and stencils.

Family "Heirlooms"

For the family holiday party, why not pass down a family "heirloom" as your white elephant gift? You don't have to be wealthy to possess family heirlooms. All you need is a family history. If gag gifts are part of your holiday party tradition, your white elephant could be the tattered umbrella Aunt Bertha would not toss, or the ashtray no one dared tell Grandpa was ugly.

But you can also use your family hand-me-downs to create more serious white elephant heirlooms. A school age relative might actually like the flute you haven't played since high school. If you've never used Mom's old sewing machine, maybe another relative would. And Christmas ornaments are a veritable white elephant treasure trove. If, like many people, you have more ornaments than you need but are reluctant to part with them, perhaps you can put together a collection for a relative starting out who might fondly remember them from your past Christmases together.

Junk Collection

The adage one person's junk is another's treasures is the essence of white elephant gifting. Why not take the adage literally and empty out your junk drawer- everyone has one- into a box and tie it with ribbon. Is that going too far? The answer may depend on the recipient's creativity. If the recipient has artistic tendencies, a box of bolts, nuts, keys, and wire might be the makings of a magnificent sculpture. For a tinkerer, it may become a challenge to find a use for this orphan collection.

If your white elephant is unappreciated, accept it with good cheer when it reverts back to you next year!