When it comes to gift-swapping games like White Elephant, Yankee Swap, or Nasty Christmas, the master gifters must first forget everything they know about holiday gifting.
Gone are the gifts of cashmere scarves, Belgian chocolates, and those porcelain baby angel figurines Aunt Sharon collects. In their place, Ron Swanson's Pyramid of Greatness, cookbooks punctuated by expletives, life-size cardboard cut-outs of your face, T-shirts with record players engulfed in flame thanks to the devil's music, and door stoppers with "HODOR" emblazoned upon them.
Gift swaps reward the niche, novel, and irreverent, with bonus points going to those who can check the boxes of funny and useful. So, below, we rounded up 55 gifts that are perfectly primed for this occasion, and, admittedly, perhaps no other.
Useful, funny, unexpected, and — dare we say it — provocative ... this spoof cookbook is one of the best conversation starters and White Elephant gifts under $15 you're likely to find.
What Do You Meme is the second wave of whatever Cards Against Humanity was — and it's really fun.
Matching outfits, terrible stage direction, and a collection of 365 photos that will make you recoil in either recognition or secondhand embarrassment.
Adult coloring has had a resurgence in recent years as a great de-stressor (Kate Middleton was one notable fan). But before then, humans used swearing as the next best thing. Why not pair the two together for a truly balanced catharsis?
Know a fan of "Rick and Morty"? They will love this Pickle Rick PopSocket from one of the show's most recognizable episodes.
If they're a pet parent, they'll love a unique portrait of their fur child. Canvas Pop lets you customize the print with fun color overlays so the portrait will really stand out in their living room
Michael Scott once said that gifts were great because you can point to them and say "Hey, man, I love you this many dollars worth." This gift also says "I love you this huge."
In a stroke of pure genius, "Food In My Beard Face Plates" were born. Have a friend who's got a Civil War, Lumberjack, or 19th-century Russian author beard that's known to take a few accidental morsels home with him? Say no more.
Klimt, Van Gogh, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Munch — the gangs all here. Whether they're an art buff or just love socks that are fun but still functional, these are a great $10 gift to tack on.
This spoon can be personalized with their name so it's well-suited for the true-crime or horror movie lovers in your life or anyone who just respects a good pun.
Join this Snake Eyes version of Nicolas Cage on puzzles, games, coloring pages, and "the best of times."
Whether they also have a dog whose diet consists of chair legs, car keys, and their favorite pair of slippers, they'll get a kick out of this dog-shaming calendar.
You tell your friends you love and respect them, but what have you done to prove it lately?
If you've ever painted your nails, you can sympathize with the hassle of finding a safe spot for an open bottle of gooey, brightly colored polish to hang out while you work. This $10 nail polish holder looks gimmicky, but it's actually useful.
If they're the friend who will be brewing beer in their garage in a few months, urge along the process with this beer and food pairing towel. It'll give them great ideas for foods they may want to cook to complement beers they already have, or vice versa.
Randall Munroe is best known for his cult-favorite stick-figure drawings about science, technology, language, and love. In this book, he gives fans serious scientific answers to the hypothetical questions people ask him. The hilarious answers are the results of stacks of declassified military research memos, differential equations, and interviews with nuclear reactor operators, and are accompanied by his signature comics.
For the Game of Thrones fan, nothing tops a cookbook with a foreword from George R.R. Martin and a bunch of recipes that bring feasts at Winterfell and lemon cake with Sansa Stark closer to reality.
For those that already live by Swanson rules or would put "masonry" and "cabins" as fundamental building blocks in their life.
What's more fun than dipping cookies in milk? Replacing all the silverware in your home with cutlery made out of cookies like a second grader who became president for a day.
This popular cookbook was derived from the website of the same name, and it's a choose-your-own-adventure book of 50 solid meal ideas for the nights when they have no clue what to make.
This binge-watching survival kit is especially perfect for the friend who's always complaining about the thinly-veiled disapproval in Netflix's "Are you still watching?" notification.
This card game basically asks you to answer "who's the most likely to..." out of your friends, anonymously — perfect for the next low-key night or pregame. You may also want to check out "Who in the Room" or "Never Have I Ever" in card version.
No spoilers here, but your "Game of Thrones"-obsessed friends will probably consider this wooden block with a nonsensical word embossed upon it as one of the best gifts they get this year.
This is for the visionary who won't accept the limitations of a regular brownie pan. In a world of these, everyone wins.
The perfect accessory for days when it's "raining men."
Turn hot chocolate with marshmallows or cereal into a game with this mug made by an eight-year-old kid-preneur. Plus, $5 of every purchase supports an online resource for parents of kids with learning disabilities.
Laugh. Otherwise, you'll cry.
Do they love puns, math equations, and/or pie? This popular "I eight sum pi" dish is a great intersection of them all.
Perfect for the friend who asks for hot sauce before the food has even come out of the restaurant kitchen.
If they're never further than 45 feet from a coffee pot, they'll probably appreciate the gallows humor of this spot-on poster.
Celebrate their love of rock and roll with a T-shirt dedicated to love of the devil's music, complete with a record player engulfed in flames.
Perfect for the friend whose ideal night is staying in. Or the one who says they're five minutes away when they're really a mile deep inside a carton of lo mein.
For the perpetually overheated, grab a small fan they can plug into your computer or laptop for power.
Just because they've never asked for a live plant in the shape of an angelic cultural giant doesn't mean they won't love growing one.
From the creators of the podcast "The Dollop" comes the weird, hilarious, and true untold stories of American history — accompanied by full-page illustrations that bring each historical "milestone" to life.
A national treasure in its own right.
Most people already have Cards Against Humanity, and this extended "Red Box" version comes with 300 fresh cards to add into the mix (230 white and 70 black). The company also notes that it "transforms your deck of Cards Against Humanity into a better bludgeoning weapon against home invaders."
Combine two great pastimes into one with a guide of 70 albums from the '50s through the '00s, paired with an A-side and B-side cocktail for each one. They're organized by mood, so they'll know just what pairing to use.
This parody of a 1960s children's book satirizes what it's like to bring kids to an art gallery — explaining contemporary art and existential dread with keywords displayed at the bottom.
This mini waffle maker is perfect for when they want to make a waffle just for them rather than a whole spread.
For the friend that has invested far too much money in key duplicates.
This New York Times Bestseller comes from the co-creator and co-star of the hit series "Broad City" — and you can rest assured that if your friends have ever mentioned the show, they'll love this.
Who doesn't love a good pun? Or cleaner sponges?
A good-natured drinking game with friends, but make it tiny. If you'd rather try your pointer finger at Mini Beer Pong, there's that too for $60.
This cookbook was built to handle hangovers — six types of them to be exact. Recipes are tailored to the specific hangover and are bookended by insights into hangover science, quizzes to see if you're maybe just still drunk, and witty jokes.
Oreo flavored candy canes — because once humans figured out how to make fire and penicillin, they just decided to have fun with it.
Like the wearable nail polish holder, this is another product that arguably shouldn't exist. And yet ... it's a great way to make sure everything is perfectly cooked, without hovering over the pan and stirring continually. Funny, weird, and — according to its 14 reviews and 4.8-stars — actually very useful.
Cute, functional, and can be paired with some great loose tea for a "more-is-more" gift.
Merry Slothmas to all and to all a 20-hour sleep cycle, goodnight.
Exploding Kittens is basically a highly strategic version of Russian roulette with a cat theme. It was the most-backed project in Kickstarter history, and this version is NSFW.
This ceramic gag gift mug has become a bit of a mainstay in the genre, and it holds up to 12 ounces of their favorite drink.
Give the couch potato people what they want — and that's the ability to control the lights, TV, stereo, and other appliances without needing to get up from the comfortable spot they fell into.
A bad dog learns a few good tricks — like when to bluff, and when it's ok to ask for forgiveness instead of permission.
For the friend who loves puns, has a penchant for swearing, or appreciates a nice ceramic mug that pretty much works like every other.
Load this microwavable popcorn maker up with kernels and pop it in the microwave for delicious popcorn without the hassle of actually doing the stovetop thing.