59 Of The Most Interesting Things People Received As Gifts

Finding the perfect gift is not easy. That's why the holiday season causes immense amounts of stress for people. In fact, 40% of Americans say that not knowing what gifts to buy seriously messes up their holiday vibe. That worry is only second to having to navigate overcrowded stores during Christmastime.

You'll find lots of White Elephant exchange gifts on this list, and Americans really seem to love their gift exchanges. People online have even been noticing how popular White Elephant is in 2025. A previous poll in 2023 found that the majority of Americans who celebrate Christmas (84%) participate in some kind of gift exchange.

The popularity of Christmas gift exchanges differs by the age of the person. Gen Z is the most likely (98%) to take part in White Elephant or Secret Santa, with Millennials following closely (72%). Surprisingly, Gen X is the generation least likely (45%) to participate in a gift exchange, and Baby Boomers (50%) are in the middle.

On average, Americans planned to participate in six gift exchanges in 2023. The numbers for 2025 are still pending, but in 2024, the online platform White Elephant Online reported that 4,600 players participated in 3,000 gift exchanges with the help of its website, swapping around 47,000 gifts in total.

It's probably not ideal to gift someone what you want to get for yourself. Luckily, most Americans agree, as, on average, the gifts they want to receive differ slightly from what they give to other people for Christmas. In 2025, the most popular gifts to both give and receive were clothes and shoes.

However, the most common gifts Americans bought for someone else were toys and games, vouchers or gift cards, food and snacks, books, and health and beauty products. Ironically, out of these, people wanted to receive gift cards the least. Only one in ten Americans says they would like to get a voucher as a Christmas present.

Of course, gift preferences differ according to age as well. Older people don't really want to receive clothes, books, or health and wellness products. In the poll, they listed their preference as "other," meaning more personalized or less conventional gifts. Sports equipment, vouchers, music, movies, and video games were also among the least favorites for those aged 60 and over.

White Elephant might be gaining more and more popularity in recent years because it's a bit more interesting than your average Secret Santa. The origins of the White Elephant gift exchange are traced back to Siam, or modern-day Thailand. According to legend, the king would give white elephants to subordinates whom he didn't like. And that logic tracks to this day: White Elephant is about giving away silly, unusable gifts, with the chance for other participants to steal them.

But what if you're completely out of ideas about what to give another person? Well, the starting point would be making peace with the fact that you're probably not going to give someone the perfect gift. Let's be real: those don't exist. People like different things; some want a gift that's thoughtful and personal and doesn't cost a fortune, while others may prefer that it costs at least more than $10. Some people prefer experiences; others want more tangible things like accessories, clothes, or certain objects.