Whether it's an office gift exchange, a Secret Santa among friends or a grab-bag free-for-all at a large family gathering, everyone wants to contribute a memorable gift to the party. However, anonymous gifting can be stressful. You have no idea who will receive your gift or how much you should spend -- and, of course, no one wants to draw the short straw and get a sickeningly sweet, oversized candle from a well-meaning co-worker. Several holiday resources weigh in on the best way to survive your next white elephant party.

First things first, whether you're hosting or attending, let's get on the same page about white elephant rules:

*Rule No. 1

Each guest supplies one fully wrapped gift to contribute to the pool. Hosts should provide information on what type/price of gifts to bring, but if they haven't, don't fret. We'll go over some tried-and-true suggestions.

*Rule No. 2

All partygoers draw numbered cards to determine the order.

*Rule No. 3

Whoever draws card No. 1 picks out the first gift and opens it so everyone can see.

*Rule No. 4

The following guests can choose to either pick an unwrapped gift from the pool or steal a previous guest's gift. Anyone who gets their choice stolen can then also steal or choose a new gift from the pool.

*Rule No. 5

This continues until everyone has a gift.

Now, the issue with this system is that people are trying to win the best gift. So, here are some recommendations on how to make sure your gift isn't the last to get grudgingly picked.

If your host hasn't supplied any general guidelines for gift style or price, there are some basic guidelines you should follow. Tom Lange of the website Angie's List cautions against showing off. All sources referenced advised choosing gifts around $20 to $25. This way, no one's gifts are blown out of the water, and no one feels pressure to reciprocate or step it up next year. Lange elaborates that white elephant gifts should be selected to provide humor, funny stories and quirky gags -- not to perfectly fit someone's interests or style. With these funny and interesting gifts, friends and family can get a laugh, and because no particular gift is perfect for anyone, there are no hard feelings if guests get their gifts stolen.

Amanda Garrity, in a 2020 article on white elephant parties on the Good Housekeeping website, claims that, although people would enjoy useful homemaking or office supplies, the main goal of these parties is to create funny memories -- gag gifts, regifting funny gifts from last year, slightly embarrassing (but office-appropriate) prank gifts or baskets of cool thrift shop finds. Dorie Chevlen, a contributing journalist for The New York Times' Wirecutter, recommends focusing on unique ideas and offers some examples:

-- Goofy socks (from sushi to "Star Wars," someone in the group will jump at these).

-- Fun, simple card games or specialty board games (look into Flapjacks and Sasquatches, a lumberjack-themed travel card game for any age level).

-- Recipe books for cocktails or any unique food (who doesn't like a great mixer or 10 ways to make authentic street tacos?).

-- Silly house decorations (funny shower curtains, funky throw pillows, etc.).

-- Obscure coffee table books (Look into "Sextrology" -- a coy volume on the intertwining sexuality and zodiac signs).

-- Niche kitchen tools (oven mitts, popcorn makers, fun cutting boards, coffee grinders, pasta makers, etc.).

-- Bizarre T-shirts/sweaters (Chevlen found one that is an Andy Warhol-esque grid of different Keanu Reeves faces!).

Garrity expands on this list with several fine additions:

-- Drink coasters with funny quotes or misquoted lyrics ("We found love in a soapless place ... ").

-- Toilet night lights (no more stumbling around in the dark).

-- Adult coloring books.

-- Karaoke machine (next office party, anyone!?).

-- Avocado tree growing kit.

Lange suggests finding salvage shops and used bookstores, which can be stocked full of hidden treasures. For example, you can find $4 DVDs, 75-cent corny romance novels, $2 ridiculous shirts, extravagant lamps or antique dishware/mugs. These will need to be batched together to make a complete gift, but this adds to the possibility that someone will be stoked on at least one quirky component of your grab bag.

Needless to say, there are thousands of goofy choices, but find something you think would make at least a few people in the group giggle or smile. The rest will sort itself out, either in the stealing/swapping or later, around the water cooler, enjoying silly memories from last holiday's white elephant party success.