I don’t know about you, but the holiday grab bags are in FULL force this year. There are a bunch of games to play with community gift exchanges and white elephant exchanges, and people are eating them up in excess this year. I’m super on board with them, because I love holiday and Christmas exchanges. In some groups, we do a secret Santa type deal with everyone randomly assigned names using an app or website like Elfster or Draw Names. In others, we do a fully random, bring a gift and see what happens.

It can be paralyzing trying to do a gift exchange when the world is your oyster (even if your gift exchange has a theme), so I thought I’d throw some ideas at the spaghetti wall and hope it helps you out! If you want some funny and inappropriate ideas, I also have a gag gift guide with some pretty hilarious gift ideas.

Grab bag gift ideas under $20

Party games (Varies) If you’re getting together as a group for a thing, odds are the people you’re with enjoy social interaction. Party games are a fun gift idea that keeps on giving. It may even end up being a gift for the entire group to play later. A few of my favorite party games under $20 are listed here: 

1. Codenames (which, in addition to the original game, comes in a variety of themes and versions, including Marvel Codenames and Codnames Duet)
2. Taco vs. Burrito
3. That’s Not a Hat
4. Blank Slate

Justice for Pluto gifts (varies) if you still think Pluto deserves planet status, this entire idea list is for you. I love a good science joke.

Wine charms ($18) these wood-carved 80s hair band wine puns are such a perfect and funny grab bag gift for any elder millennial, gen X, or even a young boomer. 

Small candles (varies) I always love trying new candles from small shops. These manifestation candles just look really interesting and fun. Vibrant colors are always the best. 

Handmade soap (varies) A bar of Dove? lame. A bar of handmade artisan soap that smells like heaven? Now that’s a sweet gift. I started using handmade soap about a decade ago, and I haven’t looked back. 

More science-themed gifts (varies) I seriously had so much fun creating idea lists on Etsy with all of these nerdy and fun science-y gifts like this double helix house plant trellis. 

Dr. Teal’s epsom salts set ($16) I’m not entirely sure where I would be without these bad boys, but they are by far my lifeline in relaxation and pain relief. I just love soaking in an Epsom bath. So much so that I even bring a bag to Disney with me and use it every night after walking all day. Plus, they smell amazing.

PlaneAire Starter Set ($15) While this gift set is designed to accommodate air travel, it’s convenient and useful for everyone! It comes with travel-size (read fits in a small carry-on bag, purse, or even pocket if you’re lucky enough to have pants with real pockets. It comes with a hand sanitizer and surface cleaner/air mist combo.

Your favorite things (Varies) So my book club is actually doing this for our gift exchange. Everyone is bringing a gift in a set budget that includes their favorite thing or things. This can be interpreted in so many different ways too! Maybe it’s your favorite foods or your favorite game or your favorite beauty/bath/body essentials or your favorite movies or music or games. Or maybe it’s a little of each! Think of things you can’t live without and how much you love them, and I’m sure your gift exchange group will love them too!

Grab bag gift ideas under $50

Monikers party game ($25) A little more expensive than the other party games, but this is one of my all-time favorite party games. A little Taboo, a little Memory, and a little Charades means a lot of fun.

Squatty Potty ($25) Hear me out on this one. Would YOU be mad if you opened this bad boy at the annual Dirty Santa party? Me neither. I freaking LOVE my Squatty Potty. 

Hot Cherry Pillows ($20-$50) So these are my FAVORITE winter gifts. I have almost every size and am literally obsessed with them. I use them for pain relief, sure, but more often than not, I use them for keeping warm in the frigid winter. I heat up a triple square and a double square before bed, put them under the covers to heat up the sheets and then wrap them around my hands and feet when I crawl into bed. Sometimes, I even sleep with one on my abdomen for peak warmth and also weighted blanket level security. You can also find Hot Cherry on Amazon.

Erin’s Elderberries Linzer cookie kit ($25) I love holiday baking. I especially love the product of holiday baking (weeks worth of cookies for me to eat? Yes, please. And I know I’m not alone. Fun gift ideas for grab bags are DIY kits like this Linzer cookie baking kit. It comes with almost everything you need to make Linzer cookies, including special cookie cutters and the Erin’s Elderberry jam (just add butter, an egg, and vanilla)! I have these in my baking queue this week, and I can’t wait to bake and eat them!

Pyrex storage set ($33) Every single time I see Pyrex in one of those gift-stealing grab bag games, it gets stolen the maximum number of times. Want to have the best gift under the tree, this one is often a winner. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love them a little Pyrex.

Fancy candles in wood bowls ($30) I love displaying these large decorative candles in my home, and it’s even better when they smell amazing.

Cheese board ($30) Charcuteries are HOT right now. Granted, I’ve always thought they were sexy AF, and making cheese plates has been a form of therapy for me for years, but they are having an actual moment right now and I’m HERE for it. (You can find them in a variety of price points, and I absolutely recommend shopping local (my favorite in the Chicagoland area is Jake n Jill’s Woodshop in Bloomingdale, IL) or on Etsy for handmade wood boards).

Bottles of wine (varies) (this is my friend’s website. Some of my favorite under $30 wines here are Haute Couture and My Paris Secret —  both sparkling wines)

Quick and dirty grab bag gift ideas

Sometimes, you wait until the last minute to get the grab bag gift, right? Or is that just me? Well, I’m sure I’m not alone. Here are some of my favorite quick gifts that people tend to love. I’ve always loved those gift baskets too, so sometimes I get lots of them for the holiday season. Because they’re so fun. Who doesn’t love a basket of fun?

• Bottles of booze
• Chocolate gift baskets
• Any gift baskets under $20
• Something from that box of unopened gifts in the closet. I know you’ve got one. 
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