Heads-up: this guide includes gifts with adult humor. Cheeky, never explicit.
Funny office Christmas party gifts work when the whole room can laugh, not just the person opening them. Find out which game your office plays, pick a gift one notch below your boldest idea, and hand it over with one good line.
First, find out which game you're playing
The game decides the gift. There are three common formats.
- Secret Santa: you draw one name and buy for that person. You can tailor the joke. Our Secret Santa guide has 12 ideas.
- White elephant, Yankee swap or Dirty Santa: everyone brings a wrapped gift, and players can steal what others have opened. You don't know who ends up with yours, so the joke must work for anyone.
- Schrottwichteln: the German cousin, where people bring something they want to get rid of. Funny, but don't bring your actual junk to a new team.
The swap party has a long history. A Kentucky newspaper described one in 1901: each guest got "four or five little bundles", wrapped so no one could guess the contents. The name "white elephant party" turned up in 1907, in a joke. A popular society woman asked every guest to bring something she had no use for but couldn't throw away. Nine of the eleven women brought their husbands.
How cheeky is too cheeky for the office?
Think of a scale with three steps.
- Desk-safe: funny to everyone, including the new intern and the visiting client. A trophy for a fake award, a desk gong.
- Party-safe: a wink that needs an adult sense of humor, but nothing explicit. Most of our figures live here.
- After-party: the gift you give your best friend, not your team.
Bring a party-safe gift only if you know the room. Mixed teams, new colleagues or a boss who visibly flinches at jokes all mean one step down. The rule of thumb: if you would hesitate to explain it, don't bring it.
Gifts that get stolen in a white elephant swap
In a swap game, in our view, the winning gift is the one people want to show off. Six ideas that tend to cause a steal:
- Something you can pass around. A plush figure, a silly desk gadget, anything that gets held.
- Something with a story. Mannfred Wurstmann, the pig who claims Arnold lent him the car, comes with his own tall tales.
- Something that makes noise. A desk gong, a tiny bell for "good news only".
- Something absurdly specific. A trophy engraved "Best Excuse for Being Late".
- Something that looks like chaos. Antonio Cockobongo, the macaque who can't do quiet, was asked to leave a circus for teaching the other animals dangerous stunts.
- Something soft with a wink. Big Willy Beans, the bear whose motto is "Respect the bear!", is hard to ignore on any desk.
Our figures are 30 to 33 cm (12 to 13 in) tall and cost €29.90 each, including VAT. Check your group's budget before you bring one.
The office party itself: one rule worth knowing
In Germany, the company Christmas party can count as work in one surprising way: statutory accident insurance can cover it. According to the DGUV, the umbrella association of Germany's statutory accident insurers, the company must organize or officially approve the party. Management or someone it appoints must attend, all employees must be invited, and the point must be team spirit.
The cover then runs during the official program, as long as most guests are still there, and on the direct route there and back. It usually ends when you move on to a bar or the Christmas market. Accidents mainly caused by alcohol are not covered, and neither are partners or other guests. So the gift exchange belongs in the official part of the evening, when everyone is still there to see it.
How to hand it over so it lands
Timing matters more than wrapping. Hand it over when people are watching, not at the coat rack.
Say one line, then stop. "This reminded me of you" works better than three minutes of explanation. If the joke needs explaining, the card should do it.
Keep the clear bag on our figures until the moment it comes out. The face shows first, and the room does the rest.
Quick answers
What is a good funny gift for an office Christmas party?
A good funny gift for an office Christmas party makes the whole room laugh and works for anyone who might end up with it. A trophy for a fake award, a desk gong or a cheeky plush figure all work.
What are white elephant gift ideas for adults?
Good white elephant gift ideas for adults are things people want to show off: something with a story, something that makes noise or something soft with a wink. Explicit gifts tend to make the room uncomfortable.
Is a cheeky gift appropriate at work?
A cheeky gift is appropriate at work only if you know the room. With new colleagues, clients or a mixed team, choose a desk-safe gift instead.
What is the difference between Secret Santa and white elephant?
In Secret Santa, you buy for one person whose name you drew. In a white elephant swap, everyone brings a wrapped gift and players can steal opened gifts from each other.
Where does the name "white elephant party" come from?
The name "white elephant party" first appeared in an American newspaper joke in 1907. Swap parties with wrapped mystery bundles had been described in 1901.
Don't worry. Be flirty.
Sources: Early Sports and Pop Culture History Blog, "The History and Etymology of 'White Elephant' Gift Exchanges" (2014, quoting The Hartford Herald, 1901, and The Columbus Journal, 1907); Mental Floss, "What's the Origin of White Elephant Parties?"; DGUV press release "Betriebliche Weihnachtsfeier: So sind Beschäftigte unfallversichert" (November 20, 2025); character stories and price from flirtyfluffers.com. Checked on November 7, 2026.