$5 white elephant gift idea

doing the exact same thing with the in-laws this year, $5 max.  seems kind of silly if you ask me.  unless it's candy or something like that, it's pretty much going to get thrown in the trash.  i was thinking about picking up a $5 DVDs at walmart and going with that.  maybe throwing in a single bag of popcorn that i aready have in the house. 

Yeah, that's my go-to, but the wife called dibs on that.

Depends on the demographic of the party and if you want to have a present people will want, or not want.  For the presents people don't want I have found the rubber chicken to always be fun.  If you go to your local adult novelty store there's usually a cheap blow up doll which generally elicits lots of laughs.  If you've got a spencer's gifts near by there's hundreds of novelty items that are funny and cheap.

Now if you're looking for something that somebody wants, I'd hit up Sears or Home Depot and get a screwdriver or a small flashlight that a guy would like. 

One year we had one of the guys make a calendar with multiple pictures of himself.  He had different poses every month in different outfits.  It was so dam funny and all of the ladies were fighting over it.

Check out a dollar store?!?

Stuff a person doesn't need for a $5 white elephant is completely appropriate, imho :-)

ETA:

Oh! fun, but maybe a bit annoying. 500 pennies?? And find a fun way to wrap them...

Thanks all.  Good ideas.

Should have included that kids will be involved so a whole category of great ideas (and frankly all of my good ones) is off the table 

Go to the dollar store and get 5 nerf ball shooters. Someone did this at our running club party and it was fun (alcohol was involved).

lol, well there's always the rubber chicken.

Um, hello.... 5 Below

Well, my wife and I gave a "bumper dumper" one year at her family's gathering....   Google it.  It hasn't made a reappearance

Jesus action figure

Just don't tell 'em it's $6.

There si a Kung Fu one that's MUCH cooler, but it's over your price range.

Go to Walmart/Target/Kmart and hit their $5 CD/mivie sale for the worst Christmas CD or movie.  

Last week my wife received James Brown's Christmas CD and I received "A Munsters Christmas" movie.