The Square Life

With the holidays just around the corner, there will be plenty of the usual festivities to participate in, such as: sitting around a fireplace sipping hot chocolate, walking hand-in-hand around Temple Square “looking at the lights,” making gingerbread houses and let’s not forget the many Christmas parties you will be forced to attend.
One of the tried and true activities at Christmas parties everywhere is the white elephant gift exchange. Now, I was under the impression everyone knew what exactly this game entailed. I was wrong. At my family Christmas party last year, we joined forces with my brother-in-law’s extended family, which included Aunt Beatrice (names have been changed to protect the innocent). In anticipation my family scurried around the house gathering up our well-planned items to give. The game began and as presents were being opened, it was obvious some of those in attendance were not exactly aware what a true white elephant gift was. Some laughter accompanied the opening of gifts my family brought, while others scowled with disappointment. As Aunt Beatrice and her family left with their gifts, which included an official NBA basketball crockpot, two fluorescent colored button-down shirts with a restaurant insignia and a sewing kit made as a junior high school project, they were quite unhappy because the presents they received were less than desirable. On the other hand, the gifts they brought included an expensive box of chocolates, an at-home spa kit and a set of different smelling perfumes and lotions, just to name a few.
In order to prevent a misunderstanding at your next white elephant party, I’ve taken it upon myself to educate you about the white elephant gift exchange:
MEANING: The term “white elephant” refers to something being more trouble than its worth and consists of giving unwanted presents (known as regifting), old items not useful to their owners or items purchased for their tacky nature.
ORIGIN: There are many stories about the origin of the white elephant, but most people believe the term originated in Thailand where the white elephant was thought to be sacred and holy. If the King became dissatisfied wtih someone he would give them a white elephant as a gift. It was extremely expensive to keep and care for the animal and thought to eventually ruin the recipient. Hence white elephant gifts are seen as inconvenient and most of the time something that nobody really wants.
RULES OF THE GAME:
• Beforehand, determine the amount of money the players are alloted to spend on their gift. Typical amounts range from around $5 to $10 (Think cheap and tacky).
• Form a circle with the wrapped gifts in the center where each player can easily view them.
• From a bowl have each player draw a slip of paper with a number ranging from 1 up to the number of people you have in attendance.
• Player #1 chooses a present and unwraps it so everyone can see what it is.
• Player #2 now has the choice of stealing player #1’s present or choosing a wrapped gift from the center. If Player #2 steals from player #1, player #1 gets to choose a gift from the center.
• Set a limit to the number of times a gift can be stolen, such as 3 times, and after your reach the limit the last person with the gift keeps it.
• The game continues until all the presents have been opened.
• Since player #1 has not had the chance of stealing a gift yet, they have the choice of keeping the present they possess or switching with another player.
Now that we’re all on the same page, you’ll have no excuse to show up to your next Christmas party with a scented candle as your gift. After reading this article, you should now be able to pick out the perfect white elephant gift.