White Elephant

 

Once the turkey has been carved, you’ve driven more times than not…Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday Sales are finally over, it’s off to the races with endless Christmas and holiday parties. And, what better way to kick off the holiday season, than with a little White Elephant gift exchange?! Also referred to as Dirty Santa or Yankee Swap, White Elephant gifts can either be something that is around your house OR a small gag gift for a gift exchange that are really fun to be included in.

The older I am, the less I want the practical gifts. Gimme all the fun gifts or the ones I’d never buy for myself. Gone, are the days that I have to wait for my parents or loved ones to buy me things we want, because….let’s face it, we all buy what we want anyways, right? Or, if we don’t, we continue to save until we can get our hands on that goal gift. But for me, White Elephant is honestly the way to my heart, because I’m lighthearted and love anything that will make me laugh! But to be fair, it's not that difficult to make me laugh.

Here’s the way that my friends and family play it. You and your friends all spend or bring something that is of the same value. You wrap it and place it on a neutral spot with the rest of the gifts. Count the amount of people that brought presents and then draw numbers to see who goes first in picking. Any numbers that chose before you, you get the option of stealing their gift, or choosing a brand new gift from the pile. If someone steals your gift, you may steal someone else’s gift or choose again, from the gift pile.

The best White Elephant gift I received, one year, was a small, white porcelain horse head from Target. (For size reference, this horse head was about as big as my face). I loved everything about him because not only did he not go with my decor, but he always reminded me of the White Elephant game that my friends and I had played together. We also named him George and for a few years, we would hide George in each other’s homes in the most random spots, going back and forth until each other found him. Then, when we’d find him and say, “You’ve been Georged!”, and it would start all over again, at the other person’s house, when they weren’t looking.

White Elephant gifts, you can be anything you’d like. You can wrap up a kitchen tool that you have no idea, its purpose. (You know, like that metal strainer thing that collapses and expands when you open it). You can buy a bottle of wine, or head to a fun gift store and find some interesting things: Poo-pourri- “Before you go”, wine openers, silly magnets, or even maybe a white porcelain horse that you’d never buy for your place…but gives you all the feels when you see it because it reminds you of years past. The more interesting, the better, and in no time, your gift exchange will be full of fun and laughter.

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