Do You Know The Rules for the White Elephant Gift Exchange?

In the USA, typically, for the holidays, often at the office Christmas party, or other social gatherings we will have a white elephant gift exchange (also called Secret Santa.). Each person has to bring in one gift. They usually limit the price to $5 or $10. Nothing expensive. Something nice. Then we play the white elephant game where people exchange the gifts. It's pure wholesome happy holiday fun! (See link below.)

When you have a family you don't usually do a gift exchange. However, if you have a large family, buying gifts for everyone can be quite expensive. Imagine me. I had a family of 7 brothers and 1 sister. Some of my brothers were married with kids. I also was married with kids. Shopping for that many people without breaking your bank was a real challenge. I managed somehow. But it wasn't easy!

But then I thought of the idea of doing a white elephant gift exchange for the family when we got together to enjoy the holiday meal. I figured it would cut down on the expense of having to buy several gifts. I tried to sell this idea to family members but they wouldn't buy it.

Rules for a White Elephant Gift Exchange

• Do you participate in the gift exchange at social gatherings?

• What do you think of the idea of a gift exchange for the extended family?  Sometimes it's very expensive buying for lots of family members.  But perhaps if you did the white elephant exchange for the family get-together, it would be less expensive and probably more fun!

P.S.  Sometimes the White Elephant gift exchange is called Secret Santa.

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White Elephant Gift Shopping : Pomander, Potpourri, and Paperweights

Holiday gift shopping?  Looking for white elephant gift ideas that don't come across as cheap and tacky?

Pomander comes from the French word "pomamber" and from Old French, "pomme d'embre" (apple of amber). Pomanders started out as small cloth bags that people either wore to hide body odor, or hung in a room to mask unpleasant smells. ...

The cloth bags are still around, though people generally don’t wear them any more. ( – Too obvious?) ...

Paperweights used to be kept in kings’ treasure vaults. They are hardly ever returned or re-gifted. Some are even valuable collectibles. They make the perfect gift for a loyal employee or favorite teacher, etc.

Link to the original blog post:  

Pomanders and Potpourri

Fun Fact:
A white elephant is a possession which its owner cannot dispose of and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness. The term derives from the story that the kings of Siam, now Thailand, were accustomed to make a present of one of these animals to courtiers who had rendered themselves obnoxious, in order to ruin the recipient by the cost of its maintenance. In modern usage, it is an object, building project, scheme, business venture, facility, etc., considered expensive but without use or value.^{[Wikipedia Note 1]}


Here's a thought. Why not buy a white elephant as a white elephant gift Nobody has ever given me a white elephant. :)