What is a traditional white elephant gift?

The term white elephant refers to an extravagant, impractical gift that cannot be easily disposed of.
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What is a traditional white elephant?

White elephant is a gift exchange, so each person must bring one wrapped present to the Christmas party. Once everyone is assembled, have each person draw a number. The person with number "one" chooses a present to unwrap.
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What are the rules of a white elephant gift giving party?

Official White Elephant Gift Exchange Rules
  • Each player brings one wrapped gift to contribute to a common pool. ...
  • Players draw numbers to determine what order they will go in. ...
  • Players sit in a circle or line where they can see the gift pile. ...
  • The first player selects a gift from the pool and opens it.
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Why are they called white elephant gifts?

White Elephant – a useless gift

So the cunning kings of Siam, as the story goes, used to give white elephants away to anyone who displeased them or had fallen out of favour so that they would be forced to spend a fortune keeping the precious animals.
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How do you give a white elephant gift?

The White Elephant Game Rules

Bring a wrapped, anonymous gift to the shindig. Draw numbers to determine who gets to unwrap a present when. Sit in a circle and place the gifts in the center, preferably under a festive tree. The person who drew #1 selects a gift from the pile, opens it, and holds it up for all to see.
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How to Play White Elephant at Christmas



How much do you spend on white elephant gift?

ICYDK, White Elephant is a holiday game in which everyone brings a gift—usually with a designated price limit under $20 or $25. One person starts the game by picking a present at random.
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How do you make a white elephant more interesting?

5 Ways to Add Sparkle to Your White Elephant Party
  1. Pick a gift theme. One excellent way to spice things up is to have people bring gifts that fit a particular theme. ...
  2. Employ different game rules. ...
  3. Hold an ugly sweater contest. ...
  4. Rent a karaoke machine. ...
  5. Break out the Christmas games.
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Is a white elephant gift new or used?

You can re-gift items that you have never used from around your house or you can have people bring homemade items instead of store-bought gifts. White elephant rules aren't set in stone, just make sure to inform the group of the theme and price target.
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Is white elephant gift funny?

A white elephant gift is a gag gig, something that's designed to be funny and not taken seriously. They're called funny gifts for a reason! If you're going to a white elephant gift exchange, the goal is to bring something that will make people laugh or will be something unique and funny.
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Is a blanket a good white elephant gift?

It's OK to Be Boring: As long as the present is nice.

For example: A big, soft blanket is always appreciated, not matter what climate you live in. If you bring a fluffy blanket to a White Elephant party, it will get stolen the maximum allowed times.
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What is an example of a white elephant?

a possession unwanted by the owner but difficult to dispose of: Our Victorian bric-a-brac and furniture were white elephants. a possession entailing great expense out of proportion to its usefulness or value to the owner: When he bought the mansion he didn't know it was going to be such a white elephant.
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Is white elephant the same as Secret Santa?

Secret Santa is when members of a group receive random assignments to give a gift to. In some cases players make a small list of ideas for what to get them. The identity of the gift giver remains anonymous until the receiver opens the gift. White Elephant has players put an unmarked wrapped gift in a designated area.
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How to make white elephant gift funny?

Some of these White Elephant spinoffs vary from the standard game in minor ways, while others are wildly different.
...
Now, without further ado, here are some fun variations on everyone's favorite gift exchange game.
  1. Pick a Card. ...
  2. Flip a Coin. ...
  3. Rock Paper Scissors. ...
  4. Hot Potato. ...
  5. Musical Chairs. ...
  6. Trivia.
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Are white elephant gifts supposed to be anonymous?

White Elephant Gift Exchange Rules

Everybody needs to bring a wrapped gift worth no more than a specified amount. Make sure that the gifts are wrapped and don't have any names on them – secrecy is key! Numbers are drawn to determine who goes first and who follows next.
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Do I put my name on a white elephant gift?

Part of the fun is watching players try to conceal their “good” gifts or encourage players to take their “bad” gifts. Each gift should be attractively wrapped with no nametag.
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What is the most famous white elephant?

In business terms, the Empire State Building may be the most famous white elephant on the planet. Built against all logic during the Depression, it has never succeeded in its ostensible function as an office building.
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What are the 3 main types of elephants?

The African savanna elephant is the largest elephant species, while the Asian forest elephant and the African forest elephant are of a comparable, smaller size.
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What is the 5 characteristics of elephant?

Distinguishing features
  • A proboscis or trunk.
  • Relatively large ears.
  • Long tusks.
  • Columnar legs.
  • Thick skin (pachydermous)
  • Lack of hair on most of adult body.
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Can a candle be a white elephant gift?

Candles make good white elephant gifts because everyone could find use for them. These bubble cube candles from Etsy make cute decorative pieces, and you have the option to choose the color and scent you want.
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Are gift cards OK for white elephant?

Sometimes a gift card to use on anything is the perfect gift to give someone, even for a white elephant party!
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Can food be a white elephant gift?

Foodie gifts are always fun when it comes to white elephant gift ideas.
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What emotion does an elephant represent?

Elephants, the largest land animals on the planet, are among the most exuberantly expressive of creatures. Joy, anger, grief, compassion, love; the finest emotions reside within these hulking masses.
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What is the symbolism of an elephant?

Why Elephants Are A Popular Symbol. Elephants represent many things: they're symbols of luck and prosperity, but they are also powerful beings that use their mighty strength to remove obstacles and negative forces. They also represent wisdom, long life, memory and vitality.
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What does three elephants mean?

I have heard that in Columbia, it is a tradition to have three elephants in a room in order to represent good luck: one you bought, one that was given to you and one that you stole. The statues can be made of all types of materials such as glass, ceramic or even wood.
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Why are elephants pregnant for 3 years?

The mystery of the elephant's long pregnancy has been unravelled by scientists. A quirk of biology allows the unborn calf to develop in the womb for almost two years, giving it the brain power it needs to survive from birth.
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