What is a white elephant Christmas gift?

A white elephant gift exchange, Yankee swap or Dirty Santa is a party game where amusing and impractical gifts are exchanged during festivities. The goal of a white elephant gift exchange is to entertain party-goers rather than to gain a genuinely valuable or highly sought-after item.

What kind of gifts are white elephant gifts?

Perfect for playing with friends and family members, the gist is basically this: Everyone brings something, people choose a gift according to an agreed upon order—numerical, age, whatever—and then you either steal something that's already been opened or brave the mystery beneath the remaining wrapped presents.

What are the rules of a white elephant gift giving party?

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.

What do you put in a white elephant gift basket?

How to Play White Elephant at Christmas

What does it mean to bring a white elephant gift?

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.

Are white elephant gifts supposed to be used?

Not all white elephant gift exchanges require you to spend money. 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.

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!

Is white elephant the same as Secret Santa?

Secret Santa involves the same kind of mystery as a white elephant exchange, but each person in the group is assigned and aware of a designated person they'll be gifting to. However, you're not allowed to reveal whose Secret Santa you are until it's time to open the gifts.

How do you make a white elephant more fun?

Is alcohol and white elephant gift?

Booze. If you're looking for a last-minute gift, a bottle or two of good alcohol is usually one of the most-coveted white elephant items. Think barrel-aged tequilas, a nitro milk stout or a rugged shiraz to complete the holidays.

What is a good 40 white elephant gift?

What is a white elephant example?

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.

Is a blanket a white elephant gift?

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. Guaranteed.

What is special about a white elephant?

A white elephant is a burdensome asset, property, or investment whose cost of upkeep is not in line with its usefulness or value. The term derives from the old Thai custom of gifting rare, expensive-to-keep white elephants to the reigning monarch. Nowadays it is often associated with unprofitable real estate.

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.

What do you wear to a white elephant Christmas party?

If you're calling it a White Elephant party, it might be fun to ask everyone to dress in white. If you're encouraging guests to bring whacky and tacky gifts, you might tell guests that there will be an Ugly Sweater contest on the agenda. If it's a Dirty Santa party, ask guests to wear their pajamas and robes.

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.

What is a pink elephant gift?

Some people use “pink elephant” to refer to a variant game where the gifts are more desirable and/or useful than typical “white elephant” gifts.

How do you play white elephant Christmas game?

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.

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.

What is the summary of the white elephant?

Set in 1996, "White Elephant", is about Pooja, an Indo-Canadian teenage girl with an innocent crush on Trevor, a local white boy - a white boy just like the teen heartthrobs she sees in all the movies and TV she's obsessed with. A boy unlike all the other boys in her mostly Brown and Black neighborhood.

Why is it called a white elephant?

The origins of the phrase come from Siam (modern-day Thailand). White or very pale elephants were so highly prized that when one was discovered, it immediately became the possession of the King. Such was the reverence held for the animal in Siam that it appeared on the nation's flag until 1917.

Why do they call it the white elephant?

The term derives from the sacred white elephants kept by Southeast Asian monarchs in Burma, Thailand (Siam), Laos and Cambodia.

Why is it called a white elephant sale?

The term "white elephant" refers to an extravagant but burdensome gift that cannot be easily disposed of, based on the legend of the King of Siam giving rare albino elephants to courtiers who had displeased him, that they might be ruined by the animals' upkeep costs.