Do you have anything plaguing you in your house that you’d love to get rid of? Perhaps it’s an unopened Nickleback CD or a kite that you’ve never been able to use in this nearly windless city, besides one extreme exception. If you’ve become accustomed to annual gift exchanges and Secret Santa gatherings, consider something different this holiday season: the white elephant party. If you like having fun, trying new things, and your parents won’t let you go skydiving this holiday season, then gather your friends and your ugly christmas sweaters and open up some presents in an outrageous game.
A white elephant, revered in countries like Thailand, required extensive care, and a poor soul was given the “honor” of caring for it. Because the elephant was holy, it could not be used for any practical purposes like farming, and the caretaker grew poorer and poorer tending to it. Because of this, a hilarious person has coined the term “white elephant” for items which cost exceeds its use. Because of this, the more bizarre of a present you bring to the exchange, the better. So if you’ve ever found yourself buying a children’s accordion from Chinatown like I have and wondered, “Why the hell did I buy that?,” you’re in luck.
Here’s how the exchange works. The first participant, the person you don’t want to be, opens any wrapped gift that he or she wants. The second person can either open another present or steal the one that was just opened. Because one item can be particularly appealing, like a kilt, I suggest you place a three steal limit on any item or else the game will never progress. Because of the steal limit, I advise the utmost strategy because if the item is stolen for a third time, it’s out of circulation. Once each and every item, no matter how crappy, has been opened, the game ends. But because you’re hopefully all friends, you can negotiate a trade at the end. That being said, don’t plan white elephant exchanges with strangers.
Give it a try. Bring something strange and unique that will make everyone laugh. While it may be incredibly hard to part with a Romney action figure, your gift will be the highlight of the evening and the gag of the gathering. Fun is the aim of the game. Don’t get discouraged if you get a bottle of hand soap by the end. You performed the worst and should be punished accordingly. But cheer up because if you enjoy white elephant parties as much as I do, there’s always next year, champ.
TCHS School Newspaper