White Elephant- History, Meanings and How to Make the Holidays Fun!

White elephant is a term used for many different types of gift exchange. Some of these are games that involve trading gifts,others are attempts to give (or get) the most tasteless item possible. There seem to be as many styles of white elephant exchange as there are places they are held, each with its own rules, customs and legends. Some places where you might find this exchange (or suggest it if no one else has) are:

Offices and other places of employment

Schools, both in the classroom and the teacher's lounge

Dorms, Sororities and other living groups

Family gatherings, especially Christmas

Clubs for both adults and children

Girl/Boy Scout troops of all ages

Sports teams and leagues

Anywhere else where there's a group of people looking for a fun alternative to a traditional holiday gift exchange

What is a "White Elephant"?

According to Wikipedia(www.wikipedia.com article: "white elephant"), a white elephant is an item that is either useless, unweildy, expensive to maintain, or otherwise not worth the expense of keeping. The term originally derived from the sacred East Asian white elephant, a holy animal that could not be abandoned, used or mistreated. Since an elephant was (and is) quite expensive to keep, one which can be of no use to it's owner is quite a financial catastrophe. Often a noble or king who was displeased with a lesser noble in Thailand would gift the noble with a white elephant, a superficial symbol of status, wealth and luck that would lead the lesser noble into bankruptcy and ruin. So clearly, a white elephant is something to be wary of, as it is intended to be useless, whether you are in an office in Brooklyn or a royal gathering in Thailand!