White Elephant

         A few days ago I attended a Christmas party with a White Elephant gift exchange. For those of you who do not know what a White Elephant gift exchange is; it is an activity where everyone brings a gift, and one by one, a person grabs a gift from the pile or chooses to steal what another person has. It is really fun and sometimes the gifts received are funny. I wondered why it was called a White Elephant, so I did a little research, and this is what I came up with.

        A long time ago, in Southeast Asia, white elephants were praised for their beauty and looks. I didn't know elephants came in white, so I found a picture of one.

White Elephant

         So back to the story. These white elephants were praised and sought after because of their beauty. The owner, who would pay a great price, would not use the elephant for work, just for show. So now in the modern times, the phrase "White Elephant" was meant to mean an item not used too often. Participants were encouraged to bring something they hardly used, so as not to be too devastating of a loss. Now, some people still play the old way, bringing unused items, but the majority of gift exchanges are with low cost items, sometimes things people buy. This Christmas season, if you find yourself playing the White Elephant gift exchange, now you know what the real reason is.