What are you giving for white elephant?

I'm getting a picture frame, and going to put in either Bill Murray or maybe Chuck Norris. Unless I think of someone better.

A Trump wig

please explain

I hate it when I have no idea what people are talking about... damn kids with their hippity hoppity.

White elephant gift exchange. You get a gift, usually with a price cap (ours is $25). People pick them out of the pile, wrapped. You don't know what is what, they aren't to anyone in particular. Usually the next person can steal a prior gift, and then the person that had the gift stolen picks again.

Last year some highlights for this group was a pillowcase with Nicholas Cage, a calendar of goats in trees, and a toilet paper holder in the shape of a largemouth bass.

mtn wrote: White elephant gift exchange. You get a gift, usually with a price cap (ours is $25). Last year some highlights for this group was a pillowcase with Nicholas Cage, a calendar of goats in trees, and a toilet paper holder in the shape of a largemouth bass.

Ah! Got it. That goes by Secret Santa in my vernacular.

I'm participating in one this year over at ADV rider on a global scale so I'm shipping some local made chocolate, hand rolled cigars made by an acquaintance and coffee roasted by monks who live in the monastery nearby. Shipping later today, in fact. THanks for the reminder :)

So, chocolate, cigars and coffee. I figure that trifecta can't go wrong.

Huckleberry wrote:

mtn wrote: White elephant gift exchange. You get a gift, usually with a price cap (ours is $25). Last year some highlights for this group was a pillowcase with Nicholas Cage, a calendar of goats in trees, and a toilet paper holder in the shape of a largemouth bass.

Ah! Got it. That goes by Secret Santa in my vernacular. I'm participating in one this year over at ADV rider on a global scale so I'm shipping some local made chocolate, hand rolled cigars made by an acquaintance and coffee roasted by monks who live in the monastery nearby later today, in fact. So, chocolate, cigars and coffee. I figure that trifecta can't go wrong.

Secret Santa is a little different--you're sending that to someone in particular. White Elephant is with a group of people in a room, and you don't know who gets your gift, and the gift can be stolen, etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_elephant_gift_exchange

We're doing one at my office ($15 cap) and I'm trying to figure out what to do. Most of the team are software developers, so anything Star Wars/Star Trek/Anime would work, but I've been trying to figure out something more unique. Like a package of 1500 live ladybugs.....

-Rob

And Secret Santa gifts are a little "nicer". White Elephant gifts are oddball, random, nonsense.

mtn wrote: I'm getting a picture frame, and going to put in either Bill Murray or maybe Chuck Norris. Unless I think of someone better.

You hate work. (in the minor rant thread)

Why would you even go?

I have not been to an office party of any kind for decades.

alfadriver wrote:

mtn wrote: I'm getting a picture frame, and going to put in either Bill Murray or maybe Chuck Norris. Unless I think of someone better.

You hate work. (in the minor rant thread) Why would you even go? I have not been to an office party of any kind for decades.

Because they're giving me free food (good food!) and alcohol, and it is during work hours.

But this one is for my cousin's gift exchange.

In reply to mtn:

Even with free food and alcohol, I would not want to hang with co-workers outside of work, even during work hours.

I believe the origin of the White Elephant gift exchange is an after Christmas event where people bring the presents they got that they really don't want, thus most girts are a bit "iffy". It's not uncommon for the same gift to show up multiple years.

In a real White Elephant exchange, the best tactic is try for (through steals) the least offensive (to you) item, best if it's consumable, but also not one of the more appealing. It's really a risk reward kind of thing, and it's not a time when I like to push my luck.

We just did a non-crappy version of this for a work Christmas part and one of the most popular items was a Squatty Potty.... so you never know.

My family used to do the same thing every Christmas, but we've gotten away from it the last few years since my grandparents quit hosting holidays. We always referred to it as the oriental gift exchange.

Lottery tickets were always the hot items everyone would be fighting over and there was always a recurring gag gift or two that would get regifted year after year, with a set of beaded seat covers being the most infamous. Everyone would try their best to disguise both the gag gifts and the lottery tickets so as not to tip off the contents. Pretty fun tradition though that's unfortunately fallen by the wayside.

I gave a fat-suit one year, complete with thong & pasties. Our CFO ended up with it, he said he knew the perfect recipient for it. I gave a George Michael 45 another year.

I won a case of white elephant piggy banks at an auction a couple years ago (don't ask), that's is my go to.

I have a habit of going to the liquor store (preferably one where the staff is well knowledged) and asking them for thr worst bottle of hooch in Stock. One time I got something called Yukon Jack. Billed as Canadian liquor. No specifics as to what type. The dare tasting ended up somewhere between toothpaste and gasoline.

alfadriver wrote: In reply to mtn: Even with free food and alcohol, I would not want to hang with co-workers outside of work, even during work hours.

I tried to talk my way out of a 65$ gift certificate not to be at a work meeting. I don't want to be friends. I want to work and go home.

Nerf blasters are always popular at these events.

mndsm wrote: ...One time I got something called Yukon Jack. Billed as Canadian liquor....

I know that one, for a very strange reason. It's part of the lyrics of a song called Existential Blues by the famous T-bone Stankus (4 minutes in).

Also famous for the line "hey t-bone what's your sign? I blinked and answered neon, I thought I'd blow her mind"...

https://www.youtube.com/embed/8nJ30dodvdc

POPPIES! POPPIES! POPPIES!

OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD!

Dorothy! Dorothy! Dorothy!

(SNIFFFFFFF)

DOROTHY! DOROTHY! DOROTHY!

Dorothy's been coppin' this field all to herself, man.

Along came this old man in a green El Dorado II, screeched to a halt,

A little short man with a big red nose

Toking a bottle of Yukon Jack

Strolled up to me and said, "Hey, son."

I said, "Old man, don't bother me. POPPIES, MMMMMMMMM!"

He said, "T-Bone!"

I said, "Wait a minute, this old man knows my name, he must be

THE WIZARD!"

Box of Trojans and duct tape

mndsm wrote: I have a habit of going to the liquor store (preferably one where the staff is well knowledged) and asking them for thr worst bottle of hooch in Stock. One time I got something called Yukon Jack. Billed as Canadian liquor. No specifics as to what type. The dare tasting ended up somewhere between toothpaste and gasoline.

I drank part of a bottle of this at the Gravelrama Jeep meet in 1982. It was the last time! I've also not been back to Gravelrama either.

I’ve got a paper mache elephant made from an Indian newspaper and I’m not afraid to use it.