The term “white elephant” originates from tales of ancient kings in Thailand who were in the habit of giving away the rare animals as presents to those who had become a nuisance to them. The idea was that the gift would be more trouble than it was worth to the recipient, since the cost of its upkeep and maintenance would drastically outweigh the seeming generosity of the gesture.
Riza Liu
Holiday Bluff: The art of deception is key to mastering the white elephant exchange.
During the holidays, it has come to refer to a game in which the goal is to swap and steal a series of presents in order to avoid being left with the least desirable one—the white elephant.
Kyle Hanson, a student at Michigan Technological University, said that his family’s white elephant is a large ceramic dog in a shoe, which has made at least five unwelcome appearances over the years—and its owners get a little more creative each time in their attempts to disguise the dreaded, un-tradeable gift.
Misshapen or disproportional boxes and well-honed poker faces are the keys to success in this game.
Undergraduate student Kinley Lally said that her white elephant growing up was a dusty, dingy plaid coat that never failed to show up during Christmas time.
“[Once] when we were young…the present my brother picked was the ugly coat,” Lally said. “He looked so disappointed and sad because he knew no one would steal [it]. On my turn, I stole the ugly coat from my brother. The look on his face made it so worthwhile. He was so excited to be part of the game again and [get a chance] to steal something he really wanted.”
After her sacrifice that Christmas, Lally made sure to continue the tradition, rewrapping the gift for the next year’s unlucky winner.
In a season that has come to be defined by rampant, unchecked consumerism, the white elephant exchange is a way to put all that aside for a while and enjoy the experience of gift-giving with those you love. It’s an opportunity to make the holidays a little less about acquisition and a little more about interaction, to remind ourselves why we’re getting together in the first place.
So whether your contribution to the festivities is an old plaid coat, a ceramic dog in an oversized shoe or some other unwanted treasure from the far corner of your garage, give the white elephant game a try at your next holiday gathering. You may be disappointed with the gift you take home, but you won’t regret the time you spent with the people in your life who matter most.