White Elephant ideas

[Bianca and Bernard]

Booze. People drink booze on an airplane or at the bar at the airport.

Gotta be those mini bottles, though!

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

The movie "Airplane" and a gift certificate for a fish dinner.

 

[bcla]

From Wikipedia (what I was also told years ago)
The term white elephant refers to an extravagant, but impractical, gift that cannot be easily disposed of. The phrase is said to come from the historic practice of the King of Siam (now Thailand) giving rare albino elephants to courtiers who had displeased him, so that they might be ruined by the animals' upkeep costs.

My reading is that it wasn’t necessarily done with ill intentions, but as an honor. However, their sacred nature was such that a white elephant wouldn’t have been used as a work animal, but its feeding and upkeep would be the responsibility of the recipient.

I guess it would be like someone giving me a new Ferrari. It would be impractical to use as a daily driver, but I’d be responsible for the high insurance and registration fees.

 

[disneychrista]

I still don't understand the point of a white elephant gift. Let's waste money on junk no one wants for the fun of it.

 

[Jennasis]

Snuggie?

 

[smilingmouse]

Scratch off lottery tickets with a travel/vacation theme, or one that offers a vacation as a top prize?

 

[WorldWacky]

Fashion the cash into a paper airplane.

 

[wvjules]

Some great ideas! I love the Airplane movie idea. I might do that with something else.

 

[bcla]

I still don't understand the point of a white elephant gift. Let's waste money on junk no one wants for the fun of it.

And that's the origin of what a "white elephant" is. In the end they're items that many would sooner get rid of if they could. It's meant to be a useless exercise.

 

[disneychrista]

And that's the origin of what a "white elephant" is. In the end they're items that many would sooner get rid of if they could. It's meant to be a useless exercise.

I get what it is. I just don't get WHY?

Then again we do a gift exchange at work and I have a car vacuum (new, never opened/used) that Goodwill wouldn't take. I thought of using for my work gift exchange.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I attended one once and some one found an old peanut butter jar, it was in the shape of a bear, maybe the skippy jar then? any way they filled it with fresh peanuts.
And another gift was an old mother duck jar, I wanted it, it kept getting taken nd it ended up broke.....

 

[RUDisney]

We call that a Bad Santa gift at work.

We do a White Elephant exchange in my parents' house on Christmas Eve. We all look for things that are different that will be coveted and will keep being sought by the others whose numbers haven't come up yet.

 

[bcla]

I get what it is. I just don't get WHY?

Then again we do a gift exchange at work and I have a car vacuum (new, never opened/used) that Goodwill wouldn't take. I thought of using for my work gift exchange.

It's meant to be frivolous. Instead of a thoughtfully useful gift, the point is to make it a thoughtfully useless gift.

 

[PollyannaMom]

The story about real white elephants is cool!

When I was a kid, a white elephant party was a "re-gifting" party. You brought a used item you didn't want anymore, and left with one someone else didn't want anymore. It was just for fun.

My understanding of this one is that it's more like one of those "Yankee Swap" exchanges.

 

[wvjules]

I've heard them called "Dirty Santa", "White Elephant", and "Yankee Swap". I approach them all the same. lol

BTW, I ordered the Airplane/Airplane II Blu-Ray combo. I will find something else to put with it.

 

[Skippy918]

I've heard them called "Dirty Santa", "White Elephant", and "Yankee Swap". I approach them all the same. lol

BTW, I ordered the Airplane/Airplane II Blu-Ray combo. I will find something else to put with it.

A blow up doll.