I am going to a Christmas party tonight and another one tomorrow night. Both will have white elephant gift exchanges. The rules I have played by before is each person draws a number and picks out a wrapped gift according to his or her number i.e., no. 1 goes first, etc. If you see someone else’s gift you want, you may exchange what you have up to three times. It can be a quite lively experience, depending on the quality of the gifts. Usually, there is a dollar limit. For my two Christmas parties, the dollar limit is $20. The party tonight is for the Rotary Club which I joined recently. I got an email from a longtime member saying when she attended for the first time, she thought the gift was supposed to be a prank or something you wouldn’t expect. The person who received her gift was NOT happy. She suggested some kind lof food item would be a good gift. I appreciate the warning, although I have not played the “dirty” kind of white elephant gift exchange in a long time. I used to be part of a writer’s group where one woman wrapped up the same gourd every year, and most people laughed and shrugged when they received that gift. One time I had a metal mailbox that my friend had accidentally backed into and smashed. I wrapped it up as a gift. I guess those long-ago days of meanness are over. Recent gift exchanges I attended have always been very nice, high-quality gifts. Let’s learn more about this tradition of white elephant gifts.
According to Wikipedia, a white elephant gift exchange, Yankee swap or Dirty Santa is a party game where amusing and impractical gifts are exchanged during festivities. The goal of a white elephant gift exchange is to entertain partygoers rather than to gain a genuinely valuable or highly sought-after item.
The term “white elephant” refers to an extravagant, 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. While the first use of this term remains a matter of contention among historians, one theory suggests that American businessman Ezra Cornell — founder of Western Union and co-founder of Cornell University — brought the term into the popular lexicon through his frequent social gatherings as early as 1828.
Rules
Each participant supplies one wrapped gift, usually of similar value. The gifts are placed in a central location, and participants determine in which order they will take turns selecting them. The first person opens a wrapped gift, and the turn ends. On subsequent turns, each person has the choice to either unwrap a new present or to steal another's. When a person's gift is stolen, that person can either choose another wrapped gift to open or can steal from another player. In some versions each gift can only be stolen twice per game. The game is over when everyone has a present. The first player also can steal at the end if desired.
A white elephant is a possession which its owner cannot dispose of and whose cost — particularly that of maintenance — is out of proportion to its usefulness. In modern usage, it is a metaphor used to describe an object, construction project, scheme, business venture, facility, etc. considered expensive but without equivalent utility or value relative to its capital (acquisition) and/or operational (maintenance) costs.
Background
The term derives from the sacred white elephants kept by Southeast Asian monarchs in Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. To possess a white elephant was regarded — and is still regarded in Thailand and Burma — as a sign that the monarch reigned with justice and power, and that the kingdom was blessed with peace and prosperity. The opulence expected of anyone who owned a beast of such stature was great. Monarchs often exemplified their possession of white elephants in their formal titles e.g., Hsinbyushin, literally ”Lord of the White Elephant” and the third monarch of the Konbaung dynasty. Because the animals were considered sacred and laws protected them from labor, receiving a gift of a white elephant from a monarch was simultaneously a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because the animal was sacred and a sign of the monarch's favor, and a curse because the recipient now had an expensive-to-maintain animal he could not give away and could not put to much practical use.
In the West, the term "white elephant", relating to an expensive burden that fails to meet expectations, was first used in the 1600s and became widespread in the 1800s. According to one source, it was popularized following P. T. Barnum's experience with an elephant named Toung Taloung that he billed as the "Sacred White Elephant of Burma." After much effort and great expense, Barnum finally acquired the animal from the King of Siam only to discover that his "white elephant" was actually dirty grey in color with a few pink spots.
The expressions "white elephant" and "gift of a white elephant" came into common use in the middle of the nineteenth century. The phrase was attached to "white elephant swaps" and "white elephant sales" in the early 20th century. Many church bazaars held "white elephant sales" where donors could unload unwanted bric-à-brac, generating profit from the phenomenon that "one man’s trash is another man’s treasure" and the term has continued to be used in this context.
In modern usage, the term now often refers in addition to an extremely expensive building project that fails to deliver on its function or becomes very costly to maintain. Examples include prestigious but uneconomic infrastructure projects such as airports, dams, bridges, shopping malls and football stadiums built for the FIFA World Cup. The American Oakland Athletics baseball team has used a white elephant as a symbol and usually its main or alternate logo since 1902, originally in sarcastic defiance of John McGraw's 1902 characterization of the new team as a "white elephant."
The term has also been applied to outdated or underperforming military projects like the U.S. Navy's Alaska-class cruiser. In Austria, the term "white elephant" means workers who have little or no use, but are not terminable.
White elephant - animal
A white elephant — also albino elephant — is a rare kind of elephant, but not a distinct species. In Hindu puranas — a vast genre of Indian literature — the god Indra has a white elephant. Although often depicted as snow white, their skin is normally a soft reddish-brown, turning a light pink when wet. They have fair eyelashes and toenails. The traditional "white elephant" is commonly misunderstood as being albino, but the Thai term chang samkhan, actually translates as “auspicious elephant,” being "white" in terms of an aspect of purity.
White elephants are only nominally white. Of those currently kept by the Burmese rulers —General Than Shwe regards himself as the heir of the Burmese kings — one is grey and the other three are pinkish, but all are officially white. The king of Thailand also keeps a number of white elephants, 11 of which are still alive. Former U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew once presented a white elephant to King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia.
Persia
There were white elephants in the army of the Sasanian king Khusrau II. According to al-Tabari, a white elephant killed the commander of the Arab Muslims Abu Ubayd al-Thaqafi in the Battle of the Bridge.
Hinduism
The white elephant is considered to belong to the god Indra. The name of that elephant is Airavata, and it is a flying elephant. Airavata is made the king of all elephants by Lord Indra.
King Bimbisara had one such white elephant, which he had captured in a forest when the elephant was in his musth period — characterized by highly aggressive behavior. He named the bull elephant Sechanaka which means "watering," as the elephant used to water the plants by himself without any prior training. It is said the cost of this elephant was more than half the kingdom of Magadha. He later gave it to his son Vihallakumara, which made his other son Ajatashatru jealous. Ajatashatru tried to steal it many times, which resulted in two of the most terrible wars called the Mahasilakantaka and Ratha-musala.
Thailand
"According to Brahmanic belief, if a monarch possessed one or more 'white' elephants, it was a glorious and happy sign." King Trailok possessed the first. In the Thai language, they are called albino — not white — indicating "pale yellow eyes and white nails" with white hair. The "rough skin was either pink all over or had pink patches on the head, trunk or forelegs. They were not worshipped for themselves and were regarded as an appendage to the King's majesty."
In Thailand, white elephants — also known as chang phueak or pink elephants — are considered sacred and are a symbol of royal power; all those discovered are presented to the king, although this presentation is usually a ceremonial one; the elephants are not actually taken into captivity.
Historically, the status of kings has been evaluated by the number of white elephants in their possession. The late King Bhumibol Adulyadej owned as many as 21 white elephants — considered an unprecedented achievement, making him the monarch who owned the greatest number of chang phueak in Thai history. The first elephant found in King Bhumibol's reign was regarded as the most important elephant in the whole realm; it received the royal title which bears his majesty's own name: Phra Savet Adulyadej Pahol Bhumibol Navanatta-parami. However, the king did not bestow royal titles to all of the white elephants in his possession. Today, 11 of these elephants are still alive and only five have royal titles.
A white elephant in Thailand is not necessarily albino, although it must have pale skin. After being discovered, the elephants are assigned to one of four graded categories before being offered to the king, although the lower grades are sometimes refused.
In the past, lower grade white elephants were given as gifts to the king's friends and allies. The animals needed a lot of care, and being sacred, could not be put to work, so were a great financial burden on the recipient; only the monarch and the very rich could afford them. According to one story, white elephants were sometimes given as a present to some enemy — often a lesser noble with whom the king was displeased. The unfortunate recipient, unable to make any profit from it and obliged to take care of it would suffer bankruptcy and ruin.
Myanmar
In Myanmar as well, white elephants have been revered symbols of power and good fortune. The announcement by the ruling military regime of the finding of white elephants in 2001 and 2002 was seen by opponents as being aimed at bolstering support for their regime. As of 2010, Myanmar has nine white elephants as of February 2014. The last white elephant was found in the Basein area, in the southwestern part of Myanmar on February 27, 2015. Three white elephants are currently held in a pavilion on the outskirts of Yangon or Rangoon. The rest are kept at Uppatasanti Pagoda in Naypyidaw, the new Myanmar administrative capital.
Africa
Albinos are much more rare among African elephants than in Asia. They are reddish-brown or pink and may suffer blindness or skin problems from sun exposure.
White elephant sale
A white elephant sale is a collection of used items being sold — much akin to a yard sale or garage sale — often as a fundraiser for a cause.
White elephant sales are typically organized by nonprofit organizations such as churches and schools to raise money for a charity cause or a special occasion like Easter or Mother's Day. They operate in a manner similar to many nonprofit thrift shops. Members or friends of the organization holding the white elephant sale will donate old items which they no longer use or otherwise no longer care to own.
After items have been collected, a sale will be held, usually lasting more than one day in a public fête style. Volunteers often run checkouts and organize the items to be sold. Items are sold at low prices, as many are obsolete or useful to only certain people and would not otherwise be sold.
White elephant sales are often useful to buyers and collectors, because they provide a way to purchase older and harder-to-find items. In the days before online auction and trading websites, white elephant sales, along with thrift stores, yard sales and pawn shops were popular ways to procure collectibles and odd items not available in retail stores.
Problems can arise with white elephant sales in that a great deal of space is required to hold items to be sold. Even more problematic is many items will not be sold one year. In the case of an annual sale, they will be retained to be sold the next year, requiring a large amount of space to be dedicated to the extended storage of the items.
Other problems include the inability to move merchandise or the little money produced by the sale, despite its low or nonexistent initial investment. Additionally, many items donated are often not worth selling, as they are broken or clearly worthless and donated only so the previous owner can get rid of them.
White elephant sales also often carry the reputation of selling kitsch items.
Elephant White film – 2011
“Elephant White” is a 2011 American action-thriller film starring Djimon Hounsou and Kevin Bacon. Filming took place in Bangkok, Thailand.
American assassin Curtie Church (Hounsou) is completing a job in Thailand when 18-year-old child prostitute Mae witnesses Church killing a group of her captors, the Chang Cao gang, and afterwards framing the Jong Ang Gang for the murders. Church collects his payment for the job from his client, Rajahdon, whose daughter was murdered. He travels to his hideout near a monastery and within sight of Kitty Kat, a Jong Ang Gang club. While he is eating, Mae arrives. After interrogating her, he ties her up and gags her. He has strange dreams of Mae, then awakes in the monastery. He leaves immediately and kills the snipers watching the club of his weapons dealer, Jimmy (Bacon), taking one of their cellphones. Church arranges a meeting with Rajahdon but hides outside until Rajahdon leaves. Church follows him back to a brothel and pays for a room. After entering the room, he asks the girl if Rajahdon is the boss and where he is. He sees Mae riding a white elephant toward him and wakes up at his hideout. He tells Mae his business is finished in Bangkok. Church then wakes up, and it is revealed the previous fight sequence was all just a dream.
Boss Katha and Advisor Bhun discuss how to find Church when Rajahdon walks in. It is then revealed that Rajahdon is Katha's son. The planned assassination of Bhun and the gang war was secretly intended by Rajhadoon as a means for him to ascend to power. With Bhun out of the way, Rajhadon would kill Church and win himself back into his father’s good graces. Rajahdon says he will take care of Church himself. Church calls Jimmy to tell him he's leaving but wants Jimmy to take care of Mae. Jimmy tells Rajahdon that Church is leaving, but Rajahdon still wants to kill Church to assure his position as successor to Boss Katha. Church drives to the gang headquarters and crashes through the wall into the room where Boss Katha and Advisor Bhun are. Church holds Katha hostage while Jimmy and Rajahdon arrive. Church begins to tell Katha about the bounty Rajahdon placed on Bhun, so Rajahdon tries to shoot him, but Jimmy kills Rajahdon first. The guards then shoot Jimmy. Church takes a picture of Mae off the wall and Katha says she was the first girl he brought in. Bhun says that was 30 years ago. Church is confused but agrees to a deal for all of Katha's girls. Jimmy and Church leave with the girls, but Church tells Jimmy he has to go back. Jimmy says he will make sure the girls get help.
White Elephant film – 2021
“White Elephant” is an upcoming American action film written and directed by Jesse V. Johnson. Produced by 308 Enterprise, it stars Michael Rooker, Olga Kurylenko and Bruce Willis. The film follows an ex-marine-turned-mob enforcer who must battle his conscience and code of honor when he is forced to help clean up a botched assassination job by his protégé, Carl.
Secret Santa
Secret Santa is a Western Christmas tradition in which members of a group or community are randomly assigned a person to whom they give a gift. The identity of the gift giver is to remain a secret and should not be revealed.
Deriving from the Christian tradition, the ritual is known as Secret Santa in the United States and the United Kingdom; as Kris Kringel or Kris Kindle (Christkindl) in Ireland; as Wichteln, Secret Santa, Kris Kringle, Chris Kindle (Christkindl) or Engerl-Bengerl in parts of Austria; as Secret Santa or Kris Kringle in Canada and Australia; as Secret Santa, Kris Kringle or Monito-Monita in the Philippines; as Angelito in the Dominican Republic; and as "Wichteln" or "Julklapp" in Germany. "Wichteln" is what a "Wichtel", a wight, does — a good deed. In Poland, the tradition is celebrated on December 6 (Mikołajki), in Belgium and the Netherlands on December 5 (Sinterklaas) and in Ukraine on December 19 (Mykolay). All of these names derive from traditional Christmas gift-bringers: the American custom is named after Santa Claus, or St Nicholas (Poland and Ukraine), while Chris Kindle and Kris Kringle are both corruptions of the original name of the Austrian gift-bringer Christkindl, which means the "Christ Child." Exceptions are the UK where the traditional gift-bringer is Father Christmas and the Philippines which has the Three Kings. Spain, Portugal and most places in Latin America use amigo secreto (secret friend), amigo invisible/invisível (invisible friend) and also amigo oculto (hidden friend) in parts of Brazil. It is also called amic invisible (invisible friend) in Catalonia. In Israel, this game is called גמד וענק — A Dwarf and a Giant — and is mostly played during Purim.
Economics
The system means that each participant gives one gift and receives one gift. This is simpler and less resource-intensive than each participant giving and receiving a gift from all other participants.
Variations
Thieving Secret Santa/Stealing Secret Santa/White Elephant/Yankee Swap/Grab Bag
In this version, participants or players bring one gift each which is potentially suitable or interesting to any of the other participants. The gifts should be wrapped in such a way as to disguise their nature. Ideally, the provider of each gift should not be disclosed when setting up the game. Players take turns and can either open a new gift or steal a previously opened gift. This game is more commonly known as the white elephant gift exchange or Yankee Swap.
Guessing
In this version, each participant brings a gift for their assigned person, with a letter. This letter may or may not have hints on who the giver might be, depending on the rules participants have established. Each receiver must guess who made the gift.
Secret Casino Santa
In this version, each person buys a gift for a specific amount, not for anyone specifically. Each person also puts in a specific amount of money into a pot. Who goes first in gift selection can be determined by random selection. The options are:
- Option A: Choose a gift.
- Option B: Do not choose a gift and go for
money.
- Option C: Put your name in to win all the
unwanted gifts by those who went for Option B.
At the end, the gifts that were chosen are opened, and the winner of the money and leftover gifts are drawn.
Conspiracy Santa
In this version, participants engage in a "conspiracy" where all participants work together to select a gift for a single participant without that participant's direct involvement or knowledge. Many such individual "conspiracies" run concurrently — one for each participant. Email threads or web apps are commonly used to manage each "conspiracy" until a consensus is made, wherein the gift is purchased by a decided upon participant and given at a later date. A common theme of Conspiracy Santa is collectively learning about participants, making it popular for workplaces and schools.
Secret Santa online
The tradition of Secret Santa is becoming increasingly popular in online communities.
There are several Secret Santa generators that tell every participant in a group for whom to buy a gift. This is especially useful for groups who can't meet in person to draw the names from a hat or bowl before the Secret Santa event.
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