Archive for the ‘White Elephant Gift Exchange’ Category

White elephant gifts that get “handled”

The white elephant gift exchange party is a social gift sharing event used extensively during the holiday season. Many groups play the standard version of the game, with the standard white elephant gift exchange rules.

Our recreational specialists strive to provide you with some interesting new twists to this traditional gift party, so we have designed the online white elephant gift party for those who have distance to contend with. But if you live close to friends and family you might want to try the Handel’s Gift Can-Share-Go this season.

The Party Rules

The party room is set-up just like the regular white elephant gift exchange or Yankee Swap party, with seating so that all players can have access to a gift pile.

Everyone purchases a fun or unique white elephant gift for the exchange and wraps it so that it is disguised. Hosts are encouraged to set a spending limit for the invitees so that all the gifts will be on an even par.

The Handel’s Gift Can-Share-Go has one unique rule that other white elephant exchanges usually don’t include. Each unique white elephant gift must be “Handled” as many times as possible before the game is over.

You will still need a random name draw to pick the playing order, just like other white elephant games.

The host should purchase some colored dots. These dots are placed on each open gift so that you can track how many times the gift has been “Handled”. Each time an open gift is touched by another player, it is given a dot.

The traditional white elephant “rule of three” does not apply in this gift exchange game. Instead the idea is to see which gifts get “Handled” the most. The thinking is that the most popular gift will get passed around more than any others. More handling yields more dots on the gift.

Step #1 Pull the first name from the hat and this person selects one unopened gift. Place a colored dot on the white elephant gift to signify that it has been ”Handled” once. The player’s name is returned to the hat for future name drawing.

Step #2 This first player has the option of keeping the gift or “Sharing” it with another player. Sharing simple requires passing it off to any other player. Sharing a gift requires that another dot be placed on the opened gift.

Step#3 If the player Shares the white elephant gift they must wait for another gift opening opportunity from the random drawing to make a play for a gift.

Step#4 The next name is drawn at random. Player 2 can steal a gift or open a wrapped gift from the pile. If the random name-draw lands on a player with an open gift, then they have the option to “Share” with any player who is empty handed, or Swap with any player who is handling another gift.

Step #5 If a player has a gift stolen, they have the option to open a wrapped gift or steal any open gift. The stealing rule is just like regular white elephant gift exchanges: No Direct Steal-Backs!

Step #6 Play continues with names drawn at random and gifts Handled, Shared, Stolen, and dotted. The game ends when all the white elephant gifts are opened..

Your going to love this white elephant party!

 

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

White Elephant gifts that shift left and right

You may have played a gift sharing activity called the left right game with family or friends. Now learn the rules of the Lefty the White Elephant gift exchange.

The host should choose someone to be the story teller and be given a printed version.

.(we have a PDF version Left Right Story HERE)

Explain to all the players that they will be participating in a unique white elephant gift exchange that involves both gift swapping and gift passing. Let them know that whenever they hear the words right, left or gift in the story, that something will happen in the game.

#1 Start the white elephant party as usual with all the gifts in the middle of the room and players sitting around the pile.

#2 Put the name of every player into a hat for a random drawing.

#3 Draw the name of the first player who picks a gift and opens to reveal to others.

#4 Return the name back into the hat for potential re-drawing.

#5 The story teller begins reading the right-left story of “Lefty the White Elephant”.

#6 When the first mention of Lefty is read, the first gift opened moves one person to the left.

#7 The story teller continues until the next mention of left or right.

#8 The gift moves one person to the left or the right.

#9 The story teller continues reading the story as the gift moves ether left or right on each mention of the word.

#10 When the story teller reads the word Gift , another name is drawn from the hat. (…on his Christmas shopping list. Lefty was looking for just the right white elephant gift.)

#11 The picked player has the option of stealing the opened gift or opening one of the unwrapped gift in the middle of the room. All gifts are openly displayed to every player.

#12 When a gift is stolen from a player, the player can then open a replacement gift or steal another opened gift from another player. NOTE: No direct steal-backs are allowed.

#13 The story teller continues with the story until left, right or gift is mentioned again. With the word gift the story stops.

#14 Another name is drawn from the hat (remember to put all names back into the hat for re-drawing purposes).

#15 The picked player can steal any opened gift or open a new one. The player who has the gift stolen can then open a new gift or steal another opened gift.

#16 The story continues with all opened gifts passing left or right depending upon the story line. Whenever the word gift is read, stop the story and draw a name for the gift stealing or opening exercise.

#17 If a name is drawn of a player who has an open gift, they must donate the gift to someone who is currently not holding an opened gift.

NOTE: The Lefty the White Elephant story has the word gift listed 16 times. Because the stealing and opening is completely random you may need to read the story a couple of times to get all the gifts opened, this is OK. If you open all the gifts before the end of the story, just keep reading and just do gift passing until the end of the story.

This wacky white elephant party game is just one more way to share in the gift-giving fun with family and friends.
AlbinoPhant, the online white elephant exchange wants you to find great ways to connect with those you love. If you have distant family or friends that you still want to enjoy a gift swap with, you might try our online version of the white elephant gift exchange.

You are going to love this party!

The Story of Lefty the White Elephant

Christmas was almost here, and Lefty, the White Elephant was finishing what was left on his Christmas shopping list. Lefty was looking for just the right white elephant gift.(stop to draw a name from the hat) Lefty’s father suggested that he should head right over to the mall to find a huge selection of gifts (stop to draw a name from the hat). As Lefty walked down the right concourse he found one of the gifts (stop to draw a name from the hat) he was looking for sitting right in from of the toy store entrance and it seemed like there was only one left. Right after Lefty entered the store he realized that he had left his wallet in the trunk. But as you know one of the greatest gifts (stop to draw a name from the hat) of being an elephant is that your trunk is right in front of your face.
Once Lefty had found his wallet he marched right up to the cashier and put his white elephant gift (stop to draw a name from the hat) on the counter right next to the cash register. To his amazement Lefty’s old circus trainer friend Suzie Wright was the cashier. Suzie had left the circus a few months earlier to take a job as the mall gift (stop to draw a name from the hat) wrapper. Even though the Wright family owned the circus, Suzie had felt that it was the right time to leave and take a job in the gift (stop to draw a name from the hat) industry. Working in the mall gave Miss Wright the opportunity to meet all the right people to help her advance her career. Lefty was impressed that she had found a cashier job soon after leaving the gift (stop to draw a name from the hat) wrapping position. Like the rest of the Wright family, Suzie was a gifted (stop to draw a name from the hat) individual and Lefty was so happy that he was now in the right place at the right time to meet Miss Wright once again. As Lefty gathered his gift (stop to draw a name from the hat) he shyly asked Suzie how many hours she had left on her shift. Miss Wright explained that she was off right after 2, but then needed to get one more gift (stop to draw a name from the hat) that was left on her white elephant gift exchange shopping list. Lefty mustered every bit of courage that he had left and asked Suzie if he could accompany her on her gift (stop to draw a name from the hat) shopping task right after work. Miss Wright smiled, said yes and handed Lefty her phone number on the back of an expired Home Depot gift (stop to draw a name from the hat) card she had left-over from a recent remodeling project at her condo that is located right next to Lefty’s favorite bistro.
After leaving the store Lefty could hardly wait to see Suzie, but he still had one more gift (stop to draw a name from the hat) left on his list. He knew that if he was to give Miss Wright the right amount of attention in her gift (stop and draw a name from the hat) shopping efforts he would need to pick the right time to finish his shopping and he only had a couple of hours left to finish.
Right before 2 pm Lefty came back to Miss Wright’s store for their gift (stop to draw a name from the hat) shopping date. Suzie and Lefty enjoyed what was left of the afternoon exploring the gift (stop to draw a name from the hat) shops of the mall to find the right gift (stop to draw a name from the hat) for the Wright family gift exchange.
To make a long story short, Lefty and Miss Wright fell in love, married and had several little leftys, making Grandpa Wright and Grandma Wright very proud.
THE END

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

How-to: Unique white elephant exchanges

Welcome to the Gift Exchange How-to Idea Center, where we share some unique and fun white elephant gift exchange party activities. Our recreational specialist give you step-by-step instruction on how to play each of these unique games.  Use these ideas to host wacky white elephant parties, or Yankee swaps for your next gift giving event.

Here are 5 great party variations to try:

These variations will add an extra level of engagement into your next gift exchange party.

And if you get tired of these offline games you can always try our online white elephant gift party – AlbinoPhant.

It is perfect for sharing white elephant gifts among distant family and friends.

Try this:  White Elephant Party Skit

Change up the Name

After you have explored some of these unique variations on the white elephant exchange game, you might want to change the name of the party from white elephant to something like -Yankee Swap or Rob Your Neighbor.

There are at least 31 different names for white elephant gift exchanges, so feel free to change the names and link them together with different ways to play the game. When you do this your family and friends will never get board coming to one of your gift parties.

We have also written about other unique additions to these fun gift swapping activities. You can add other games to your standard party.  Or try reading a white elephant poem to your guests at a break in the action.  You might have some fun with the crowd by sharing a few white elephant jokes from our library.

Of course, we always invite you to try AlbinoPhant the online white elephant party game – where you can enjoy gift giving with distant family and friends and then real gifts are delivered to each players door.

Visit the White Elephant Gift Exchange Center!

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

White elephant exchange + spin the bottle!

The popular white elephant gift party and the game called spin the bottle can now be joined for some gift sharing fun. This is a great way to add some variety to your group gift parties this year.

 

If you are doing a traditional white elephant party instead of an online gift exchange like AlbinoPhant, then the white elephant spin the bottle game will make your party even more fun than ever.

You will need to set-up the room so that all of the chairs are in a circle and spread apart enough to easily identify a player turns when the bottle is pointing at them.

Remember that unique white elephant gifts are the secret to creating fun conversation during the party. Encourage every one to take some time to shop for something fun.

It is better if you have a hard surface for the bottle to spin upon, so use a table top or do the party on a hard flooring surface.

Just like any white elephant gift exchange, you should gather all of the wrapped items into one spot and get everyone seated.

#1 The game starts with all players in their seats.

#2 Someone spins the bottle until it points at one of the players (re-spin if there is any question as to who it is selecting)

#3 The first person selected by the bottle opens one of the gifts from the wrapped gift pile.

#4 The bottle spins and selects the next player, who can ether open one of the wrapped items, or steal the opened gift.

#5 If a player has a item stolen they can ether open a replacement gift or steal from another players opened gift. (Remember, no direct steal-backs)

#6 The bottle spins again after the stealing and opening have stopped.

#7 If the bottle  lands on a person with an open gift, they have the option of swapping their current opened item with another persons opened gift, or donating it to a player that does not currently have any gift. If they donate, then they must open one of the wrapped gifts from the pile.

#8 Continue play using the bottle as the turn selector, until all the gifts have been opened.

We have included some instructional slides that will help you understand the rules of the white elephant spin the bottle gift exchange game.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

The Yankee Swap rules build group fun

The white elephant gift exchange is also known as the Yankee Swap in some areas of the country. Both are very engaging social party activities that allow fun gift sharing among friends and family.

Yankee Swap Video

Watch this time elapse video of a group gift exchange party. Thisvideo demonstrates the white elephant gift sharing action that takes place within the party game.

We counted about 25 people in this gift exchange video, that looks like it was hosted in a typical living room. The Yankee Swap rules are the same as the white elephant git exchange, so gifts are opened, stolen and conversation is created. You can get a feel for the fun in the party by watching this in quick-time view.

What is interesting is the social dynamics created as a result of the party. If you watch the last few seconds of the video you will see how conversations and groupings continued even after the clean-up was finished.

Group white elephant gift parties are greatly enhanced by using an engaging game like the Yankee Swap. It is no wonder that this game or its cousin the white elephant gift exchange are the most popular group parties during the holidays.

swap 2010 time lapse from Roy Hodgman on Vimeo.

Using this gift exchange activity will allow your group to share unique and zany gifts without breaking the bank. It is these fun gifts that really add to the conversation and social engagement that will make your party even more memorable.

Our family has enjoyed this style of gift exchange for many years so we have created an online version of this party game. Much of the same dynamics can be mimicked in the AlbinoPhant white elephant party.

Your going to love this party!

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

White elephant gift swap history and future

If you are a regular visitor to our site, you know the real story of white elephant gifts begins with the Asian kings of Burma and Siam. White elephants were extremely important and valuable creatures in these Asian countries, so receiving a white elephant from the king would be a huge honor and make the receiver the envy of all the land.

Somehow the tradition of valuable gift sharing morphed into a gift exchange game and the result is the now the traditional white elephant gift exchange.

Here is how the game got started:

The white elephant gift exchange or Yankee swap started with the need to increase social engagement at group parties; particularly office gifting events, where additional activities could act as conversation starters. Eventually people learned the high level of fun and banter that were created with the gift swapping game, so it spread to other groups.

In most areas of the US it is called a white elephant gift exchange, but in the Northeastern US it is more commonly called a Yankee swap. Ether way it is a unique gift giving system that continues to be popular.

Offering gifts is an expression of kindness or love among close-knit groups, so gift giving has always been an important part of our social support structure. The issue for businesses and other groups is that hosting a gift exchange party includes the requirement that items be purchased. Many groups had used a secret Santa exchange format and found that there where issues that arose when spending was ether extravagant or cheap.

In an effort to bring gift giving budgets into line and to offer a fun activity during the party, the gift swap game was developed. White elephant exchange hosts select a pricing range and invitees are expected to purchase gifts within that budget.

Another unique characteristic of the rules in a white elephant party is the idea that anyone could go home with any gift. The swap mixed up the gift giving and took the pressure off from individual gift purchasers to buy for a specific person, like they did in the secret Santa format. When it didn’t matter who would eventually get the gift it became easier to shop for a gift that many people might find valuable.

That’s how white elephant gift exchange parties came to be so popular, by cutting down on expenses, reducing shopping stress and adding great fun to any group event.

The white elephant gift exchange party spread, and today it’s a much-loved way of having a good time with family and friends during the holiday season. Everyone brings one gift and leaves with one gift, making it fair, no matter how many unexpected guests show up.

The format of White Elephant parties has changed and evolved over the years, but at its core it has always remained an entertaining way to spend time with loved ones, share gifts, save money, and above all have fun.

The internet has now allowed us the opportunity to move this traditional gift swapping activity onto the web and invite everyone to the party, no matter the distance. AlbinoPhant is the online version of the white elephant gift exchange, with all the same features you have come to expect from the game you play at regular gift swapping events.

The white elephant gift exchange has a long history of success and is continuing to evolve with the times….. You are going to love this party!

 

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

A White Elephant is really an Albino Elephant

Everyone has heard the term white elephant, but did you know why they are considered white? As white elephant gift exchange experts it is our job to share the facts with the world.

The word Albino was first used in 1777 and is from the Portuguese language. The albino elephant is an animal that is lacking normal hide pigmentation. The result is that the skin and the hair are abnormally white or milky and the eyes have a pink or blue iris with a deep-red pupil. The light colored hide and light toe nails is the reason that they were called white elephants.

Albino elephants are extremely rare and unique. We have included some images of recent sightings as examples. You will notice that these white elephants do have a distinct albino look.

The AlbinoPhant Website

We have chosen the name AlbinoPhant for this white elephant gift sharing website, in honor of the great and rare white elephant.  This site is also the home of a unique online white elephant gift exchange, the first internet version of the traditional white elephant party. Like the sighting of a rare albino elephant, AlbinoPhant is a unique and wonderful way to share fun white elephant gifts with family and friends no matter where they live. We are proud to share this fun world of gift giving with the rare albino elephant or white elephant.

On this site you can also learn the history of the white elephants and the source of the white elephant gift exchange here on the Albinophant blog.

Some Real White Elephants

Albino elephants are not usually white, but instead they have more of a reddish-brown or pink hue. They really appear pink when they are wet. We are not sure if the pink elephant that is associated with  drunken hallucinations is because of the wet-look of these white elephants.

These unique white elephants are so rare that we really don’t know how they turn out the way they do. All that is known is that they are still a prized possession within the royal class in many Asian nations.

MORE White Elephant Images Here

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

White elephant facts and myths

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White Elephant as a gift…

In popular culture the term “White Elephant” refers to an object that isn’t worth very much or something that the current owner doesn’t particularly want to keep. Many feel that these  gifts are something worthy of re-gifting at the next holiday party. Wacky, crazy or unique white elephant gifts are common words used to search the internet for presents during the holidays. But is this really what a white elephant gift represents?

White Elephant as an object…

Some label a project that has an enormous production cost with little apparent future return, as a white elephant. There have been naval ships, sports stadiums and even huge water projects which some term as a “white elephant”. Many times these  projects create a huge political debate that lasts for decades. Is an expensive project anything like a real white elephant?

These descriptions represent a few of the myths and false representations of the real facts concerning the white elephant.

The White Elephant is an animal…

How on earth did a unique animal like the albino (white) elephant gain this reputation as a useless and unwanted gift, or the object of potential financial ruin? This is particularly interesting when the actual history of these rare  elephants revolves around an animal of very high value and with the sacred respect of its admirers.

In Thailand and Burma for example, people traditionally believe that white elephants will bring power, fertility and prosperity to those who posses the animal. These albino elephants are very rare and highly prized within these Asian cultures. Historically, anyone who owned one of these creatures was required to treat it better than any other animal in the barnyard. These elephants would live in luxurious housing, and would be adorned with fine robes and jewels. The special elephant would have a dedicated keeper who groomed and pampered the beast daily. It would dine on the finest cuisine, and receive visitors who would admire and even worship it!

As a result, the only people who could really afford to keep white elephants tended to be kings, emperors and the very rich. This privileged class of elephant owners would insure that their magnificent pets had the best possible care and pampering. In addition, they wanted their prized albino elephants to live a very long time – for legend held that the death of a royal  elephant foretold disaster and tragedy for its owner.

White elephants were often presented as gifts from one wealthy owner to another as a symbol of friendship and respect between mutual admirers. The gift of a white elephant was similar to someone receiving a Pulitzer Prize today.

The origin of the white elephant myth…

Many believe that our modern interruption of a “white elephant” started when the King of Siam gave an albino elephant to one of the members of his court that had fallen from favor. It is unknown if this story is completely true or if it has been embellished through the decades. Regardless, the story suggests that the king gave him a sacred royal elephant as a gift, with the stipulation that he take great care of this treasured animal or suffer a disaster in his family.

But here’s the catch. Think about how much it would cost to feed an ordinary elephant – then imagine caring for a sacred elephant in a way that was expected by cultural norms. The story suggests that the costs of upkeep for this wonderful gift bankrupted the man of lesser wealth and the King therefore got his revenge.

And so we have our modern day concept of white elephants. These words came to symbolize a prized possession whose maintenance cost exceeded its worth. It is a myth and a great misrepresentation of the real value of an important and thoughtful gift from one admirer to another.

White elephant parties and gifts…

The white elephant gift party is a holiday tradition in North America, and because of the myth of the white elephant gift, we think of the event as a place to pass off our hand-me-downs or re-gifting items. The fact is that this idea is OK, because the days of Siamese and Burmese kings are passed and so are the real white elephants. Still, many thoughtful shoppers purchase new gifts for the party that are unique, wacky and crazy.

The importance of the gift exchange really is the opportunity to gather and to share gifts among family and friends.

WARNING: If you were to invite a Burmese king to your party – don’t tell him his white elephant gift is worthless!

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Images of Elephants in the Room

To further our understanding of the use of the Elephant in our language and our art, we have included some fun images of the elephant in the room. We have also included some of the context that are supported by this imagery.

We believe that the tyranny of distance is the elephant in the room for families and friends when it comes time to share gifts with each other. This is why we have created an online platform for sharing gifts, no matter the distance..

Enjoy these images of the elephants in the room…

Elephant in the boardroom.
Venture Beat suggests that multi-billion dollar funds could soon be a thing of the past, so the investment firms are ignoring the possibility, thus and elephant in the room.

Elephant in the Room represents net neutrality.
The Sponge-ist blog discusses a massive elephant in the room in the debate over abandoning net neutrality?

Elephant in the Room and Poetry
Amy Abrahams shared this image and a poem concerning the elephant in the room.

The 800 lb nuclear elephant in the room
Pamela Geller likens political posturing to a large elephant in the room when it comes to government policy for Iran.

Elephant in the Room and blogging

Fuel Your Blogging posted that some stories like Haiti, create an Elephant in the room when it comes to planning a blog post.

The elephant in the room for many families during important gift events is the missing people who could not attend the party. Sharing time together is an important social support system and we feel badly whenever someone is left out of the activity.

This is the reason that many chose to stay connected online using various web-based tools.

How are you addressing the elephant in the room?

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

The Elephant in the room has left the building

The term “the elephant in the room” creates an odd picture. Maybe that is why it has such a powerful influence upon our thoughts when used to describe something completely idiotic.

Here is how the Wiki’s are describing the topic: “Elephant in the room” is an English idiom for an obvious truth that is being ignored or goes unaddressed. The idiomatic expression also applies to an obvious problem or risk no one wants to discuss.

It really is silly to consider that a massive beast, like an elephant could wander into a house and someone not say or do something about the occurrence. But since the 1800’s we have used the expression “Elephant in the room” to paint the picture of something that we tend to ignore and put off fixing.

We developed an online white elephant gift exchange system to fix the “elephant in the room” of family gift giving events. Most of the time we ignore the fact that some family members can not come to the party because they live so far away. These people don’t get an invitation and are thus left out of the fun.

The elephant in the room is even more glaring on the day of the party, when others ask why Grandpa or Auntie Barbara is not in attendance. These subjects become the elephant in the room that nobody wants to bring up to spoil the mood of the day. The online gift party application removes the elephant and allows everyone to attend and share in the fun.

There is an elephant in the room poem that speaks to what we are talking about, even though it has a bit of a darker side to the subject.

The Elephant in the Room

By Terry Kettering
There’s an elephant in the room.
It is large and squatting,
so it is hard to get around it.
Yet we squeeze by with,
“How are you?” and, “I’m fine,”
and a thousand other forms of trivial chatter.
We talk about the weather;
we talk about work;
we talk about everything else—
except the elephant in the room.
There’s an elephant in the room.
We all know it is there.
We are thinking about the elephant
as we talk together.
It is constantly on our minds.
For, you see, it is a very big elephant.
It has hurt us all, but we do not talk about
the elephant in the room.
Oh, please, say her name.
Oh, please, say “Barbara” again.
Oh, please, let’s talk about
the elephant in the room.
For if we talk about her death,
perhaps we can talk about her life.
Can I say, “Barbara” to you
and not have you look away?
For if I cannot,
then you are leaving me alone
in a room—with an elephant.

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Take the Elephant in the room out of your family gift giving celebrations and invite everyone to the party.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists