For  about $15 dollars this white elephant gift will be a find great appeal in your next white elephant gift exchange. It is a combination set of wrist rattles and foot covers for babies.  Baby items are great conversation starters in these group gift party settings.

The rules of the white elephant gift exchange require that players open wrapped gifts and then allow others to make comments and possibly steal the gift away.  Traditionally the gift that gets stolen the most also receives the most comments. This rattle and foot cover systems definitely meets the conversation starter status needed for a popular white elephant gift.

The funniest part of this gift is its name:

Foot Finders

This gift has worked very well in the online version of the white elephant game because the complete description is displayed on the playing page when the gift is revealed. With the additional information on the product the players can take the conversation if several directions.  I could see one of my son’s attempting to gross everyone out with an image of an ugly toe that would need a toe-cover.

Even in a standard offline white elephant gift party or a Yankee Swap this set would rattle some conversation out of even the most stoic participant. .

You are going to love this party!

This white elephant gift idea is 100% MamaC endorsed!

Finding fun and unique ways to share gifts between family and friends is a challenge for every group. The white elephant gift exchange is a great tradition for gift sharing during the holidays, but sometimes it gets a little old-hat.

AlbinoPhant attempts to mix-up the fun by offering several variations of this classic party, including an online white elephant gift exchange.

Try a combination gift auction and white elephant exchange for your next gathering and be amazed at the fun and conversation that you will start.

The following white elephant gift exchange rules will help you host the white elephant auction party of the year…

Prepare for the white elephant party by going to the Dollar Store and get several packages of money. This is like the Monopoly money used in the board game.
Next, create several envelopes with varying totals between 200 and 500 dollars. We have found that $20 dollar or $50 bills are the best. Have each envelope contain a different total so that there is variety among the party participants.

On the day of the white elephant gift exchange, set the room up like you would for the traditional gift party. Make sure all players have easy access to the gift pile and that they sit where they can see everyone in the game.

#1 Put all the wrapped gifts in one place

#2 Put every players name into a hat

#3 Draw the first name, read it and then put it back into the hat.

#4 The first player opens a gift and shows it off.

#5 The first player can choose two options:
A Keep the gift
B. Start a White Elephant Auction

#6A If they keep the gift the next name is drawn from the hat and then the name is returned to the hat.

#7A Player two has the same two options, ether keep the gift (until stolen or swapped) or hold a white elephant auction)

#6B If they choose a white elephant auction, they will act as the auctioneer and start the bidding at any level that they think that they can get.

#7B All players can choose to make a bid for the gift and the auctioneer will give the gift to the highest bidder and collect the cash.

NOTE: Players that have an open gift can add the gift into the auction bidding. For example a bid could be: I will give $100 dollars and this great ???? gift for your ????gift. If the winning bidder has a gift they will exchange the gift and the money.

#8 Another name is drawn from the hat and then returned into the hat.

#9 Player selects from three options:
A. Steal another opened gift.
B. Open a new unopened gift and display it to others.
C. Hold a white elephant auction on any open gift in his/her possession.

#10 Following the actions of ether the steal, the open or the auction, the next name is drawn from the hat and returned.

#11 The next player again has the 3 options explained in #9.

#12 In the event that a player with an opened gift has their name pulled from the hat they have two options:
A. Swap for any other opened gift
B. Hold a White elephant auction for their existing gift so that they can open a new gift.

#13 Game play continues until every gift is opened.

#14 An option would be for the host to provide a prize for the person who has the most money left over at the end of the party.

You are going to love this party!

When this special white elephant gift is unwrapped during the party it will instantly be popular. 

TIME TO STEAL…!!!

Other gift exchange game players will see that they can finally clear that pesky traffic (not recommended) on the way to K-Mart for that big sale.

As MamaC, I get to select the white elephant gifts for the online gift parties that family and friends enjoy on AlbinoPhant.  I know that this blue-light flasher will get conversation going in your next white elephant party or at a Yankee Swap.

With this great white elephant gift conversation will head in several directions, including to K-Mart shopping memories or old Cop-show stereotypes.

Have some fun with this flashy gift…

This Special commercial “I know a Place!” should get your toe a tapping…

Put the words wedge, pregnancy and “Boppy” together in a group and someone will have something cleaver to say.

Cleaver banter is what makes the white elephant gift exchange a popular holiday event, and when friends and family members see this white elephant gift coming out of the box, they all will tease the new owner.

The fun will spin out of control from there!

You are going to love this Party Gift!

I selected this gift for the online white elephant gift exchange because I can see how much fun it would yield in the party.

Google “Boppy” and see if you could find something interesting to talk about….

I found this gift in the $15 dollar white elephant gift idea marketplace here in AlbinoPhant.

A nose for cool white elephant gifts

The white elephant gift exchange party is well known for the wacky and fun conversation that begins when the gifts are opened.

This white elephant gift should get the group a-buzz with funny comments and banter.

This nose trimmer is even lighted!

I found this in the $15 Online white elephant gift marketplace…

In the AlbinoPhant game any player in the online party can add images to the comment stream on the playing page. Here is an example of a fun image that could enhance the conversation.

A white elephant gift idea, MamaC recommended!

This is an opportunity to add a little musical fun to your regular white elephant gift party. You will need a CD player with a pause button and some Christmas Carol CD’s (make sure they have words and not instrumentals).

Place the CD player where the host or an appointed “carol-leader” can have access.

#1 Start the white elephant gift exchange as usual, with the presents in the middle of the group and with every player’s name in a hat for drawing.

#2 Draw the first name and start the first musical carol on the CD.

#3 The first player selects a gift and opens it for all to see.

#4 The host or carol-leader randomly stops the music.

#5 Play who just opened the white elephant gift must “sing” the next 3 words in the Carol to keep the gift.

#6 Any player who knows the words to the carol may stand and “carol for the gift” if the original player is not able to sing the next 3 words. (Host will say who was the first to stand)

#7 If the first person to stand and carol for the white elephant gift sings the next 3 words correctly they can steal the gift from the original opener.

#8 All names must be returned to the drawing hat.

#9 Another name is drawn at random

#10 Another wrapped white elephant gift is take from the pile by the next player

#11 The gift is opened while the next Christmas carol is playing

#12 The host waits a moment while the gift is displayed and discussed, pushes the pause button.

#13 The player that just opened a gift must sing the next 3 words of the carol in order to keep the gift.

#14 If this player is able to carol for the gift then they have the option of keeping the newly opened gift or swapping with any other unopened gift. (see the 3-steal rule)

#15 If that player is unable to sing the words, then the host picks the first person to stand and “carol for the gift”.

#16 Any player who has an open white elephant gift and “carols for a gift” with the correct 3 words can swap for any other open gift.

#17 Whenever the swapping stops, the music starts and the next name is drawn to discover the next person who opens a new gift.

#18 The white elephant game continues until all gifts are opened and all players have a gift.

Your going to love this party!

We suggest that you attempt this unique white elephant gift exchange idea at your next holiday gathering and bring Christmas music into the fun.

If you can’t get everyone together in one place because they all live in other towns, we suggest that you try a fun online white elephant gift party, AlbinoPhant.

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!

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 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 party 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

She supports on the internet

These boomer trendsetters demonstrate that they can find technical solutions to the things that pull them in many directions.

The real elephant in the room for these busy women is the problem of distance. Her kids are in two different states, with the grandchildren, her parents live several hours away and her siblings are scattered across the country. Travel is expensive and time restricts her desire to be with those she loves for every important life event. She has now turned to the web to assist her in navigating around this elephant in the room and succeeding in her various areas of support.

Regular readers of the AlbinoPhant blog know that we are passionate about the gift-giving support system within families. The baby boomer woman drives a significant portion of the gift market in the US, as she supports a multi-generational network of family and friends. She manages gifts for birthdays, graduations, holidays, weddings, births and much more. She purchases gifts for business clients and office associates and still she struggles with the idea of doing more to make this process more personal and warm.

Barbara Baby Boomer stresses over the emotional choice between actually traveling to the party or just sending a gift through UPS. She knows that traveling drains the pocketbook, but the UPS option raises the level of guilt from missing the event.

AlbinoPhant is a white elephant party that tackles the elephant in the room called distance. The online gift giving application will never be as warm as an actual hug from grandma, but it is still a stronger substitute than a cold UPS delivery.

What other things should be developed to help Barbara get around the elephant in her gift giving processes?

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 a white elephant gift is something worthy of re-gifting at the next holiday party. Wacky white elephant gifts, crazy white elephant gifts and 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 white elephant 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 the white elephant 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 white 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 white 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 white 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 white 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!