#496 – White Elephant

We had a Christmas party for our high school students last night and we all participated in a white elephant gift exchange. I walked away with that sweet set of Star Wars glasses you see above. I actually had them stolen from me but one of our staff members had my back and stole them back for me. It was a very nice gesture not at all in line with the normal attitude of a white elephant gift exchange.

I love giving gifts; it’s one of my favorite ways to express love. I enjoy trying to find the right gift for someone, wrapping the gift and then proudly presenting it to the recipient. A white elephant gift exchange, though, does away with that entire process and simply makes it about finding the funniest or the worst Christmas present. And then on top of finding the worst white elephant gift, participants have the opportunity to steal a gift someone else really wants.

Here are some of the worst gifts at our exchange last night:

• Tampons.
• Military food rations.
• A science textbook.
• A free cooler we all received at the Angels game our group went to this summer.

There were a few winners, though:

• The Star Wars glasses.
• A live fish with bowl.
• A Hello Kitty toaster.
• A $10 Starbucks gift card.

We had a lot of fun with our gift exchange, though I might feel differently had the glasses not been rescued for me. Giving gifts is a great way to show our love for others but it can’t compare to telling and showing them on a daily basis.

Though I always feel more loved when receiving nerdy gifts.

What’s the best/worst white elephant gift you’ve given/received?