White Elephant Parties

11 years ago

I'm trying to find an activity for my office holiday party and am wondering if I can modify a traditional white elephant gift exchange for about 60 people.

Any ideas? I was thinking of having folks bring their wrapped white elephant gift and placing it in a large box. Then hand out numbers and let folks pick their gift. We won't have time to do the traditional stealing and trading.

Any thoughts? Let everyone select their gift, then everyone open them at the same time?

This is meant to be a part of a 90 minute all-employee meeting, so there isn't time to do a true traditional exchange.

I know all of you have such great ideas - help me out here!

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Comments (8)

colleenoz
11 years ago
A group I belong to used to do a white elephant gift exchange. Personally I found it a little pointless because Lord knows I don't really need more random stuff, so I suggested, and the group thought it a good idea, that instead we bring gifts to donate to a charity. For a while we took the donated gifts to the Salvation Army, but for some years now they go to a women's shelter. Just a suggestion.
juellie1962
11 years ago
Sephia, that is how I'm doing an ornament exchange for about 30 women. I'd love to sit & watch everyone open and possibly do the steal/trade thing, but no time. I'm having them put the ornaments in a basket and then pull numbers as to who gets to pick 1st, 2nd, etc. Have fun!
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I'm sorry I didn't get this posted yesterday (Friday), we're at a critical phase with one of the canines. The heat (103F, 112F with the heat index today) is causing some complications for an already very old dog with issues related to age alone. Friday he gave us quite a scare and I didn't even get online to check email, much more cruise any websites. Box - which I will add as much to as possible between now and mailing time, but these things at least I know "for sure" if you will unless otherwise noted: Seeds - selection of herbs, veggies, melons, & pretties - most of these will be heirloom varieties. If there's anything the 'winner' doesn't want, like say peppers due an allergy or something, just let me know! pencil & plant "stakes" for labeling Stationery - suitable for laser printers, typewriters, etc. How Does Your Garden Grow theme an old print of a Garden Tea Room - kitties and a touch of Victorian Era theme Assortment of Teas - and I do mean an assortment. :) I'm a tea-aholic! Hot tea that is, but this assortment will contain not just tea (real tea), but also bags/sachets for infusions that have no tea in them at all (herbs, etc.) Demerara sugar/organic pure cane sugar - Did I say I like tea? HOT tea? I got hooked on Demerara sugar when living in Scotland and now go back and forth between it and "white" sugar. The Demerara is divine especially when bothered by allergies or under-the-weather and during the colder months. *MAYBE* some Stevia Plus packets - an all-natural sweetener from the Stevia plant. These are a "maybe" because I can't remember if I gave them away already! I have to check! Mother-of-Thousands seedlings - Kalanchoe sp. - succulent plant(s). I adore the mother-plant to these seedlings - she looks absolutely alien! hehe Neat diversity to have amongst your houseplants and requires very little maintenance. some Messenger(R) - if you're not familiar with Messenger, I'll happily include info. I use Messenger on ALL of my plants! "Velma's Cactus" pups - heirloom cactus of a "barrel type". Pups are small, but the largest specimen I have had of this variety was about a foot and a half tall. This cactus has a "history" to it, that I will share either here (in a different post) or the recipient of the box. It blooms a beautiful magenta-fuchsia in colour, isn't terribly "vicious" where its prickles are concerned - a rather mild-mannered cactus compared to others. Unlike prickly-pear cactus, you won't have to worry about "invisible" sticklers in your skin causing pain. Obedient Plant - this one blooms light purple in colour. Very pretty perennial. Heirloom Iris tubers (rhizomes? roots - you get the idea!) These are an anybody's-guess on colours and form. They were grown by the now-deceased elderly couple that used to live on this property. They were what those of us in the south call "good people". Some of these irises might very well date back to their parents' or grandparents' gardening. I didn't have the heart to get rid of them, but they don't get the love here that they should so I'd like to share them with another iris-lover. Provided there is room, I'm probably also going to tuck in some body/bath stuff that I make. It's too hot for soap-making this time of year but I think I've got some wee bottles to at least give some samples of Gardenia bubble bath, etc. Some other succulent cuttings/leaves for rooting, such as Hummel's Sunset, an heirloom White-flowering Sedum, etc. I'll also include some Rooting Hormone and directions incase the recipient is unfamiliar with rooting succulents/cacti from cuttings. Themed stickers - either for scrapbooking or for fun to include with correspondence/parcels, etc. Garden related on one level or another. :) And whatever else I can fit into the box! LOL
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Good afternoon ladies! Please excuse me for having to go to work!!!LOL Deb, Thank you so much for stealing Tracy's box! I'll be taking posession of that again Thank You! RECAP, I pick box #12! I'm sorry to those of you that are waiting but I have most of the contents of everone elses boxes! Here's the numbers so far #1 1 #2 1 #3 4 #5 4 #6 0\ #7 0 #8 1 #9 4 #10 0 #11 0 #12 4 #13 0 I will double check these before the end of the month! Lisa
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I won, But I PROMISE to share it with you as soon as it's big enough to split. Don't tell the others, but you're my favorite Petal Pusher! ;) Miranda? (your mothers name, Shirley)?
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We always have a WE gift exchange at my office party. One gift that's been circulating for years is a china white bull. Truly hideous, but it originated, I believe as someone's wedding gift, and it's been given for years. The trick to re-gift it is to wrap it extravagantly, hiding its contents. We have a system so that people can choose a gift, and then others get the chance to take it away before it's unwrapped. We have given Xmas gift soaps, originating from a dollar store with truly ugly Xmas motifs. Other gifts included a handmade, truly awful looking pheasant w/real (and molting) feathers, a cookie jar that would have scared the most intrepid child, 70s and 80s LPs, junk jewelry. It's a fun part of the party and keeps us from talking about work all the time!
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katlan
11 years ago
At our family gift exchange the girls take girl gifts, the guys take guy gifts. When we get there, all girl gifts are numbered 1 to whatever, same with guy gifts. Then we all pick a number out of a hat (girl hat, guy hat of course) and that's the present you get.

If you pull the number for the gift you brought you speak up right away and get another number. (I guess if you really like the gift you took you could keep it, haha.)
littlebit_gw
11 years ago
At my hubbys company party, they play a Right Left Christmas Story to help exchange the gifts..All the women get in a circle with the gift they brought and then the story is read.The gifts are passed to the right or left according to the story When the story is over..you get the gift in hand. They do the same thing with the guys! Everyone enjoys it..

Example.. LEFTY ELF CHRISTMAS STORY/GAME

This is a story about Santa and LEFTy elf.

LEFTy received this nick name one Christmas when he couldn't seem to do anything RIGHT. Santa said " LEFTy, sometimes I think you have two LEFT thumbs".

On the day before Christmas Eve Santa and LEFTy were finishing up the toys that were LEFT. LEFTy called from the workshop, "Oh no, there is no glue LEFT! Santa do you know where any might be?"

"I can't believe you forgot to check the inventory, sometimes I wonder if you can get anything RIGHT, LEFTy!" said Santa.

"Santa don't be mad", replied LEFTy. "It will only take me a few minutes to find some, I'll be RIGHT back". Santa said "I'm sorry I am so grumpy, but we don't have much time LEFT, LEFTy. "I'll try our packaging and delivery outlet RIGHT on the edge of town", said LEFTy. "It would be faster to stop by my house, Mrs. Claus is sure to have some LEFT, she just might not know RIGHT where it is," Replied Santa.

"Take the short cut, go to Candy Cane Lane and Rudolph Rd. and turn LEFT, RIGHT at the Lollipop stop sign. Then go to Holly Drive and turn RIGHT and there it will be on your LEFT."

the rest of the story and a couple more can be found at the link below..

Here is a link that might be useful: Christmas Stories
marie_ndcal
11 years ago
Our Senior Citizen's group take a free will offering then donate it to a local place such as the Foundation at the hospital and then specify it for like the Cancer Cottage, Cancer center etc. All the money goes directly to purchasing what the medical center is working on. Or to a local youth group.
I don't like exchange things, because I seem to always get something that I don't want or is completly useless for me. But that is me.
Sue_va
11 years ago
I would like to tell about a White Elephant Christmas Party from long years ago.

Our Sunday School class had planned a Christmas party and it was announced that each member was to bring a white elephant gift. We had a war bride in our class who was from France. She didn't come to the party and when she was asked why, she said she had looked every where she could but never found any White Elephants, and didn't want to come and be embarrassed, without a gift.

So it appeared we had a "failure to communicate" there. We all felt bad about that.

With 60 people, might there be that possibility? We have so many folks here now from other backgrounds and cultures, it could happen. Be sure everyone knows what a White Elephant is.

Hope your party goes well.

Sue
sephia
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks to the folks who provided useful feedback. I agree with those who think a white elephant event is wasteful or suggest gifts be donated. BUT - the vice president of my organization wants to do it the traditional way. It's been pointed out that more useful gifts be collected and donated. He's pretty set in his ways, and I'm just following a directive to put this on his way.

To Sue-va - good point. I work for a 100,000+ employee major Fortune 500 company and we have plenty of diversity with cultures and ethnicities. My company is the largest exporter in the U.S. We can't even say "Chrismas," it's "Holiday." I know, I know.....
cate52
11 years ago
I think your original idea is fine given the number of participants... But it's a great way to get an under-used item out of your house!!! And I never have any qualms about donating whatever I get to Goodwill.. you can always tell the giver that you already have 3... unless it's truly unique...

White Elephant Parties

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colleenoz

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katlan

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White Elephant Parties

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sephia
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