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December 2018
Concord
the Grapevine
ConcordRents
A Concord Management, Ltd. Affiliate
WHITE ELEPHANT GIFT EXCHANGE
December...
is AIDS Awareness Month
"White Elephant" or "Dirty Santa" is a party game where gifts are exchanged
during festivities. The goal is to entertain rather than gain.
The term white elephant refers to an extravagant but
ineffectual gift that cannot be easily disposed of,
based on the legend of the King of Siam 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 Ezra Cornell,
who was an American businessman, as well as the founder
of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University,
brought the term into the popular lexicon through his
frequent social gatherings as early as 1828.
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. To avoid never-ending circles, each
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gift can only be stolen once
per turn. The game is over
when everyone has a
present. Generally, it is
recommended to have
at least six participants
for the gift exchange party.
With a larger group, the game
may last longer.
Originally, for many, a White Elephant gift exchange was
different to a "Dirty Santa" gift exchange. While the rules
for picking and "stealing" gifts were similar, the difference
was in the type of gift that was brought by each player.
Typically, a White Elephant gift was any item that the
player had lying around the house, and would actually
like to get rid of, or just a humorous, silly gift. This was in
deference to the stories about the king giving a not-so-
desirable gift. A Dirty Santa gift exchange was more of
a reference to the method of play of the game, in which
gifts were "stolen" after they had been received (picked).
It is easy to see how the White Elephant type game
began to be referred to as Dirty Santa as they were
referring to the method of play, which became
more of the focus, rather than the
type of gift to be brought.
For many, the distinction
between the two games
or labels has been lost
or blurred.
