Quote Originally Posted by alpinerabbit View Post
What.... is a white elephant office party?
A white elephant party is a party where you bring useless gifts for others and bring home a useless gift for yourself. I have done them at an office party and at church parties.

We generally play a game with the gifts - all of them are put in the center of the room. When it is your turn to pick a gift, you may take someone else's gift or one from the center of the room. The person who picks first gets the last opportunity to steal a gift. Gifts may only be stolen twice. At the end, we all take turn unwrapping our gifts.

It is a blast. On year a got a branch with an old shot gun shell glued to it - it was a "cartridge in a bare tree" - a play on the song "Five Golden Rings" - a partridge in a pear tree.

We have given horrendous stuff - a green crocheted womens dress, a do it yourself bubble bath kit (a jar of beans) and other fun and crazy stuff. It is just an excuse to get together, eat good food, and laugh.

White elephant gifts don't have to be gag gifts, either, just stuff you don't want.

Make sense?