The Year of the White Elephant
I’m sure we have all been invited to those holiday parties in which we are asked to give a gift for a grab bag of Hanukkah Harry (aka Secret Santa). The gift grab bag idea is a good one, as every person gets a gift without having to buy more than one. However, this good idea has been made great. Meet the White Elephant. A White Elephant gift is an item that the gifter already owns. Though I know this is not a new concept, last week was my first experience with the idea.
This past holiday season, I went to a holiday party in which guests were asked to bring a wrapped present for a White Elephant gift bag. I spent the days prior searching around my apartment for something that I don’t need and would still make a great gift. I tend to hold onto things…so there were lots of options. Picture frames, random memorabilia from travels and school and good old chatchkas. I narrowed down the options by asking myself, what can I give to both a boy and a girl that I have not used in at least a month? I looked in my fridge and found my gift – wine that I had yet to drink. After all, what’s more appropriate for a White Elephant gift than a re-gift? That night I went to my party with jelly donuts and white elephant gift in hand. We all exchanged our gift and got a good laugh out of them. Humorously I actually received a stuffed white elephant!
I left the party with a stuffed white elephant and an inspiring lesson. I really liked that idea and kept the theme going when I was trying to think of a gift to give to my best friend. She has always expressed a love for these Under Armor pants that I owned. I hadn’t worn them in nearly a year and decided they would be perfect for her. After a good laugh, she was thrilled by the gift. This Chanukah I learned a good lesson about gift-giving. Besides for the fact that it may be a perfect gift, a white elephant/re-gift is a great way to reduce consumption and increase happiness.
