A white elephant gift exchange is a popular holiday party game found primarily in North America. Generally, white elephant parties need a minimum of six participants. With a larger group, game play may be more protracted. White elephant parties have been known to result in playful rivalries between players trying to get sought after gifts. The goal of a white elephant party is usually to entertain rather than to gain.
While the term "white elephant" originally referred to a less-than-serious gift, its association with this particular game has become synonymous in some circles, such that the game itself is commonly called a White Elephant Gift Exchange. This game has also been called a Gift Swap, Yankee Swap, Black Santa, Chinese Gift Exchange, Dirty Santa, Greedy Punter, Thieves' Christmas, Machiavellian Christmas, or Naughty Santa.
Read more about White Elephant Gift Exchange: Gameplay, Variants
Famous quotes containing the words white, elephant and/or exchange:
“There’s many a white hand holds an urn
With lovers’ hearts to dust consumed.”
—George Darley (1795–1846)
“I asked my mother for fifty cents
To see the elephant jump the fence.
He jumped so high he reached the sky,
And didn’t get back till the Fourth of July.”
—Unknown. I Asked My Mother (l. 1–4)
“The social kiss is an exchange of insincerity between two combatants on the field of social advancement. It places hygiene before affection and condescension before all else.”
—Sunday Correspondent (London, Aug. 12, 1990)