White elephant gift exchanges are particularly popular at Christmas parties. Where I’m from in the Midwest, we have played that game for years. After a little research, I’ve learned that “white elephant gift” doesn’t mean the same thing to everybody. Apparently, the original white elephant gift was something that was so expensive to maintain that the receiver couldn’t afford to keep it but couldn’t risk affronting the giver of the gift by disposing of it. Few of us are in a position to play a game with that sort of white elephant. In my experience, the gift was to be something that you have in your home or garage but don’t want any longer. The gift could not be something new. It might be an ugly Christmas sweater, or something that is still in good condition but not useful to you. In other parties I’ve attended, a spending limit was set for new gifts, usually a nominal amount. Gag gifts are also fun to include. If it’s an adult party, maybe edible underwear could be appropriate. At a party I attended recently, the gag gift was a Justin Beiber blow up doll. Since there were no pre-teen girls in the group, it was not in high demand but it was the focus of a lot of jokes. One time I brought a leg lamp like the one in the movie, “A Christmas Story”. Unfortunately, the person who got it had no idea what it represented. I guess the joke was on me. I offer this information to encourage anybody who wants to feature a white elephant gift exchange to define in advance what is appropriate. If a dollar limit is imposed for new gifts, please stay within the suggested amount to keep the game on an equal footing. The idea for the game is not to acquire something of particular value, but just to have fun.