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Hey Pandas, What’s The Best White Elephant Exchange Gift You’ve Received? (Closed)
It's that time of year again. Thanks, but no thanks.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Cotton candy in a wine bottle
Final score:
15points
#2
My friend got a boxed enema once. During the game, it was stolen three times...
Final score:
12points
#3
An actual white elephant! Sadly not real but a knick-knak. Still on display!
Final score:
12points
Mary Rose Kent 2 years ago
In Thailand, white elephants automatically belong to the King because of their rarity.
#4
I got a dancing dinosaur that played "Everyone Walk The Dinosaur." Super annoying but very cute.
Final score:
11points
#5
I got an ‘office basketball’ game at a work party, the kind of game that you wear the net on your head and others could try to make baskets in it. I was so excited for it but it immediately got stolen. My next gift was a stuffed knitted penguin container with a clear plastic belly full of mini candy canes. I still fill it full of Christmas themed candy and set it out every year.
Final score:
11points
#6
A bowling ball. It was a standard at the annual office party - if you received it, you had to come up with a clever way to regift the next year. If you left the company, you had to pass it on to someone still there so they could gift it. It was a treasured and well-displayed item.
Final score:
9points
Mary Rose Kent 2 years ago
Did it live on a special pedestal on your desk for the year you had it?
#7
I got the last gift available, which was this little, cheap Bluetooth shower speaker. Kind of shrugged and figured it might end up a regift later. Noooooope, turns out that little speaker is amazing. I use it all the time.
Final score:
9points
#8
Toilet paper. Everyone thought it was hilarious when I announced I was thrilled to have it because I actually needed it at home.
Final score:
7points
Orange is aging 2 years ago
I once gifted a thing at a white elephant party where you record a message on it then put it in the toilet paper roll. When someone rolls the toilet paper, your message plays. The person who got it I think used it at a family gathering and said “why hello there beautiful! Don’t tell anyone we had this conversation”
#9
William Shatner’s Christmas album from, like, 1970. He sings carols. Badly. It was stolen repeatedly.
Final score:
6points
#10
I worked at this one school where they had a Christmas party for the teachers.
Yhey had this tradition of gifting a box of condoms every year as a white elephant gift. Like, literally the same box of condoms. It's been passed around for at least 15 years now.
Final score:
5points
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
It might be a bit dangerous if someone hadn't got the memo and used them instead. Don't think they would be very 'safe'. :)
#12
In the UK we call it secret santa it's basically the same but we put all names in a box, you pick one and you buy a present for that person. Each person spends the same, then you put under the office tree with the person's name on, they don't know who sent it. I have seen some pretty ugly gifts that people have given, they clearly didn't like the person lol. I once got a 1000 piece jigsaw of a train, I still have no idea who hates me
Final score:
5points
#13
I gifted my SIL, who's obsessed with apples a solid marble red apple with a golden leaf on top. Believe it or not it cost less than the requisite $10.
Final score:
5points
#14
A notebook with matching stickers and an embroidery kit. Loved it as a teen
Final score:
4points
#15
A book called 'very Valentine' about a girl "with a heart the size of the city of new york. Her mission? To make the perfect pair of shoes"
Final score:
4points
#16
I wasn't entirely sure what they were one year, so I brought some ugly clown dolls. I received some cheap nail polish. Fast forward a few years, and I'm starting high school. There's this really cool girl in one of my classes, and we soon become friends. After a bit of talking we realized she was the one who had received the clowns.
Final score:
4points
Mary Rose Kent 2 years ago
How did she feel about the clowns? (Personally, I find clowns pretty creepy!) Did you reveal you were the donor?
#17
I got some nice headphones that turned out to be worth quite a bit of money, I still have them and lucky I do caz I love to listen to music 24/7!
Final score:
4points
#18
Snap Snot. Gag gift where you shove a small cork up yer nose and pull on the "snot" then let it go and it snaps you in the face. Our up-tight prudish Executive secretary opened it and I thought her face would fall off. The rest of the office fell into a side splitting laughing fit. It was great!
Final score:
4points
#19
Not one that I have received, but one that I gave. At my international school, everybody has to take a language, either Russian, French or English. My sibling takes Russian and is very picky about us saying Russian words correctly. I made a flipbook of Russian words, translated into English with a picture of the item. My dad now owns it and will take it out to annoy my sibling whenever he wants.
Final score:
3points
#20
I got a lanturn. That was rhe only one I received so it was the best and the worst. One time another person I know got a bottle of vegtable V8 with a note that said "eat your veggies"
Final score:
3points
#21
a six pack of ramen
Final score:
3points
#22
A 64 pack of crayons (with the built in sharpener), a 50pack of fine-tipped markers, 2 adult coloring books, and a handful of "wedding bubble" bottles.
Coloring is surprisingly relaxing when you're stressed and the bubbles were silly, but my cat and I had hours of fun with them.
Final score:
3points
#23
a master baiter mug
(not technically mine but it was in the white elephant for a few years now so my grandpa let me steal it)
Final score:
2points
#25
I am the MASTER of doing white elephant gifts! I found a 5 foot trophy 🏆 and had a plaque made called The Shaboty (after a Dr my husband works with and the Drs original picture as a MD (taken in the 70's) and put it on the top of the trophy. They pass this around in the hospital and it's been 5 years
Final score:
2points
#26
The dog pooping calendar
Final score:
2points
#27
A mini Waffle maker! It was an exchange for a youth group and I thoroughly enjoy it!
Final score:
2points
#28
A four-and-a-half-foot tall Nutcracker, all wood with fur trim (hat, beard). Last year we draped Christmas lights all over him and instead of buying a tree, we put all the presents around him!
Final score:
2points
#29
a 6" tall mechanical bull that walked, pawed the ground, lower his head, played bullfight song
Final score:
2points
#30
Salmon christmas lights! Christmas lights with plastic salmon over the lights so they glowed! I freaking loved them!
Final score:
2points
#31
I gifted the borat mankini and a glossy photo of Ron Jeremy
Final score:
1point
Mary Rose Kent 2 years ago
That could be something someone would be very excited to get. Probably not most people, but definitely not no one.
#32
One time at nursing home party was given a screwdriver with different 'bits' in it.
Final score:
1point
#33
A fabulous bougie mirror that fits perfectly in my vanity.
In accordance with the rules, I used my turn to steal it from my coworker. I still feel bad about it but it’s so pretty.
Forgive me Phyllis.
Final score:
1point
Jaclyn Steinmacher (Submission author) 2 years ago
Edit: We just had our office Christmas party. I had the misfortune of choosing the most wanted gift, which was stolen by Phyllis. Unfortunately Karen stole it from Phyllis, who then stole Michelle's gift. Michelle is too nice and just picked something else off the table lol. I have a feeling next year will be especially vicious.
#34
Pair of knitted moccasin style slipper socks. Did same gift a year later, fought over again!
Final score:
1point
#35
A Homer Simpson soap on a rope! Our group of friends had an annual Christmas Party. We did a white elephant exchange for years and Homer was always regifted. It was always hilarious to see who would end up with him.
Final score:
1point
#36
25 year old bottle of Macallan. I don't drink but sold it for enough to buy myself a new mountain bike.
Final score:
1point
#37
Viagra clock with 15 minutes of the face highlighted in blue to denote the time it took to take effect. Had to win it back. Sadly, someone actually stole it from my cubicle a few months later.
Final score:
1point
#38
i once received someone's car. they accidentally dropped their car keys in the mug they wrapped and the family called it fair game. unfortunately, they used their steal to win them back. i ended up with a teenage mutant ninja turtle statue.
Final score:
1point
#39
The box with the wrapping paper that said “It’s the Big One” got passed around like mad. It was a party full of ladies. The gift was a Playgirl magazine. So ridiculous and we still talk about it decades later.
Final score:
1point
#40
My drill set. Cordless. I had owned a home previously, and hated my new corded drill to replace my trusty cordless one. My bestie got a keurig (I was unlucky enough to win one two years in a row, and I don't like them for many reasons), so although year one resulted in a return, year two resulted in a trade. I still have it, and use it quite often. Quite a bit of torque for a little cordless!
Final score:
1point
#41
Nipple vibrator clamps. Yes, you heard me. Opened and re-taped shut packaging as well.
Final score:
1point
#44
Working in a podiatrist office, I was able to get my hands on a Digger the Dermatophyte bobble head doll. I wrapped it up for my family’s white elephant gift exchange. All of the guys fought over it. Go figure.
Final score:
0points
#45
My aunt is/was the worst gifter. She gave my small elderly grandma an enormous breastfeeding night gown, she gave me, a big 8 year old, a pair of socks small enough for my neighbor, a small three year old, and gave my mom gifts that we still laugh about: bubble bath liquid, we never had a tub; window cleaning liquid when my mom turned 50 (she was selling Amway) and, the number one awful gift, an aromatherapy metal ring you were supposed to put around a lightbulb, add oil to it to make your room smell nice. It never stayed in place, it always ended up tilting and dripping oil... My mom wasn't into aromatherapy, we never understood why.
Final score:
0points
Red (Submission author) 2 years ago
I don't think I understood the assignment. Feel free to delete my addition Bored Panda. Or, keep it, might entertain someone.
#46
On placement at a school as a child counsellor. I got a “world’s best teacher” mug and decided to keep it to regift to my dad, an actual teacher. Turns out the mug was a decoy and there was a $50 gift card hidden inside. As a poor uni student it was so appreciated!
Final score:
0points
#47
A rubber chicken! I loved it - dressed it up for holidays and seasons. It was a big hit at the office.
Final score:
0points
memyselfandI 2 years ago
I actually asked for a rubber chicken as an actual gift this year, I really really want one.
#48
idk what 'white elephant' means
Final score:
-2points
Marianne Luginbuhl 2 years ago
It means you give a ridiculous, inappropriate, tacky, cheap gift. A white elephant gift is a gag gift, loved for being the funniest one at a party.
What do you think ?
Thorfin Wolfsbane 2 years ago
I'm just here to find out what a "White Elephant Exchange Gift" is...
Naomi Casanova 2 years ago
Good point. I feel like that should be explain in that intro to the article. A white elephant gift exchange is a gift exchange where everyone brings a wrapped present, usually in a pre-agreed price range. People then go around and can pick a wrapped present blindly from the pile, or they can steal a gift that has already been opened from their friend/coworker/etc. It can get really competitive and fun based on which gift is most popular.
Load More Replies...
memyselfandI 2 years ago
Ooh, I have a couple. There was that one time years ago when my grandma bought herself white, size XXL, Trump leggings with stars on them and Make America Great Again on the side. She never wore them, so we didn’t get a picture, but they went straight to the next White Elephant party we went to, where they ended up with a short, skinny like 13 year old boy who then proceeded to wear them for the rest of the night. Remember, these were size XXL. It was quite entertaining. Also on the list is the time my grandma (same one) bought me one of those “face bank” things that were all the rage a few years back. It was a motorized coin bank with a rubber “face” on it, you put the coins in the mouth and it does this weird thing with the “upper lip” that basically looked like it was having a seizure. Best part, it was vivid blue. That also went straight to the next white elephant party, where someone actually wanted it. Somehow.
memyselfandI 2 years ago
Just this year, actually, someone brought a gag gift that was supposed to be a giant plastic “tongue” that you hold in your mouth and use the other end to o scratch your cat with, like you’re grooming them. I nearly traded for that because I figured it would be more easily regiftable than what I got, which was a too small shirt and various other stuff (which I then ended up trading for pickled jalapeño slices in a Costco size jar). I didn’t get the tongue. Someone else there also brought an LED light up toilet paper dispenser, a mug with a very unflattering picture of the “boss”, and a jar of dried beans labeled as “natural bubble bath”. But the best one there was when one little sibling put a live chicken in the exchange. It was very popular. And then at one point attempted to fly up to the ceiling and nearly made it before falling down into someone’s lap. The person who stole the chicken last actually took it home, and now had a chicken. That was fun.
Load More Replies... Thorfin Wolfsbane 2 years ago
I'm just here to find out what a "White Elephant Exchange Gift" is...
Naomi Casanova 2 years ago
Good point. I feel like that should be explain in that intro to the article. A white elephant gift exchange is a gift exchange where everyone brings a wrapped present, usually in a pre-agreed price range. People then go around and can pick a wrapped present blindly from the pile, or they can steal a gift that has already been opened from their friend/coworker/etc. It can get really competitive and fun based on which gift is most popular.
Load More Replies... memyselfandI 2 years ago
Ooh, I have a couple. There was that one time years ago when my grandma bought herself white, size XXL, Trump leggings with stars on them and Make America Great Again on the side. She never wore them, so we didn’t get a picture, but they went straight to the next White Elephant party we went to, where they ended up with a short, skinny like 13 year old boy who then proceeded to wear them for the rest of the night. Remember, these were size XXL. It was quite entertaining. Also on the list is the time my grandma (same one) bought me one of those “face bank” things that were all the rage a few years back. It was a motorized coin bank with a rubber “face” on it, you put the coins in the mouth and it does this weird thing with the “upper lip” that basically looked like it was having a seizure. Best part, it was vivid blue. That also went straight to the next white elephant party, where someone actually wanted it. Somehow.
memyselfandI 2 years ago
Just this year, actually, someone brought a gag gift that was supposed to be a giant plastic “tongue” that you hold in your mouth and use the other end to o scratch your cat with, like you’re grooming them. I nearly traded for that because I figured it would be more easily regiftable than what I got, which was a too small shirt and various other stuff (which I then ended up trading for pickled jalapeño slices in a Costco size jar). I didn’t get the tongue. Someone else there also brought an LED light up toilet paper dispenser, a mug with a very unflattering picture of the “boss”, and a jar of dried beans labeled as “natural bubble bath”. But the best one there was when one little sibling put a live chicken in the exchange. It was very popular. And then at one point attempted to fly up to the ceiling and nearly made it before falling down into someone’s lap. The person who stole the chicken last actually took it home, and now had a chicken. That was fun.
Load More Replies...
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