What Is a White Elephant Gift?


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A white elephant gift is a type of gift that is inexpensive and humorous, and is typically exchanged at parties or other social gatherings. The term "white elephant" refers to a type of gift that is impractical or burdensome to the recipient, and the objective of the gift exchange game is often to have fun and make people laugh rather than to get a valuable or desirable present. In a white elephant gift exchange, each participant brings a wrapped gift and takes turns choosing a gift from the pile or "stealing" a gift that has already been chosen by someone else. The exchange continues until all gifts have been chosen, and the goal is to choose a gift that is amusing, unexpected, or humorous, rather than something that is truly valuable or useful.