White Elephant Exchange - Plan Went All Wrong

Spoofee

Spoofee

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I usually attend white elephant exchange parties with what I like and usually end up leaving with what I don't like.

This year, I wasn't going to let that happen. So I decided I would bring something I want and when my turn came, I was going to grab my own gift.

Limit was $20, but I was going to grab my own gift so I spent $24 on The Dark Knight Blu-Ray. Well I actually spent $32 with the gift wrap and overnight shipping.

:prey: The small wrapped dvd looking thing was placed with the many big boxed items and no one was picking it

:cool: Plan is going as planned.

My turn came and I opened my own gift and people went "oooooOOoo:thinking:"

.. yes :unsure: it was stolen from me on the next turn and I ended up with Massaging Slippers :argh:.. which is not all that bad.. but.. at the end of the day I realized I was an idiot.

It's hard to win from attending a White Elephant Exchange. I guess it's sorta like a casino, you go there to have fun and don't expect to win.
 
I thought White Elephant Parties were ones you went to with some awful gift you kept from a previous year in hopes of getting rid of. I must have a dozen things around here I would have been happy to just grab up and dispose of. Sorry your plan backfired. Those slippers sound good to my feet!! LOL
 
:hmmmm: How was it 'stolen' from you if you picked it on your turn? :hmmmm:
 
precocious said:
:hmmmm: How was it 'stolen' from you if you picked it on your turn? :hmmmm:
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On your turn, you have the choice to steal someone's gift or pick a gift from the pile. The person after me decided to steal from me :(
 
sun22beam said:
I thought White Elephant Parties were ones you went to with some awful gift you kept from a previous year in hopes of getting rid of. I must have a dozen things around here I would have been happy to just grab up and dispose of. Sorry your plan backfired. Those slippers sound good to my feet!! LOL
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ah ha :teeth:

That's a way to win the game for sure. Bring something crappy I got last year in hopes of getting something nice in exchange :p
 
precocious said:
:hmmmm: How was it 'stolen' from you if you picked it on your turn? :hmmmm:
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A white elephant gift exchange is a popular holiday party game in the United States, with many variations in name and game play. Generally, white elephant parties need a minimum of six participants, although the larger the group, the more entertaining and protracted game play will be. White elephant parties can result in vicious rivalries between players trying to get sought after gifts. The goal of a white elephant party is usually entertainment rather than gain, however.

All attendees of a white elephant party are expected to bring one wrapped gift. Traditionally, a white elephant present is something unusual, somewhat useless, or inconvenient. Trinkets, strange knick knacks, unidentifiable kitchen items, and the like are typical white elephants, and guests are asked to wrap them nicely and to leave no identifying markings on the presents. Part of the white elephant game is often a series of guesses as to who brought which present.


Usually, attendees draw numbers or cards to indicate player order. Strategic white elephant players try to end up somewhere in the middle of the game. The white elephant gifts are piled in a central location, and game play begins when one person opens the first gift. The contents are displayed to the room, and the next player’s turn begins.

The second player may either open a new present from the stack or steal the first player’s gift. If the second player takes the first player's white elephant, the first player must open a new present. A gift may only be stolen once a turn. After the second player’s turn is complete, the third player proceeds with the same options, and so forth until the game is finished.

Some white elephant parties impose a rule that a gift may only be stolen three times, requiring careful strategizing in the case of large multiplayer games. Sometimes, players band together to create advantageous trades amongst each other, although some white elephant exchanges forbid collaboration. In some cases, traditional gifts make their way back to white elephant parties year after year, and players can trace the history of lavish fur coats, hideous gravy boats, and other examples through the years.
 
Spoofee said:
On your turn, you have the choice to steal someone's gift or pick a gift from the pile. The person after me decided to steal from me :(
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PugGirl said:
Sometimes, players band together to create advantageous trades amongst each other, although some white elephant exchanges forbid collaboration. In some cases, traditional gifts make their way back to white elephant parties year after year, and players can trace the history of lavish fur coats, hideous gravy boats, and other examples through the years.
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:thinking: In that case I can definitely see someone getting exlax in their hot cocoa and finding a flat tire when they leave........:doh:....unless of course..:suspicious:.....I brought something crappy to begin with.....:yesnod:

I say, the crappier, the better....:blushing:
 
Hey...I just noticed "My mood" :teeth::lol:
 
Awww... Spoofee.....:hugs:
Your approach, actually worked for me at the one elephant party I have been too. I bought awesome silver votive and candlestick holders. I loved them and I really wanted them for myself. I drew a high number and as I watched people grab up gifts, mine remained untouched.....because it was the only one in a bag!!! I didnt have box that would hold them so I put them in a gift bag. There were many ooo's and ahh's and a couple "oh man's!" when I pulled them out and the people after me were a couple men and kids and they didnt want it, so I kept it!!!! So this plan can work....

But if I were you - I would take something crappy next year and hope for the best! :wink:
 
I always end up with what I brought. I never bring something that I want though. :nonod:
 
You know Spoofee,massaging slippers aren't so bad.I would have been thrilled to have them as I have some health issues,Fibromyalgia ,and the muscles in my feet hurt so bad that they would feel nice on my feet.It could have been something worse off than the slippers...it could have been a hard,stale fruit cake.:nonod:
 
dbee said:
I always end up with what I brought. I never bring something that I want though. :nonod:
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Keep the receipt and take it back! :top:
 
MrsK2002 said:
You know Spoofee,massaging slippers aren't so bad.I would have been thrilled to have them as I have some health issues,Fibromyalgia ,and the muscles in my feet hurt so bad that they would feel nice on my feet.It could have been something worse off than the slippers...it could have been a hard,stale fruit cake.:nonod:
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You are right, I actually tried them out yesterday and it's not so bad. Noisy/shaky slippers with my dog biting on it. (no sarcasm). It was actually kind of relaxing. :)
 
Our high school group has a white elephant party every year and the gifts are just plain odd. A few years ago, I filled a 50-gallon plastic bag with dryer lint and wrapped it. The guy that 'won' it actually used it to start fires in his stove.
 
spazntwitch said:
Our high school group has a white elephant party every year and the gifts are just plain odd. A few years ago, I filled a 50-gallon plastic bag with dryer lint and wrapped it. The guy that 'won' it actually used it to start fires in his stove.
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Spaz......how long were you actually saving it up? :suspicious:

:rofl:
 
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