We’re smack dab in the middle of the Holiday season folks and no doubt there will be lots of parties and celebrations going on and more than likely you’ll attend a party where someone will grace the gathering with the infamous “White Elephant gift.” I have to admit that there was a time I had no idea what a White Elephant gift was until about 10 years ago. I was invited to a Holiday work gathering and everyone was asked to buy a gift that cost no more than $15 or $20 to exchange. As most of you are already aware of, I love shopping, so this assignment was a pleasurable one for me.
I remember visiting my favorite local treasure chest (i.e. T.J. Maxx and Marshalls). You can always find something unique and economical at these establishments. Whenever I step into these stores my mind is transformed to another time; it’s like take a tour of France, Africa, China and Texas all in one place. T.J. Maxx in particular has extraordinary import items such as genuine leather book end make in the shape of elephants or beautiful Italian mirrors that you can purchase for more than 60% off of the department store costs. I am surprised to know that a lot of people that I run into still haven’t tried these retailers and they have no idea that you can purchase anything from American eagle brand jeans to Dolce and Gabbana 4″ platform shoes!
Our Holiday office party was at hand, so I choose to purchase a lovely chocolate chenille throw that anyone would love to curl up and read a good book or simply toss it on a favorite chaise lounge for a bit of elegant décor. The day had finally arrived and we drove up to this wonderful restaurant and as soon as we stepped into the door we were all blown away with the beautiful flower arrangements and the exquisite table settings. We all gathered our gift wrapped boxes and bags and had them displayed on a special table that was decorated with beautiful white linen. The meal that followed was even better than the atmosphere.
After dessert and cappuccino, it was finally time for the big event; the exchanging of gifts! We are all like giddy little kids waking up on Christmas morning tearing through gift boxes with great anticipation. Prior to dinner, we had all written our names on small pieces of paper, we then chose a volunteer to fold each paper and toss it in the bowl. We chose another volunteer to close their eyes and mix up all the names in the bowl before everyone began choosing a name from the bowl. This was the deal, whosever name you pulled from the bowl, you would receive the gift that they purchased and they would receive yours. We were all sitting at a round table so instead of trying to find a way to determine who would choose first, we simply went around the table in order and unfortunately I was sitting at the very end.
At the time I didn’t have a problem with being last because I thought, “I know these people and they all have great taste”, so any gift I received I would surely appreciate and love it. As I sat and watched people choosing names and opening everything from a lovely crystal vase to hand painted water goblets, I was beaming with joy when I discovered that the last name left in the bowl was the Senior Vice President’s name whom everyone refers to secretly as Martha Stewart (of course that wasn’t her real name) but she had impeccable taste in everything. Most of her clothing was Prada, she lives in a restored mansion and she drove a luxury vehicle. Bible scripture was unfolding right before my eyes. (The first shall be last and the last shall be first) Surely my gift was going to be awesome! As I pulled her name and she passed me this rather large beautifully wrapped box, I was so excited and I noticed that all eyes were on me. I opened the box and there was another beautifully wrapped box inside and I thought “wow, how creative”! I had to go through two more boxes before I finally got to a small box that measured about 5×5 and as I opened the box the smile on my face quickly changed to a frown. My countenance dropped in utter dismay. I was almost afraid to pull out what I was looking at! But everyone was waiting with such anticipation to see what it was; I had no other choice but to pull it out. So as I reached in and pulled out this purple and black mug with Halloween pumpkins and bats picture on, you could hear a pin drop in the place and suddenly Ms. Senior Vice President, said “Congratulations you got the White Elephant Gift”. I looked at her in complete confusion; you see prior to this little get together, I had never heard of a White Elephant Gift, but there it was, big as life and I couldn’t exchange it for anyone else’s because I was the last one to choose a gift. Ugh. With that said, I decided that if I absolutely have to purchase a White Elephant gift in the future, I would make it as elegant as I possibly could and still keep it under $5.00. Today, my store of choice is none other than “The Dollar Store”; that’s right folks, everything is just a dollar or less. Here are my top 3 White Elephant picks for your next Work or Family Holiday gathering:
Table Set of 4 (Plate, Bowl, Saucer, cup) – The Dollar Store has microwavable and dishwasher safe stoneware in classic white. This is a perfect gift because even if you don’t know what someone’s décor is, this gift will be perfect was it is completely neutral. Each items is $1.00, so you’ll be able to buy a complete table setting for a little over $4.00 and keep you within your $5.00 budget
You see the next time you are faced with having to be the contributor of a White Elephant gift, these practical and useful gifts will certainly lower the blow of receiving a cheaper gift than your cohorts or family members.
The most important thing to remember this Holiday Season is be safe, be blessed and have lots of fun!
