Creative White Elephant Gift Ideas for Christmas

So, you are invited to a party involving white elephant gifts. What s a white elephant gift? And, more importantly, what makes for a great white elephant gift that will bring remembered for a long time? Let us explore...

A white elephant gift usually involves something that has been sitting around your house collecting dust. It is something that has been sitting around because you have no use for it. For instance, when it was on sale for dirt cheap, that bright green plastic flower arrangement was appealing to you. Once you brought it home, though, it did not look good in any of your rooms. The only place it looked good in was the garbage can. But, hope springs eternal, so you have kept it hoping someday to use it. The time has come. Turn it into a white elephant gift.

Or, your white elephant gift may be an item that you found in the bottom of your dresser drawer. You pull it out, look at it, and you wonder. "What the xx!! am I going to do with that? It's uglier than sin!" An example of this would be that bright green-haired Troll doll I received from my boss after working overtime. Or, that hideous-looking, malformed ceramic figurine I failed at was another good white elephant gift idea..

Many times a white elephant gift is something you have received from someone else. You have no use for that chintzy fake wood cheese platter with small dull knife that is supposed to be a cheese cutter. Or, the favorite....that wide assortment of stinky prepackaged cheeses. Yes, I have given and received both of these items as a white elephant treat.

A favorite white elephant gift may be something that keeps getting re-gifted time after time. No one wants it, so it is pawned off on the next unsuspecting victim. Look around, you probably have many items like this just sitting around in your house.

Sometimes a white elephant gift can be items that have been accumulating over time. You have always meant to use them, but they accumulate faster than you can use them. An example of this are those fast food ketchups, condiments, sauces, salts/peppers, teas, candies, crackers, free samples. Free samples of cosmetics, trade show items, preprinted pens, etc. can make for a great white elephant gift. To give this gift, simply find an empty box and fill it with all your unused packages. Your recipient will get a charge out of the gift, as well as many uses (hopefully). Mine goes over very well. I accumulate these items faster than rabbits breed.

Other suggestions for creative white elephant gifts that I have both given and received include: hotel soaps/shampoos/lotions/conditioners; kazoo along with music; plastic Slinky; smiley-faced stress reducing balls; 'Windows 95 for Dummies'; a bag of completely senseless toys given out at a motivational seminar; and, finally, a deck of playing cards missing all the Jacks (or some other cards).

A great white elephant gift would be the current (or any year for that matter) Firefighter calendar. These calendars are for a good cause, provide good eye candy, and make for plain and simple hearty laughter. I know they go over like gangbusters whenever I give them away!

White elephant gifts are meant to bring laughter and joy. Everyone has some item just waiting to be enjoyed or mocked by others. Use your imagination and have fun.