How to Host a Christmas White Elephant Gift Exchange with No Junk Allowed

The White Elephant Gift Exchange for a Christmas Party is about giving something useless, used, ugly and/or ridiculous junk item. A joke gift kind of thing. I have participated in two (company required) and I just have to say - what a waste of my time. The only thing I can say that was "good" about it was that I got paid for an hour to sit and do nothing.

If you have never heard of a White Elephant Gift Exchange, the brief game plan is given at the end of this article if you'd like to learn about it.

Christmas is about alot of things but junk, in my opinion, is just not one of those things. Basically, don't we all have enough junk, half-used things, ugly and useless items? Do you really want more? Now, if getting junk and useless, half used things is fun in your book, have at it. But as a Christmas gift? No one wants junk for a gift - joke or otherwise. I get that the White Elephant Exchange it is a way to exchange Christmas gifts inexpensively within a large group of people that you might not know well, but it is also done in large familes that are close! I don't want to get junk from my siblings either! I say again, what's the point!!!

I dated a guy that had 12 kids in the family. They did this kind of exchange at Christmas. They'd go through their rooms and find something junky, used or whatever, and wrap it up and do the exchange. My friends solioquey of the event, was pathetic. "I got a suit case that didn't have a handle and brother got a sisters old pencil box...." And the point is? I remember thinking, why did they bother? I understand that with that many involved, it would get pretty expensive, but there are ways around that! The first being, you don't have to buy for everyone and second, the gifts don't have to be expensive - ergo the White Elephant Gift Exchange... in theory.

Do you really want to come home with a 10 year old, half-filled bottle of perfume? Or a suit case that doesn't clasp? Or a bag of hotel soaps and shampoos? Do you want to be the lucky one to get last years Christmas fruit cake? Will you really say "thank you" to the person that just gave you an extra trip outside to your trash can?

I understand that this style of gift exchange is a way to do a holiday gift exchange where you are with lots of people but are not close to them, a party with co-workers or a large group that just wants to do something at the holidays. But why waste your time? You know you are not going to give or get going anything but junk, used or otherwise, so why swap used junk? Again...what's the point!!

To host this style of Christmas gift exchange, I can see these reasons:
1. You don't know the people very well, so how can you choose an appropriate gift?
2. You only have to bring one gift - regardless of the number or participants
3. Your income is low so you need to get something you can afford
4. Something that would be a likeable gift at a low,affordable price is hard to find
5. It has to be generic - often men and women are in the mix

So what do you do? Here are some suggestions to making a White Elephant Gift Exchange, affordable, enjoyable and happily participated in by all. Don't forget to read #5....

1. Set a price limit. Some have more money than others so to accomodate all, set the gift price limit. $25 is a good place to start. You can get some nice things for that or less now that the sales have all started. If that is to high, drop to $15 - still, there are things out there that are nice. And since the limit is set for ALL, no one is offended if they get a less expensive gift that someone else, or embarressed if they couldn't afford to spend what others did.

2. Give the gift exchange a theme. For instance, everyone has to bring a food item. Hickory Farms, See's Candies, meat/cheese platters, bakery cookies - anything edible. How about one of those sets that have 2 coffee mugs, couple packs of flavored coffees and flavored creamors! I see those for $9.99 all the time. If it is an office party exchange, make the theme office supply related. Drop in to the local office supply store and grab some nice things anyone could use at their desk - home or office!

3. Gift Cards to an eatery......WAIT....don't turn your nose, let me elaborate! The card MUST be for a unique place that is not common or that everyone goes to. This would be great if the gift limit is $10 - most any resturant you go to, offers an entree for under $10. But don't just do resturants! Find those little out of the way themed places, speciality coffee shops, unique juice bars, ice cream parlors or the new place in town.

4. Since most have a sweet tooth or a junk food craving - get a gift card to a place like Sweet Factory - $10 worth of candy! Wow, what a gift that would be!! $10 to the local soft pretzel shop or how about these new yogurt or ice cream shops - all the new selections they have now - what a fun treat to choose that new speciality flavor! And $10 means you could probably treat yourself at least twice!

5. If you really don't want cash involved, do a Gift of Labor exchange! Everyone does something. Whether is it babysitting, hobby, craft, cooking, baking, cleaning, yard work - everyone does something. Each person makes up a little "certificate" card saying "Good for 2 hours of ______________", place it in a pretty colorful envelope and hang it on the tree. Instead of choosing a gift under the tree, you choose an envelope haning from the tree. If you babysit, 2 hours of free babysitting time to any mother would be greatly appreciated! Do you wrap presents well? Since this is before Christmas the certificate could be for 2 hours of gift wrapping at their home! Do you do lawn/garden work? I don't figure there is anyone out there that wouldn't like 2 hours of free lawn work to be done. And do you bake? No? Then that certificate for a 2 dozen of "your choice" homemade cookies would be the one you'd want to grab for! And who cleans house? We all do, we all hate it and the best gift of all would be that certificate for 2 free hours of house cleaning (within reason of course!). This "Gift of Labor" would probably be the best exchange out there! Something that is needed or wanted on reciepients end, and something that costs NOTHING on the givers end. Talk about a happy Christmas holiday for all!

So the White Elephant Gift Exchange can be a good way to have a Christmas gift exchange that is affordable, fun, enjoyed, participated by all, a no cash reqiured option and most certainly NO JUNK ALLOWED!!!!

A White Elephant Gift Exchange Basic Rules:
Everyone brings one wrapped gift. The gift is something from their home (we hope). Something that is used, that they don't want anymore, that is ridiculous...generally speaking an item of junk you have laying around your house. Half used bottle of perfume, a couple of mix-matched mugs, something that doesn't work anymore. It can get as useless as you want it to be or as agreed on by all.

A person starts and chooses a gift from under the tree, opens it and shows it off. Person #2 has the option of choosing a gift from under the tree OR Person #1's gift. If they choose from under the tree, that is their gift of the moment. If they choose person #1's gift, person #1 gets to choose another wrapped gift from under the tree. Person #3 has that same option - choose from an already opened gift or a wrapped gift under the tree. Anytime a revealed gift is choosen, that person gets to choose a gift from under the tree. The game goes on until everyone has a gift. There are ways to elaborate on this system or add/change the rules but this is the general idea.