Orange County Register

I have always been a fan of the white elephant gift exchange, especially when it is played Yankee Swap Style.

Surprisingly many people don’t understand that white elephant gifts are typically inexpensive, humorous items or used items from home and sometimes, they are just plain trash; the term white elephant refers to a gift whose maintenance cost exceeds its usefulness.

Legend has it that the term derives from the sacred white elephants kept by Southeast Asian monarchs. To own a white elephant was regarded as a sign that the monarch was ruling with justice and the kingdom was blessed with peace and prosperity. Because the animals were considered sacred and laws protected them from labor, receiving a gift of a white elephant from a monarch was both a blessing and a curse: a blessing because the animal was sacred and a sign of the monarch’s favor, and a curse because the animal had to be kept and could not be put to practical use to offset the cost of maintaining it.

White elephant gift exchanges are a great and affordable gift substitute for any holiday gathering. This year my in-laws have decided to have an optional white elephant gift exchange for the adults, and I really hope that enough of us opt in to make it a fun exchange.

Here are some of my white elephant gift Ideas. Feel free to steal them, and don’t forget to vote for which gag gift I should give on Christmas Eve:

Penny Pinching: I saw this great Idea from Martha Stewart.com, where they turned rolls of quarters into candies for children’s stocking stuffers. To bring it down to budget and make it more annoying for the recipient, I plan to use rolls of pennies and include a funny note about how cheap we all are this Christmas. I’ll tie them up in a really tacky bowl with cellophane.

It’s a gamble: I saw some cute $1 holiday scratchers at my Ralph’s. I would buy a few scratchers and include a penny to scratch them off. I’d put them in a Ziploc bag and make a fake tag that says Millionaire Kit with an asterisk and loads of crazy fine print on the back including the stipulation that if  the recipient wins big, I get half.

Birth control: This is my husband’s not-rated-PG idea. He wanted to give a pack of condoms because this is the first year we aren’t having Christmas Eve at his Grandma’s. The family just keeps growing and it’s a really tight fit at her house. The note with the gift would go something like this: “Here’s to a less productive new year!”

Kedzie Calendar: I found some cute photo calendars in the dollar section at Target and I printed 12 hilarious photos of my spoiled Beagle Shepard mix.  I’m planing to give on of these to each of my roommates for Christmas from the dog as a joke. But I have an extra and (insert sarcasm) I’m sure a taped together calendar featuring my dog is the gift that’s on the top of everyone’s list.

Some other simpler Ideas are:

• A homemade Oprah Holiday CD
• An old text book I spent $100 on, but can’t resell
• A Fruitcake

More Deals:

• Today’s top deals
• Christmas decorations: discounts, deals, ways to make the most
• This week’s free or nearly free family fun
• Free Chanukah events and kit
• Gift card bonuses
• Rosemary: A great fragrant and festive holiday deal
• Semi-homemade affordable gifts

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