Interest Haiku #8: White Elephants

[flwyd]

White Elephants -
Unwrap the present
Awesome unusual gift
D'oh. Someone sniped it.

[This haiku is out of order because i just realized I should add the interest.]

In general, I'm opposed to socially-mandated gift-giving. Growing up in my house, I've had the everpresent awareness that I have far too much stuff. If I need something, I figure out a way to acquire it when I need it. If I don't need it much, I don't want my friends and loved ones to spend money on it. I've long since ceased making Christmas Wish Lists and I hope that by my not wanting any gifts, my friends won't be insulted if I don't get them anything. (I do occasionally give someone a gift out of the blue (like in July or something) if I find something I think they would absolutely love.)

However, there is one gift exchange method I adore. White Elephants. The rules of White Elephant are simple:

1. Everyone brings a wrapped present. Ideally it should be something they have about their house. Something that's interesting and possibly useful, but which they don't really have a use for.
2. When the event starts, count the number (N) of participants. Put N little slips of paper with a number from 1 through N on them into a hat. Be sure to distinguish between 6 and 9.
3. Everyone puts their wrapped gift in the middle of the circle of participants, then draws a number from the hat.
4. Let i = 1
5. The person who selected the number i selects a present and unwraps it, showing everyone (usually with surprise and confusion) what it is. (A person cannot select a present they brought.)
6. Let i = i+1
7. The person with number i may elect to take an already-unwrapped present from someone else.
   • If they do so, the person who just lost a gift follows step 5, then let i = i+1. (Optionally, the person who just got sniped can snipe someone else.)
   • If they don't, go to step 5.
8. Everyone giggles about their presents and goes about their regularly scheduled party business.

I think White Elephants are fantastic for several reasons.

• Everyone brings one gift and everyone gets one gift, and there's a good chance they end up with a gift they want.
• Nobody feels left out (unless they didn't bring a gift).
• If you're poor, you can take part in a very fun gift-giving event without spending any money.
• If you have too much stuff, you get at most one small bundle of additional stuff.
• It's anti-consumer. People are encouraged (or required) not to spend any money, recycling instead. (Usually if you can spend money, it's capped at $5 or so.) You get rid of something you don't need any more and may get something absolutely fascinating or useful.
• Everyone gets to have fun while everyone opens gifts, since there are usually some that are absolutely hilarious or unexpected.

Comments

[slyviolet.livejournal.com]

Aaaaand you just made ME have to add it as an interest, so this haiku is also out of place for me! Bwahaha! I ganked your white elephant interest! Except in this case, white elephants are like love- the more you give away, the more you have... *Awwwuh*

In fact, I just taught my English conversation class how to play White Elephant because we had a Christmas party the other day. Everyone brought a present, and everyone got one to take home afterwards. It wasn't QUITE White Elephant, because the gifts were actually good and not bizarre as W.E.s are supposed to be, but it was fantastic to see them get into the mood. I want to write a post about that party and put up some pictures, only 2 steals took place, and both times it was my gift that got snatched. I was so proud! *g*

White Elephant
Anticipation...
Mysterious packages...
WTF is this?!

I think we need more haiku with chat abbreviations... Like...

ChatRoom
BBIAB
ROFLMAO
IIRC *G*

Another good middle line would be AYBABTU (an abbreviation for the 'all your base' line, that I think I just made up so maybe others wouldn't recognize it, but it made me laugh so whatever.)