White Elephants: what's the best thing you've received?

[geardaddy]

Me: A large summer sausage.

[Scuba]

1. Something of similar shape, but much smaller.

It burned slowly and evenly.

[geardaddy]

2. Nice!

Cuban?

[Scuba]

8. Um, yeah, that's it. Cuban.

[geardaddy]

9. Haha!

[Baitball Blogger]

3. How my values have changed since I have lived in the U.S.

When I lived in a Latin American country, we learned to accept every gift with grace. You never said no to someone who you knew was poor who gave you a gift, and you never criticized the gift, as "white elephant" as it might be.

Well, for a wedding gift, one of my mom's relatives gave me wooden book ends. The two sides of each bookend were connected by metal hinges. The hinges were rusted, so it was obviously regifted. Well, that was my favorite gift for the longest time, because I understood the cultural meaning that went into that gift. I kept it in my souvenir box for years and years. Then after a series of bad experiences and life-altering adaptions, I remember the last time I went through the box and pulled it out, and I saw it for what it was. Just a cheap gift that someone thoughtlessly put together at the last minute. So I pitched it.

[geardaddy]

4. White Elephant is a game we play. The gifts are meant to be odd.

Everyone brings something they don't want, but someone else might. Then you shake dice and people choose the gift that looks good to them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_elephant_gift_exchange

[Baitball Blogger]

5. I know what it is. I wrote about it earlier.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018247679#post3

I was off on a stream of consciousness.

[geardaddy]

6. Oh, ok.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. We have the same game, except it is at Christmas.

Mr. D and his brother have, for years, sent weird presents to each other, as a running joke.
Last year it was a book, called "ralph, the Farting dog"
when you turn each page.........

i do not share their humor, but they sure have a good time.

[geardaddy]

10. Yeah, we play it at the in-laws for Christmas

[siligut]

11. What you wrote is quite profound

The difference experience made in perception and even more so, emotion and sentiment.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

12. I HATE them. HATE them.

Refuse to participate in them.

One time I was at a class reunion and the hostess provided all the presents for a white elephant gift exchange. I got a cute metal rabbit sculpture and the next person in turn stole it from me and gave me a less desirable piece. Well, i started crying uncontrollably and was completely embarrassed and ran in the house. I think the hostess thought I was
crying "to get attention". That was the opposite of what I was thinking.

About three years later I figured out what set off my extreme disappointment. It was caused by a childhood trauma when my parents took books and toys away from me, without asking me if it was ok, and giving them to other children in order to curry favor with the parents. This happened three times. I would sit there and cry and feel helpless.

It brought back that feeling of utter helplessness in front of grownups.

[geardaddy]

13. Sorry to have triggered your trauma.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

17. thanks but it wasn't you, it was the parental units who started it.

Took away one of my Dr. Seuss books, and I only had two!!

Took it to a little girl whose father was a close friend of my dad's and she was about my age, fourth grade. Her daddy died. Guess the parental units could not have gone to a book store and bought a NEW book to comfort her. That would cost
money.

[geardaddy]

18. That's fucked up.

I'm sorry that happened to you.

[progressoid]

14. Pooping Santa candy dispenser.

Yep - he poops out little chocolate treats.

[geardaddy]

15. ...

[Arugula Latte]

16. Flyswatter clock