What’s your favorite part about White Elephant parties? I can’t tell you! Well, one time, someone got really cute pajamas. What is the funniest gift you’ve ever received or seen someone pick? Where are the best places to get white elephant gifts? It’s a lot of fun when it’s just ladies because then we can get super cute things for each other. Well, usually when I buy a gift, I like to get things that will be useful, and useful for anyone. I began by asking first and foremost how she prepared for white elephant parties and how she strategized her gift giving.
Schmidt, an avid white elephant celebrator. In order to get a real personal experience we got to talk to some great people in our San Clemente family and get the inside scoop on how they get quirky for Christmas!įirst, I had a chat with the beloved SC teacher Ms. Now that we’ve covered the significance of the term “White Elephant,” it is essential to get into the exciting part of White Elephant parties! I went to one this year, it was really fun too. I got a mini fake tattoo kit that time, I was so stoked. In the words of Shane Hardy, a Junior, “My first experience with these kinds of parties was great! I was really young about 5 years old when I had one with my family. This all eventually manifested into the tradition of White Elephant gift exchanges as adored as they are today. In the early 1900s, shop owners began having “White Elephant sales” and market places had White Elephant exchanges. White elephant gift exchanges are usually simply for a good laugh, as the gifts rarely have a real function, just like the white elephant: enjoyable but useless (to Europeans, at least). This makes more sense as to where the term was derived from. However, this is not where the quirky tradition of exchanging odd gifts got its name.Īs time progressed and Europeans began to inhabit Asia, the white elephant transformed into an aesthetic, with Europeans not understanding their value in Buddhist culture. They were expensive, rare and extravagant.
Eventually, white elephants were given as gifts to people of significance. This story carried a great significance in southeast Asian culture where the white elephant transcended into a representation of holy being. It is said that the night Buddha was born, his mother was given a white lotus by a white elephant. Christmas being one of the most renowned holidays is widely loved and celebrated in almost every way possible! Although Santa sitting in shopping malls may seem to be an odd tradition of this season, an even more peculiar practice has made its way into the beloved American Christmas– White Elephant parties! With a name such as white elephant, this tradition presents an array of bizarre and mysterious features.Īn introduction to the White Elephant is not complete without an introduction to Buddhist mythology.
Hysteria of Christmas cheer overwhelm every block with twinkling lights and the Christmas season has begun. Christmas decorations are stocked on every shelf, Mariah Carey streams from every radio and Santa comes out of his wintery home into the malls of America. Play Smart™ term is a service mark of the Illinois Lottery licensed to the NCEL.Every year on November 25th, after Thanksgiving festivities have subsided and the chaos of family gatherings have fizzled out, Christmas spirit springs into action.
Materials on this Website may not be modified in any way or reproduced or publicly displayed, performed or distributed or otherwise used for any public or commercial purpose without the express written consent of the NCEL. All materials on this Website are owned by or licensed to the NCEL. In the event of a discrepancy between the numbers posted on this website and the official winning numbers, the official winning numbers as certified by the Multi-State Lottery Association and/or the NCEL shall control. Where to Play Contact Videos Business Opportunities For Retailers Help Rules & Terms Privacy DisclaimerĮvery effort has been made to ensure that the winning numbers posted on this website are accurate however, no valid claim may be based on information contained herein.