White Elephant

So they say one's trash is another's treasure, and every year, people have White Elephant parties just to try and prove it's true. Usually we discover that one's trash is another's... white elephant gift for next year's party by the same name.

The 20- & 30-somethings group at my church hosts one of these exchanges every year in January as a post-holiday party, and this was my first year attending. Apparently there are some gifts that have been around year after year, and some people who notorious for bringing doozies. Those are the people who sneak in the room with their wrapped gift inside a paper grocery bag, and quietly slip it on to the pile when no one's looking.

So the exchange begins and I have number 16 in the open/grab/steal game. By the time my turn came up, tension was beginning to build as no one's gift had been stolen yet. But I had my eye on something under the basic premise that I'd rather take home something known rather than opening a gift from the unknown pile.

So here's what I ended up with:

Yes, that's right, a lamp shaped like a purse. Cheesy. Silly. And I love it. It happens to coordinate with the vintage fashion and shoes theme in my bathroom, so I figured, why not? It actually works, after all. So I brought it home and I'll enjoy it for a while.

When I get sick of it, however, you might want to avoid opening any white elephant gifts I bring to a party. Hehee.