Wednesday, December 13, 2006

White Elephant Gifts

What was the best white elephant gift you ever saw or gave?

Unsure of what a white elephant gift is...

A white elephant is a supposedly valuable possession whose upkeep costs exceed its usefulness, and it is therefore a liability. The term derives from the white elephant of East Asia, which is high-maintenance and has no practical use, but is considered sacred in Burmese culture (and therefore cannot be neglected or abandoned). A common elephant is expensive enough to maintain, considering the amount of food and water it requires. Thus it is considered a good idea to gift a white elephant to an enemy in the hope of bringing them to financial ruin.

1 comment:

  1. half empty can of slim fast or GNC bulk up stuff, old gaudy christmas/easter/halloween items, kid's craft projects...
    at one of my employers, we had a few traveling gifts that somehow showed up every year - a pair of orange corduroy pants, some type of puppet, a kleenex box cover

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