Moving Elephant

 My focus of the Christmas Celebration was the White Elephant Gift Exchange. Yes, I facilitated the room and got permissions but had other people doing the actual work. The Dukes, Derrs, Olsen's and others really put in a lot of effort for this celebration to come together.

I thought it would be cool to have an actual white elephant at the party. I asked Wisdom if he could carve me out an elephant from white wood. I told him it was a joke gift and didn't need to be elaborate or fancy. "Just the suggestion of an elephant," I said. He asked what size and I told him whatever size he wanted.

He's an artist. He can't have something roughly made.

Detailed with ebony tusks

The ridges on his nose. He is bigger than the elephants I am giving family

Even his tail is detailed. All sanded smooth

I could hardly put it down and stop touching it. I had to tap down every bit of greed that came running to the front to put it in the gift bag to bring. I knew it was going to be a big hit.

He was the fourth gift opened and ended up being picked up by at least eight people as I had made no concessions for how many times a gift could be traded, just a 20 second limit on the time to choose one. The M&M bottle was traded many times, the hip size shopping bag was traded many times, the Red box of candy was traded many times, homemade popcorn was a big hit and some of the other items were re-gifted several times. The last gift of the night was the white elephant. Since there was more trading afterwards, I really don't know who ended up with him. 

Second gift, but they didn't keep them long

Some couple were constantly getting up and down. Notice the hats on the Angles which started out on the Eastmonds. He ended up with a case of shoe shine kits (probably from the street which really made a hawker happy). 

It was instructive to watch those whose feelings were concerned for others and those who were fiercely competitive. Games are interesting. What a fun night!