The White Elephant

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I find it highly ironic that a custom that could only exist in the storage glutted United States takes its name from the East.

Sure, our goal is more to inconvenience someone than to ruin them, but where else would people exchange teeth impressions, hideous homemade stockings, and an entire crate of promotional items with the company's name emblazoned on each, nearly worthless item?

Everyone gets a good laugh that it wasn't them who got stuck with the slightly pornographic body oil. Someone else doesn't even bother begging for others to take their lovely gift of the flashing teeth and the grow-a-brain.

The toilet stopper-chopper wins the award for most disgusting, but instead of imagining an early trip to a dumpster, the recipient looks forward to the next exchange when she can pass it off on someone else.

And that's where it gets disturbing. Not only did all of this junk start off in someone's home, but there are plans to store it so that it can be passed on to someone else!

But I am so above that. I side-stepped the problem of storage... I reverse pick-pocketed my gift while I was still at the party.

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