# White Elephant.



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

So, don't know about you, but my mom's side of the family always does a white elephant gift exchange at Christmas time. Yesterday, my mom and I went shopping for our gifts. We went to look around at TSC and I ran across this dish towel. The moment I saw it, I knew I just HAD to get it! Here it is:








Pretty awesome, right? I also got a boxed cake mix and tub of frosting to go along with (and maybe to make people "want" it more). Haha.









So does your family do White Elephant? If so, feel free to post your gift. Also feel free to steal my genius gift idea - lol!


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## K.B. (Mar 15, 2021)

Omg love the towel!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Cute!


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

I’ve never heard of white elephant. I’ve heard on secret Santa, but never white elephant


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I love that towel!! I might have to grab a few lol

My kids do secret Santa every year. When they were little the idea was to make a special gift for their person. As they got older and busier its mostly buying a special gift for their one person. With 8 kids and now 2 son in laws and a fiance in the picture it helps that they don't have to get all their siblings a gift. We pull names by June and they have several months to think of that one person to make it special.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

How neat.


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## DDFN (Jul 31, 2011)

Humm the white elephant events I have been around here are second hand goods. Maybe it's something different in East TN


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Goatastic43 said:


> I’ve never heard of white elephant. I’ve heard on secret Santa, but never white elephant





DDFN said:


> Humm the white elephant events I have been around here are second hand goods. Maybe it's something different in East TN


I suppose the rules do vary...this is pretty much how we play:








We do a $10 gift and a gift can only be stolen three times. Sometimes, the white elephant gifts are funny (like my towel), but they don't have to be.


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## DDFN (Jul 31, 2011)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> I suppose the rules do vary...this is pretty much how we play:
> View attachment 217404
> 
> We do a $10 gift and a gift can only be stolen three times. Sometimes, the white elephant gifts are funny (like my towel), but they don't have to be.


Oh that's,what we call naughty Santa game. Gift can be stolen twice then it's safe and out if play.


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Sounds like fun!!


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

We do what we call Secret Sister. It's me and my siblings' favorite part of Christmas. At Thanksgiving we all draw each other's name out of a hat and then secretly buy gifts for the sister we drew. I got my older sister this year and I have some great gifts already wrapped in my closet. I got her a Sherlock Holmes stitch marker charm bracelet, a macramé ornament kit, and a pickle flavored chapstick because she's a pickle fanatic 😋. We used to have a twenty-five dollar limit, but it's been unintentionally growing as we've gotten older and this year out of an abundance of generosity, I spent around fifty. Hey if it makes me happy to give it, I'm happy to spend it. Etsy is where I got all my gifts. It's the best when you are looking for really unique and personal gifts. We give and open our secret sister gifts on Christmas eve, which is really special since we don't have any other family over, so they are the only presents opened that night--well other than our new pajamas. We always get new pjs on Christmas eve.😙


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## Chanceosunshine (Nov 29, 2021)

The towel is adorable!

I organized a White Elephant exchange with my family (my mom and sister and all our kids and their kids) a few years ago. It was meant to keep everyone from exchanging gifts because I knew my newly married sons would have a hard time affording gifts for everyone. Half the people didn't listen and still bought for everyone. Now we do both a normal gift exchange AND a White Elephant. 

This year I got an emergency radio with wind-up or solar power that can charge your cell phone and has a flashlight for the White Elephant. I think my one nephew will try to snag it. Otherwise I thought it could be useful for just about anyone there.

@MellonFriend, pickle flavored chapstick!! That's pretty cool! I'm getting a chapstick for my 3yo grandson. He is my shadow and because I have chapstick by my bed he puts it on himself and then on me when we have sleep overs. He calls it "nibble paste". I wonder what he'd think if it was pickle flavored!

In my family, my husband, myself and our kids and grandkids, we start opening gifts on the 23rd. We call it "Stocking Day". Every person buys a small but thoughtful gift that's supposed to fit in a stocking. We don't "do" Santa, so we don't have to worry about the timing, since I think the story is that Santa fills stockings (right?). We celebrate Christmas Eve with my mom and sister's family and then on Christmas morning we open gifts with our kids and grandkids. Stocking Day began all because no one could wait. My family is terrible about waiting to give gifts.


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

DDFN said:


> Oh that's,what we call naughty Santa game. Gift can be stolen twice then it's safe and out if play.


Never knew it had other names!


MellonFriend said:


> We do what we call Secret Sister. It's me and my siblings' favorite part of Christmas. At Thanksgiving we all draw each other's name out of a hat and then secretly buy gifts for the sister we drew. I got my older sister this year and I have some great gifts already wrapped in my closet. I got her a Sherlock Holmes stitch marker charm bracelet, a macramé ornament kit, and a pickle flavored chapstick because she's a pickle fanatic 😋. We used to have a twenty-five dollar limit, but it's been unintentionally growing as we've gotten older and this year out of an abundance of generosity, I spent around fifty. Hey if it makes me happy to give it, I'm happy to spend it. Etsy is where I got all my gifts. It's the best when you are looking for really unique and personal gifts. We give and open our secret sister gifts on Christmas eve, which is really special since we don't have any other family over, so they are the only presents opened that night--well other than our new pajamas. We always get new pjs on Christmas eve.😙


Aww, I love it, what fun traditions!! 🥰 

@Chanceosunshine I also like the idea of stocking day - how fun!! 😊

Another tradition that I thought of....ever year, once the Christmas tree is set up, we go ornament shopping as a family and each get to pick out our own to hang on the tree. That tradition was passed down from my mom, her family did the same when she was growing up. 🎄


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Another tradition that I thought of....ever year, once the Christmas tree is set up, we go ornament shopping as a family and each get to pick out our own to hang on the tree. That tradition was passed down from my mom, her family did the same when she was growing up. 🎄


We do this as well. When my kids get married and move off they take their collection to help start their tree. And they do it for their kids. It's sweet to see what traditions the kids carry off with them. 

Also Chocolate gold coins in their stocking every year..


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## Chanceosunshine (Nov 29, 2021)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Another tradition that I thought of....ever year, once the Christmas tree is set up, we go ornament shopping as a family and each get to pick out our own to hang on the tree. That tradition was passed down from my mom, her family did the same when she was growing up. 🎄


We did that too. It was a lot of fun! The kids looked forward to it. Unfortunately our house burned down and took them all away. My daughter-in-law hunts for similar ones to ones my son explains to her to try to replace them for him. It's sweet.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

We have two trees in our house, one that is decorated with my mom's collection of ornaments, and another that has our "sculpey clay" ornaments on it. Every year around Christmas time, each of my siblings and my mom, if she has the inspiration, make an ornament out of polymer clay. The ornament has to be something from the bible or something of personal significance. We've been doing this ever since I was very little and at that time we just put them on a table-top tree, but now a days we have them on our main seven foot living room tree. I'm thinking about making a goat this year, but I don't know if I can pull it off. I hold myself to a pretty high standard. 😁


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

I have GOT to find that cake mix!!! Dil abhors the word moist. We use it around her as much as possible. .


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Sfgwife said:


> I have GOT to find that cake mix!!! Dil abhors the word moist. We use it around her as much as possible. .


I've heard about people hating that word! I just don't get it! 😆


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> We have two trees in our house, one that is decorated with my mom's collection of ornaments, and another that has our "sculpey clay" ornaments on it. Every year around Christmas time, each of my siblings and my mom, if she has the inspiration, make an ornament out of polymer clay. The ornament has to be something from the bible or something of personal significance. We've been doing this ever since I was very little and at that time we just put them on a table-top tree, but now a days we have them on our main seven foot living room tree. I'm thinking about making a goat this year, but I don't know if I can pull it off. I hold myself to a pretty high standard. 😁


That's so awesome!! I love that tradition. 🥰 You HAVE to make a little clay goatie this year. 😁 A few years ago, my whole family was in really into making little clay creations just for fun. I made a few chickens that I thought turned out not half bad, I'll have to get some pictures...


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Sfgwife said:


> I have GOT to find that cake mix!!! Dil abhors the word moist. We use it around her as much as possible. .


Well, we got it from our local Wallyworld if that helps you any. 😜😆


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Here's some of the things I made from clay several years ago, my mom is the one who made the insanely tiny cow and pig.


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Those are so cute! What a great job you did! That takes some patience!


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## DDFN (Jul 31, 2011)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Never knew it had other names!
> 
> Aww, I love it, what fun traditions!! 🥰
> 
> ...


Yeah it must be a location thing with names. We always have a white elephant store at the pancakes and sausage day event (local fundraiser) and it's second hand items people donate and made available to buy at discounted rates.


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## DDFN (Jul 31, 2011)

Well we had a family tradition where it wasn't about what you have but how you wrapped it. We would make all these interesting gift wrapped shapes the more elaborate the better. One year my dad made me a Trojan horse and inside was a stool my grandfather had made and some socks. Another was a robot with working light up eyes. Airplane with working propeller. Guitars, snow men and snow women. Etc I will try to take pics this weekend and show a few off. Not sure if I have any on the phone all pics had been hard copies.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Here's some of the things I made from clay several years ago, my mom is the one who made the insanely tiny cow and pig.


Those are amazing! Great job! I can't decide whether I should attempt a 3D or a flat goat. Flat would probably be easier, but I sorta want to try see what I can do with the third dimension... 🤔 If I'm going to do 3D I should probably do an armature to get myself set up right. Just doing some out loud thinking.


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

MellonFriend said:


> I've heard about people hating that word! I just don't get it! 😆


Us either but it drives her NUTS. LOL. So. We must tease her every chance we get.


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> Those are amazing! Great job! I can't decide whether I should attempt a 3D or a flat goat. Flat would probably be easier, but I sorta want to try see what I can do with the third dimension... 🤔 If I'm going to do 3D I should probably do an armature to get myself set up right. Just doing some out loud thinking.


Thanks!! If you do try to make a goat, please let us know how it goes! 😀


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

They are cute.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Thanks!! If you do try to make a goat, please let us know how it goes! 😀


I will! 😁


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

Oh my goodness! I am not a trinket kinda gal. But i could SO do these!


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Sfgwife said:


> Oh my goodness! I am not a trinket kinda gal. But i could SO do these!


Neither am I, but darn are those things addicting!! I some how managed to manage to escape my clay making rut though......I think my goaties took over. Haha. 😄


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

My daughter hates the word "moist" and "ointment"! Its fun to drive her crazy! (I don't see her often- so I can play the old lady card and pretend I forgot 
she hates those words!)


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)




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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

@Dandy Hill Farm I made my ornament for this year. 😊


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

It's a clay Bella!! 😍 I love it!! Great job!! I bet making a 3D goat is not very easy at all. She even has an awesome looking udder too! 🤩


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Yeah, it's basically Bella with a better udder. 😄 I could not have done it if I didn't know so much about conformation!

Thanks, Dandy!


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## DDFN (Jul 31, 2011)

MellonFriend said:


> @Dandy Hill Farm I made my ornament for this year. 😊
> View attachment 219034
> View attachment 219035
> View attachment 219036


I am not dandy hill but love this. Such a good job and your doe is even stacked up better than most stand for pictures ! You have some nice art skills!


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

What a cutie! How did you get her to stand so nice for pictures? 😆


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I wasn't sure if I should have made a thread for you guys to critic my conformation. 😄

"Yes, needs a bit more blending in the shoulder and I'd like to see a bit more width and escutcheon height." 😂


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

🤣


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> I wasn't sure if I should have made a thread for you guys to critic my conformation. 😄
> 
> "Yes, needs a bit more blending in the shoulder and I'd like to see a bit more width and escutcheon height." 😂


She could use some more width through the shoulders and a better rump angle😂


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