The White Elephant

Have you ever heard of a ‘white elephant gift exchange’? It’s actually a game that people play at Christmas parties. Everyone takes something that they don’t want any more from their house, puts it in wrapping paper and then brings it to the party. All the gifts are put on a big table, and all the guests are given a number. When their number is called, the guests can choose any gift they want from the table, or they can choose someone else’s gift. It’s a fun game because some people bring good presents and some bring bad presents. Last year, I got an old coffee cup with a picture of a horse and the word ‘moo’ written on it. I left it in the tea room at my school the next day.
But where does the term ‘white elephant’ come from? It comes from Thailand in the early 1600s. If the king didn’t like someone who worked for him, he gave him a real elephant with white skin. White elephants were very important in the culture, and the gift was a great honour. It was also a big problem because white elephants are very big and eat a lot of food. It takes a lot of money and hard work to keep an elephant in your garden. The person had to be thankful because this was a formal gift from the king, but it was actually a very bad situation for them. Today, we use the term ‘white elephant’ to mean a gift that you don’t want.