by Sara Rosett
About fifteen years ago I was
invited to my first white elephant gift exchange party. The first rule was that
we had to bring something from home—we couldn’t spend any money. The second
rule was that our gift had to be awful as possible. I can’t remember now what I
took, but I do remember that what one
person thought of as “trash,” another person saw as a “treasure.”
The
party was a blast. We had so much fun competing over gifts that at first glance
wouldn’t seem that valuable. For instance, one woman brought a broken sewing
machine. Another woman fought to get it because she wanted a sewing machine and
knew her dad could fix anything.
I
“won” this kitchen utensil. Can you guess what it is?
I
couldn’t either.
Turns
out, it’s a tomato slicer, a quintessential white elephant gift.
I
wasn’t writing books at the time, but knew I wanted to attempt to write a mystery
someday, so lots of my everyday experiences went in my mental “that’s
interesting” file. The white elephant gift exchange party went in that file.
Fast
forward thirteen years or so. I had written six Ellie Avery mystery series by
then and was planning to write a Christmas book. I had several ideas, but the one
that I was most excited to use was the white elephant gift exchange idea.
Several of the gifts that I use in MISTLETOE, MERRIMENT, AND MURDER came from
that first white elephant party.
The
white elephant gift exchange provided all sorts of interesting plot possibilities
as well. What if one of the gifts was a
hidden treasure? What if one of the gifts was used as a murder weapon? What if
several of the gifts were red herrings? That one party provided a great jumping
off point for brainstorming.
I’m
a huge fan of white elephant parties now. In fact, it’s about time to start
thinking about what would make a great white elephant gift this year. It might
be time to regift that tomato slicer…
~Sara
P.S. Check this website for White Elephant party tips or ideas.
~Sara
P.S. Check this website for White Elephant party tips or ideas.
Sara writes mystery (Ellie Avery series) and intrigue (On the Run series). As a military spouse Sara has moved around the country (frequently!) and traveled internationally, which inspired her latest travel thrillers. Publishers Weekly called Sara’s books, "satisfying," "well-executed," and "sparkling."
Sara loves all things bookish, considers dark chocolate a daily requirement, and is on a quest for the best bruschetta. Connect with Sara at www.SaraRosett.comor sign up for her newsletter list here. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.
Love the idea of a white elephant party. And I love that it inspired you in your work!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brenda! Everything seems to go into the "Inspiration" folder. :)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like such a fun book!!!! Some of my family members do white elephant exchanges as well; once I ended up with a rubber duckie-themed toilet brush.
ReplyDeleteMy coworkers and I used to do the WE exchange, but now we do a wine exchange, and everybody's happy!
Sounds fun, Jess! Another gift that most people like is the large tin of popcorn...or chocolate. Can't go wrong with those!
ReplyDeleteA tomato slicer? I thought it was a golf club!
ReplyDeleteIt could be used as a sand wedge...for putt-putt golf.
ReplyDeleteSara,
ReplyDeleteYour great story and fun gift exchange memories help to make our holidays merry!
We wish everyone a happy holidays, a fun white elephant gift experience and successful new year.
Sarah and Bruce Christensen - White Elephant Fans
I love White Elephant parties. The book sounds like so much fun.
ReplyDeleteI had an interesting experience my first time in one of the venue New York office had booked. I couldn’t decide what to take so I took a hanger and it turned out everyone else had managed to bring in something better. I just pretended it wasn’t mine. It was pretty funny at the time.
ReplyDelete