# Its been a while since we had a White Elephant Exchange - anyone keen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 31, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637 "2011-03-31T15:27:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/142 "2011-05-22T00:18:43Z")
Mine is still collecting stuff…will send out next week sometime ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/143 "2011-05-22T02:15:42Z")
> [@expectopatronum](#): > > got it today! > > i drank the water. > ok, i didn’t. That’s it? That’s what I get for the world’s greatest white elephant? Man I feel cheated. Come on tell the story! ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/144 "2011-05-22T02:33:24Z")
I really don’t see how you’re going to beat that Canon lens. But I’m willing to listen . . . 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/145 "2011-05-22T05:10:10Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > That’s it? That’s what I get for the world’s greatest white elephant? Man I feel cheated. Come on tell the story! I am not in on the elephant fun but have following along. And I agree with this, felt left in the lurch. Come on, expectopatronum. Use the energy you’ve been saving by not using the shift key and put it to good use. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/146 "2011-05-22T13:26:32Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I really don’t see how you’re going to beat that Canon lens. But I’m willing to listen . . . > > 😉 Oh trust me, this white elephant has been waiting for 35 years to be put to good use. I’ll give her a couple of more days then come back and tell it’s story. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/147 "2011-05-22T14:09:43Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I really don’t see how you’re going to beat that Canon lens. But I’m willing to listen . . . > > 😉 Hey! You got a rubber pig! What more could you want???😉 ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/148 "2011-05-22T17:15:25Z")
In all seriousness, the joy Celtling has gotten from that pig knows no bounds. They are the best of friends. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/149 "2011-05-22T22:42:01Z")
> [@Wallflower](#): > > Sent mine out Saturday morning, parcel post. The nice lady at the post office said it will likely be there around the 19th. I tried to post this earlier but it didn’t work. It actually arrived fairly quickly, and we had a great time opening it as a family. I gave the laptop bag to my stepdad, and we currently using the leftover containers and the hangers. The boys all loved the jellybeans. The flowers weren’t a match for our home decor, but lovely nonetheless. Frankly I’m too tired right now to remember everything that was in the box, but I know we loved it! ---
**Author:** ![Wallflower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Wallflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallflower)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/150 "2011-05-22T23:09:49Z")
> [@Avarie537](#): > > I tried to post this earlier but it didn’t work. It actually arrived fairly quickly, and we had a great time opening it as a family. I gave the laptop bag to my stepdad, and we currently using the leftover containers and the hangers. The boys all loved the jellybeans. The flowers weren’t a match for our home decor, but lovely nonetheless. Frankly I’m too tired right now to remember everything that was in the box, but I know we loved it! Great to see! My partner and I moved in together almost 2 years ago, and we’re still slowly unpacking and sorting out what to keep and which of the doubles need to go. We have a spot for items to go to Goodwill, and when I saw the exchange, I grabbed some of the better stuff and a few random things to fill the box. I’m still waiting for my box, but it’s early(ish) yet. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/151 "2011-05-24T00:13:38Z")
Well, my elephant is making its way from Indiana to Seattle, Washington. Have a safe trip, elephant, I hope you bring a smile or two when you arrive! ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/152 "2011-05-24T14:21:19Z")
OK Ed-Head an Expecto, one of you pony up; we’ve waited long enough! ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/153 "2011-05-24T17:10:07Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > OK Ed-Head an Expecto, one of you pony up; we’ve waited long enough! Ok, The year was 1976, or maybe 77 as I don’t know which one I sent. I was a little boy living in Frederick Maryland. The man that lived next to us, so I’m told, was rather strange though not totally crazy. Fast forward to 2005. My mother died in May. I as the oldest got the task of cleaning my mother’s home. My mother was pretty much a classic hoarder, she had everything, receipts from the 70s and 80s, that type of thing. When cleaning I found two jars of water just stuffed into a dresser. Each jar was labeled: Rainwater [date] 1976 & Rainwater [date] 1977. This was a total WTF moment. I mean really who would keep two mason jars of water that long? Could it really be rainwater too? I ended up asking my dad what they were thinking they might have been rainwater from California when we lived there. Nope, it turns out that the guy that lived next to us collected the water every time it rained. For some reason my mother took two of them and just put them away. I tried a number of times to get rid of them, including asking water researches if they wanted them. They all said the same thing, nope can’t use it. So they sat in my basement for six years. When I first found them they were about half full, once they got to my house they started to lose a bit of water. The seal was good when I found them, but when I went to ship them they both leaked. I ended up putting the water into an 8 ounce water bottle and shipping it out. I really want to know what she thought when she got it. I also wish it hadn’t started to leak, but she got the original mason jar, with writing, and the water. I now know what to do with the second jar, the white elephant that I do around the holidays. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/154 "2011-05-24T17:30:19Z")
My ele is stranded in a closet on the other side of a sea of dried sewage. The remediation has been going on for a week. They say it will be at least another week before we can return to the basement. Luckily, the closet where ele was sleeping was not effected. It’s just out of reach for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Snowcarpet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowcarpet/32/257_2.png) [@Snowcarpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowcarpet)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/155 "2011-05-25T13:59:55Z")
My oliphaunt says, through his friends at the post office, that he’s knocking on a door in Alberta! ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/156 "2011-05-25T14:30:53Z")
I am still elephantless. What the heck am I going to do with all these peanuts?! ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/157 "2011-05-25T16:17:00Z")
> [@Surly\_Chick](#): > > I am still elephantless. What the heck am I going to do with all these peanuts?! I’ll take them! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/158 "2011-05-25T16:18:19Z")
I unpacked my box this weekend. Love the trivets and there was a pretty bowl that replaced the plain one in my bathroom for the cats’ water. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/159 "2011-05-25T23:23:24Z")
My elephant should be arriving in Indiana today or tomorrow. Mailed it Monday. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/160 "2011-05-26T00:14:32Z")
> [@Snowcarpet](#): > > My oliphaunt says, through his friends at the post office, that he’s knocking on a door in Alberta! Is that for me??? _rubs hands together_ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637/161 "2011-05-26T02:32:18Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > I unpacked my box this weekend. Love the trivets and there was a pretty bowl that replaced the plain one in my bathroom for the cats’ water. i’m glad you enjoyed your elephant, and hope you found a place for everything. the trivets were a tough one. i know i’d not use them, i have a more whimsical bend; but i really liked the woman who gave them to my mum. i do have other things from her, so i was able to let them loose in the world to find a friendly home. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-while-since-we-had-a-white-elephant-exchange-anyone-keen/576637.md?page=9)