The White Elephant in the Room

It seems only fitting living in a city that prides itself for its circus heritage that Larry and I would partake in a white elephant gift exchange last evening.  We joined colleagues from my workplace for a potluck appetizer dinner, followed by the gift exchange.  More of a burden than a boon, white elephant gifts are sometimes extravagant, often silly, perhaps even strange and barely useful things that most people would not put on their gotta-have gift list.  Larry and I selected our contributions to the game at our favorite thrift store, with one gift being a bristly little bunny figure with a metal rod growing out of its head to hold a place card or recipe or reminder note and a small, narrow ceramic vase decorated with a thermometer and the phrase, "When you're hot, your hot." It was fun to watch as the recipients accepted their gifts, with one person trading for another, so-called better gift. With these gifts, it wasn't so much the thought that counted, but the laughs that were generated.  In the end, there was nothing to be gained with our white elephant gift exchange except for some unwanted items, but we were certainly entertained.