OH, FOR GOODNESS SAKE!

Last Saturday in our mobile home park we had our annual Potluck Dinner and White Elephant Gift Exchange.  At the potlucks there is always plenty of food, and at the WEGE there are always plenty of laughs.

Now in case you don’t know what a White Elephant Gift Exchange is, let me explain.  Everyone who participates brings in a plain paper bag some object that has been lying around the house, and for which presumably the owner has no use.  Everyone sits around in a circle, and all the unmarked bagged gifts are in the center.  Sue, who organizes and runs this show, chooses someone to start. That individual picks any bag, opens it, and displays it so everyone knows what it is.  Now the first person, at that point, has no exchange opportunity, but more about that later.

Then going counter-clockwise around the circle, each person chooses a bag, opens it, shows it, and may exchange it for whatever has been previously opened if he/she wishes.  The one with the taken gift has no say in the matter.  Of course the taker may become the takee (is there such a word?) as the exchanges proceed.  Finally, everyone has taken/exchanged gifts, and we are back at the start.  Now there are opened gifts in front of everyone, and the one who started has the opportunity to exchange for any of the gifts, no questions asked.

Now that’s all very interesting, but what does that have to do with title of this posting?  Glad you asked.  An unusual happening took place.  Ron, who was right after me, chose his gift, sat back down, and as he started to open the bag, it slipped, and fell to the ground.  CLONK!  Everyone in the room groaned.  Ron reached in the bag and pulled out a very pretty cup and saucer, and the saucer was broken in two.  Sue asked him if he wanted to exchange, but he said, “No, it wouldn’t be fair.”  So the exchange continued.  A few minutes later, Meghan came along and exchanged her gift for Ron’s broken saucer and cup.  “You don’t have to do that,” he said.  What he received in exchange was a set of what appeared to be brand new dish towels, which he said he could use.  Goodness #1.  And the exchange continued.  A short while later, Suzanne, in keeping with the rules, exchanged her gift for the dish towels.  Then she came back and gave back to Ron about half the towels.  Goodness #2.


Cartoonish humor --