White Elephant Week
“Rules are a way to say no.”
– Matt Dymmelism
Deep Squats (Thoughts)
We’re having a party on Saturday at 5pm. Bring your family, some food and some white elephant gifts. It’s going to be a blast. And even better when you’re here.
Today’s focus is the history of the White Elephant Gift Exchange as told by Wikipedia.
A white elephant gift exchange, Yankee swap or Dirty Santa is a party game where amusing and impractical gifts are exchanged during festivities. The goal of a white elephant gift exchange is to entertain party-goers rather than to gain a genuinely valuable or highly sought-after item. (AKA Have Fun.)
The term white elphant refers to an extravagant, impractical gift that cannot be easily disposed of. The phrase is said to come from a perspective about the historic practice of the King of Siam (now Thailand) giving rare albino elephants to courtiers who had displeased him, so that they might be ruined by the animals’ upkeep costs. However, there is no actual record of the King gifting a white elephant specifically to burden the recipients, and white elephants are considered to be highly valuable and sacred in Thai culture, so much that any white elephant that is found must immediately be brought to the King according to his legal ownership. While the first use of this term remains a matter of contention among historians, one theory suggests that Ezra Cornell brought the term into the popular lexicon through his frequent social gatherings as early as 1828.
Rules
Each participant supplies one wrapped gift. The gifts are placed in a central location, and participants determine in which order (often by numbers randomly drawn prior to the start of the game) they will take turns selecting a gift. The first person opens a wrapped gift, and the turn ends. On subsequent turns, each person has the choice to unwrap a new present or to steal another’s. When a person’s gift is stolen, that person can either choose another wrapped gift to open or can steal from another player. Each gift can only be stolen twice per game. The game is over when everyone has a present. At the end, the first player may, if desired, steal any gift – according to some rules, even a gift that is out of play. The first player plays twice.
Note sure what to get for a gift? Here are 25 suggestions! (LINK)
What’s Going On?
Holiday Potluck and White Elephant Exchange
Location: CrossFit Palo Alto
Saturday, December 13th, 5-8pm
Dress: Any Degree of Formal (partly, semi, etc.)
Holiday Class Schedule
12/24-25 CLOSED
12/31 CLOSED
1/1/2026 – MURPH at 9am Only
The Coolest Winter Teen Class
Who: Boys and Girls aged 12-17
Dates: September 30th – November 20th
When: Tuesdays/Thursdays at 4pm
*Email [email protected] to sign up*
Individualized Training
Gift of fitness holiday deal!
Nutrition Coaching
*Must sign up by December 7, 2025*
Don’t wait til the New Year to jump start you towards your goals!
4 weeks of nutrition coaching including an InBody scan, weekly check ins
with personalized macros and/or advice to help you reach your goals
and 4 core workouts programmed to take less than just 10 minutes of your time
$300 value now $200
Personal Training holiday pack~ SAVE up to $200!
*1 hour sessions*
2 sessions- $250 save $50
3 sessions- $345 save $105
4 sessions- $400 save $200
**Can be bought for yourself, friend, or family member. Sessions must be scheduled/used in the month of December**”
Contact her at [email protected]
Overheard in Class:
“Good reps make good rounds.”
Timfluencing
She signed up for Paris, France. She got Paris, Texas. In this feel-good Netflix romantic comedy, Miranda Cosgrove plays an aspiring artist who joins a dating show hoping for a free trip to Paris, France, but ends up just a few miles from her hometown in Paris, Texas.
Tim’s Takeaway: TOTALLY cheesy, predictable, etc. But, it’s the perfect movie to waste time with and not have to use much brain power. In summary, it’s like someone made this as their tryout for The Hallmark Channel.
Thank you for your support.
I look forward to what we will do together.
