Why bother doing anything in life if you can&#x27;t give yourself a challenge every now and then? White elephant exchanges aren&#x27;t exactly a win-lose type of game. You are only winning in your mind if you can nab the non-crappiest gift. Everyone gets a prize, some are nice, some are lame. But the whole point is to have fun and enjoy the experience of it.<p>In reality, it is a net gain. Everyone brings something and everyone comes home with something. There is no loss of gross dollar amount however you might come home with a crap gift when you brought a nice one. The net gain comes from the fun and enjoyment people have in playing these dumb games. Its not really a test of skill, its mostly luck. You can sometimes game the system like in the article but if you open up a real piece of crap, then you&#x27;re stuck with it. That part isn&#x27;t as fun but you should be able to laugh at your own misfortune.<p>My extended family does one of these games every year. Sometimes there are nice things in there like giftcards and booze, sometimes its one of the old knickknacks thats been passed around for years (like this gaudy ceramic high-heel shoe). If you get crap, you just regift it next year and laugh at the person that ends up with it next. Everyone does it and everyone should know what to expect. If you can&#x27;t contain your emotions for getting &quot;ragged on&quot; for ending up with the crap gift, then you really need to grow up.