Beware the white elephant: business gifts can be tricky

Invited to a white elephant gift exchange over the holidays? Here’s a simple rule of thumb for surviving this tradition in a business setting:

If your 9-year-old would find the gift you select funny, it probably isn’t going to be appropriate in a gathering of colleagues.

The ritual of white elephant exchanges has a variety of incarnations. Typically, each guest brings a wrapped gift of a specified value. When the event begins, guests take turns selecting gifts and opening them. As the exchange continues, guests have the option of “stealing” an already opened gift or choosing a wrapped gift.

From there the rules…