Employee faces backlash after stealing White Elephant gift from a 10-year-old kid at work holiday party: 'She shouldn't really have been at the party in the first place'

Author image for Isabella Penn
Isabella Penn
Dec 21, 2024 5:00 PM EST

Work holiday parties are a delicate concoction of forced holiday cheer and awkward social experiments. Case in point: the infamous White Elephant gift exchange. For those who've never played, it's a game where everyone brings a wrapped present, and the fun begins as gifts are opened, stolen, and swapped in a battle for glory—or, at least, the coolest gift under $20. 

Sure, seeing who ends up with what is fun (bonus points if you get to steal from the office food thief), but let's not sugarcoat it. Actually buying your gift to contribute is brutal. You're left agonizing over whether your limited budget should go toward something clever, something useful, or something just plain ridiculous. But will your coworkers think your gift is funny or just straight-up lame? Maybe we should just take a sick day instead.

This office's gift exchange was gearing up to be a competitive one when a surprise guest—a 10-year-old kid—decided to join the game. Things got a little awkward with the employee's kid involved when the Original Poster (OP) walked away after stealing her coveted dragon gift. Cue a split office and a moral dilemma. But the OP was technically just following the rules. Were they in the wrong? 

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  • 01
    AITA for stealing a present from a child?
    via u/lauradecker1
  • 02
    Last week was my office holiday party with a White Elephant gift exchange. The party invite was for employees and their significant others, so children were not specifically discouraged but through conversations in the office it was clear that people were not bringing kids. One of
    via u/lauradecker1
  • 03
    my coworkers ended up bringing his 10-year old daughter to the party. She is a regular around the office and he often brings her to work events, but at this party she was the only child. White Elephant is a game where everyone brings a wrapped gift
    via u/lauradecker1
  • 04
    and the first person chooses a present. The next person can either choose a new gift to open or steal a present that someone else has opened. If your gift is stolen you can choose a new present or steal.
    via u/lauradecker1
  • 05
    During the gift exchange, which was light hearted and had a mix of real/silly gifts, someone opened a small hand carved and painted wooden dragon. My husband has played DND his whole life, loves dragons, and this was right up his alley. We
    via u/lauradecker1
  • 06
    had both already taken our turns, but agreed that if either of our gifts were stolen we would go straight for that. Along comes the kid's turn. There were other kid friendly gifts available, but she decided to steal the dragon. Several
    via u/lauradecker1
  • 07
    rounds went by and we debated whether it would be alright to steal the dragon if the opportunity came up. It would be fine according to the rules of the game, but since the kid had it would that make it wrong? We ended up undecided, but leaning
    via u/lauradecker1
  • 08
    toward that it was all a game especially since the kid had stolen the item from someone else. Eventually my husband's gift was stolen so he had the chance to pick a new gift or steal. He made
    via u/lauradecker1
  • 09
    a joke about being the Grinch, and chose the dragon. The kid seemed disappointed, but picked another gift and the game went on. She ended up with a remote control Harry Potter wand that was actually pretty cool.
    via u/lauradecker1
  • 10
    After the exchange was over, she asked my husband if he would trade items. He said kindly but firmly that he was happy with his item and wanted to keep it. Later, I went to the bathroom and found her crying. I told my
    via u/lauradecker1
  • 11
    husband and we went to her father offering to give her the dragon since we didn't realize she was so upset. He said that it was a good lesson for her and she had actually talked enthusiastically about stealing gifts from people before the whole thing started.
    via u/lauradecker1
  • 12
    My husband has the dragon and is happy with it, but it is now a little tainted by guilt. The office seems to be split on the issue. Many people said that he should never have even considered stealing the item from her because she's a kid and might
    via u/lauradecker1
  • 13
    not have fully understood the game. We don't have children so may be out of touch on this issue, but the more I think about it the more I feel like she shouldn't really have been at the party in the first place, and her father shouldn't have allowed her
    via u/lauradecker1
  • 14
    to participate in the game if she couldn't understand the possibility of an item getting stolen. So I genuinely want to know, are we the _?
    via u/lauradecker1
  • 15
    19x42 1d ago • Dad of the kid is a good parent for not taking the gift and using it as teaching lesson that you don't always get what you want in life... and also that people can be , lol. ☆ 9K ♡ ○ Reply
    via u/19x42
  • 16
    Own_Basil_3010 • 1d ago Part ipant [2] NTA. Mom here. 10 is plenty old to understand the rules. I'm sure that there were other adults who chose not to steal from her because she was a child. However, that doesn't teach her anything. Her father was spot on! She was old
    via u/Own_Basil_3010
  • 17
    enough to understand the rules and to participate- although I agree she should not have been there, let alone played. Age where kids get excited about the thought of playing a game like that and the only way they learn is by experiencing it themselves.
    via u/Own_Basil_3010
  • 18
    This was an excellent learning moment for her! It's okay for a child to be disappointed. If they want to play a game with grown ups, they have to abide by the rules and learn how to be a good sport. You guys did absolutely nothing wrong! And serious brownie points for the dad!
    via u/Own_Basil_3010
  • 19
    SufficientBasis5296 • 1d ago A hole Aficionado [10] NTA On the contrary, you would now destroy the life lesson this Dad has imparted to the kid. No need to feel guilty. Those who advocate to not follow the rules of the game "because she's a kid" should take a minute to reflect on what they are actually saying.
    via u/SufficientBasis5296
  • 20
    womanandthesea • 1d ago That kid stopped thinking about the dragon awhile ago. I wouldn't overthink it.
    via u/womanandthesea
  • 21
    Rhades ⚫ 1d ago Colo-rectal Surgeon [36] Listen to dad. He said she was excited by the prospect of stealing gifts from other people, and she did so. He doesn't think you should give it back and that she should learn this lesson, he knows his kid better than you do. Trust him, NAH.
    via u/Rhades
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    Cheezburger Image 10444610048
    via Unsplash (Getty Images)

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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white elephant christmas presents employee job kids work coworkers Secret Santa gift Office Holiday party company holidays
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