When it comes to office Christmas parties, there’s one unspoken rule: Expect the unexpected. For hairstylist Brie, that rule came true in the form of a gift that blurred the line between holiday fun and horror movie.
White elephant panic
In a now-viral TikTok, Brie recounts a memorable experience at her salon’s holiday party. Captioned “Guess what I got at a White Elephant,” clad with nerves that had her “sweating and knees feeling weird,” she hesitated to pick her gift when her turn finally arrived at lucky No. 13. Describing her mounting anxiety as gifts dwindled, she begged her boyfriend to step in for her.
His response? A firm “No, you’re doing this.”
Forced to face the inevitable, she approached the table and chose the most beautifully wrapped present. Little did she know, what waited inside wasn’t a festive blanket, scented candles, or anything remotely “girly and cute,” as she said she would have wanted. It was an Ouija board.
Yes, the alleged tool for summoning spirits and creeping out everyone at your next sleepover. Naturally, Brie wasn’t feeling it. “Everyone has their own beliefs, you know, and if there is any chance of opening any unwanted spiritual doors in my house, I don’t want any part of it,” she explained.
Now that’s how you handle an Ouija board
“I just left it there”, says Brie. The TikToker was so shaken by the gift that she left it at the table, fully expecting someone else to swoop in and steal it. No one did.
And so, it came home with her—or rather, to her car for one eerie overnight stay. “Not fun,” she adds, deadpan, as her baby coos in the background from Super Silly Fun Land in Los Angeles.
The Daily Dot reached out to Brie to ask her about this experience. She expressed that her boyfriend was spooked. “He’s pretty superstitious so he was trying to leave it at the event. He didn’t even want it in the car.”
I’m inclined to agree.
Target saves the day
The next day, Brie devised a plan worthy of a holiday heist. Knowing Target stocked the supernatural game, she brought it to their customer service desk and returned it—without a receipt. Much to her relief, they issued store credit. “Shout-out to them for still giving me credit,” she says with gratitude, officially concluding her chapter with the ghostly game board.
Brie tells the Daily Dot Target was “super helpful” and that she made the return with no pushback. “I told the Upland, CA location that I received [the Ouija board] in a game of white elephant and did not want to keep it,” she details.
Viewers chime in
The comments were predictably hilarious. One user said, coincidentally, “I just saw the guy that purchased a [sic] Ouija board from target a few days back for a white elephant lmaoooo.”
Another use shared their own unusual experience: “I got a live crab once.”
One user showed solidarity, stating they received a similar gift: “I own a handcrafted ouija board I bought from some Russian guy on Etsy 6 years ago.” Another comment poked fun at Brie’s luck: “Number 13 and you got the Ouija board.”
Still, others whispered a collective “nope” to ever participating in a white elephant again.
Keeping to tradition
Despite the literal jump-scare, Brie tells me she’s looking forward to doing it all over again next holiday season. “Of course!” she exclaims. “I love white elephant.”
For Brie, the experience proved that the true holiday spirit sometimes involves quick thinking and the ability to laugh at life’s little oddities. And maybe, just maybe, a steadfast avoidance of the number 13.
The Daily Dot has contacted Target via email during regular working hours for comment.
@bickenitbrie How was your christmas party? #whiteelephant #christmas #christmasparty #imonyourfyp ♬ original sound – Bickenitbrie
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