International Nesties
dulcemariamar1
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Stolen from P&CE: The politics of Goody Bags
SInce we have been talking about consumerism and ecological consciousness in the other post, I thought you would find this interesting. Do you remember getting goody bags as a kid? Now they are like the gift bags, they give out at the Oscars.
Re: Stolen from P&CE: The politics of Goody Bags
I will admit that I'm excited about doing goody bags for birthday parties. I don't plan to spend too much or get junk, but I love coming up with ideas that stick within a theme. For W's 1 year birthday, we had a pirate theme. The goody bags were little treasure chests I printed a template I found online, filled with chocolate coins and fake tattoos. This was just for the 5 of us at the party.
I was an event planner once and gift bags were my favorite part of the planning. Actually, they weren't gift bags, just little take-aways.
OMG you're making me remember things I never think about anymore... When I was little, in Rome, we used to get a slice of the leftover birthday cake to take home. Or sometimes the extra panini or pizzette.
Here in NYC I've received goody bags from parties I attended ... oopsy :P Especially from my girlfriends. Some go through the effort of giving out personalized ones depending on the guest's hobbies or personality. I have to say that I like the tradition (the foreigner I am) and am always happy to receive the odd sticky notes pad, gel pens etc...
But I agree, if I had kids I wouldn't load their friends with junk on their way out. Maybe I would box them a piece of cake, like in the old days.
That's what I actually do - give out books. I do an age-appropriate book relating to the theme of the party. T's 1st birthday had a jungle animal theme, so I gave out cloth jungle animal books, 2nd birthday was a Thomas theme, so I gave out those little mini boxed board book sets of Thomas books, and 3rd birthday was a Cars theme so I gave out Cars themed "Step into Reading Level 1" books. I figure that most parents don't mind their child having books, and if they really don't want it or already have it, books can easily be donated or given to someone else.
Every kids party we have been to here has had some sort of take home - a goody bag, a t-shirt, a fancy balloon, a book.
I like the idea of giving books but isnt that kind of expensive? Here it is difficult to find books for under 5 euros.
I buy them online to try to get the best deals. I can't remember how much the cloth books were, but there were just a few children at that party. The Thomas books were probably the most expensive at ?3.99/set. Again, not that many kids at that party. Now that T is in school and everyone is inviting the whole class, we had 20 kids at his 3rd b-day. The Step into Reading books are thin paperbacks and I found them online for about ?2 each. I figured you probably can't do goody bags with little junks in them for much less than ?2/head b/c it's not like you can put just one little plastic thingy in each bag!
Also - we didn't wind up doing this b/c there wasn't someone else with a close birthday, but a number of children in T's school have had joint birthday parties. You're inviting pretty much the same kids anyway, so the parents are splitting the cost. I think it's a good idea.
I am thinking it is the same reason why everyone has to get a ribbon at any kind of competition: so that everyone feels special and no one will get their feelings hurt. This way they will be well prepared to deal with disappointment once they get older....not
In older grades it sprobably easier to invite just friends but in preschool I invited the whole class. His party happened during the school year and I'm sorry but I would feel bad if the kids that did come talked about it at school and someone else felt left out. That said, when Bruce made his list of who o invit everyone in his class was on it anyway. We invited a couple of his friends from class last year as well as a few neighbors on top of that.
As for the goody bags I put in a snack for the kids to eat on the way home and a sweet treat - so a mini bag of goldfish and a tube of mini m&m's as well as a pen, a glow stick bracelet, and a little coloring kit and I think something else small. I'm sorry if th either parents hated it but whatever. It is what it is. Bruce helped me pick out the stuff he thought his friends would like. I'm much less concerned about the parents thoughts on my goody bag than I am about my kid learning about how it is good to give and receive so I wanted him to participate in buying and filling the bags. He did and I did place some parameters on it (so one "healthy snack" not that goldfish are particularly healthy but whatever, and one fun snack), etc. it wasn't expensive and if they threw it all away that is their choice.
We did exactly that with William's fireman party last summer - they got a plastic hat (?1 each) and a few things of sweets and a box of raisins. I only invited a dozen though, and 9 showed up.
This year, we're in the politics of the school year and a big, big nursery class. I'm torn between invited loads and hoping lots don't come, or asking the teachers who he particularly plays with and inviting them.
we just did fun little goody bags for G's first b-day - but there was only 3 kids her age, and a few older siblings
I LOVE LOVE LOVE that book idea.... will remember it for this year