How things have changed!

[NW-Bound]

At my daughter's wedding, the newlyweds spent time to have a photograph taken individually with all the guests during the reception prior to the dinner. My son and her cousins had the job of going through the guest list to make sure nobody was omitted, and to invite them to the photo shoot.

When they later sent out thank-you notes to the guests, they included a print of the photos. A friend of my wife emailed us to say that she was surprised, and that it was so "classy". We thought that it was just a reasonable thing to do.

 

[calmloki]

Do real diapers still exist?

Mom claimed mine were holey diapers. They had homesteaded up in Alaska; the cabin wasn't completed, so home was a board walled tent. Which burned, along with a bunch of Dad's guns and ammunition and various explosives and detonators used to blast out frozen clay for the homesite. I hadn't made an appearance yet and Mom had all the fresh new diapers washed and freeze drying in the trees and bushes around the tent. There was a certain amount of shrapnel which gave ventilation to the diapers and Mom a jaunty scar in her eyebrow. I've led such a boring life in comparison!

 

[gayl]

Okay my fellow retirees and wannabe retires!

You are all invited to the official cyber opening of my latest Red Blend from 2016. Bottled today at 2:00pm, it will not be ready for consumption until September 15, 2018, to allow any bottle shock symptoms to subside. Born in spring of 2016, these grapes of Zinfandel, Petit Syrah, Cabernet, Merlot and a touch of Mouvedre, were harvested in CA, crushed and cold soaked on the skins for 3 days. After brought up to 65 degrees, they were promptly inoculated with 3 different yeasts ( in 3 different containers) and had a healthy fermentation. After 8 weeks, they were racked off the lees, and again 4 months later. They were then placed in an American oak barrel and aged until today.

Celebrate this joyful event by sending $5, $10, or $50 to the Wounded Warrior Project, or to a charity of your choice, to celebrate this splendid event! Thank you, ever so much. Since I don't sell my wine to the public, please do not expect a quid pro quo, or any liquid from this pro.

Wounded Warriors $50

 

[jollystomper]

I do not have a problem with gift registries. I look at them as "suggestions if you are not sure what to get", instead of a requirement.

Generally speaking, for baby showers and weddings, I prefer to give a check. DW prefers gifts. Maybe that is because she is more of a people person than I am and more in tune with peoples needs.

The most common gift we got for our wedding was wine glasses. I think we probably got a dozen sets. Funny since we are infrequent drinkers. We might still have one or two sets that we have yet to open 35 years later.

I agree with those who find the "we are not going to have a social event but please send cash" requests tacky. The primary purpose of these things, in my view, is not the gift, but the opportunity to get together with friends and relatives, and to meet new friends and relatives, that one might not otherwise have a chance to see. Perhaps one difference is that these get togethers used to be a way for single people to meet other single people to form friendships and more. Now in the age of online dating/hookups/swipe left-right-whatever, these are not seen as that type of venue anymore.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I’ve never received an invitation like this so I don’t know what I would do. Someone actually organized a surprise “mail shower” for me in 1972 among our closest friends who were all over the country after college, where people mail gifts and there is no event. My friend was a military spouse (and my future dh was in the Army then, a few hundred miles away from me) and I think maybe it was a thing back then? It was a spectacular failure . I didn’t have any other wedding showers.

I guess I’d investigate why a virtual shower was being planned and proceed accordingly. But I think this virtual baby or virtual spouse concept could be a great thing!

 

[EastWest Gal]

When I was pregnant, I was in a large private practice. The nurses threw a surprise baby shower in for me in one of the meeting rooms. My partners bought a car seat. There were a few unisex clothing items from the staff. It wasn’t the gifts, it was the gathering. All in all, it was a break from the hectic work schedule and a chance to chat.

One of my colleagues (Indian) had a baby shower at a local Indian restaurant a few years ago. The favorite game was a guessing game. There were fuzzy pictures from ultrasounds and we had to guess what we were looking at. Only a bunch of neonatologists and neonatal nurses could come up with that one! Obviously the food was a highlight of the party.

The point is, it should be about the celebration, not the gifts.

A virtual shower is nothing but a greedy money grab. It does not engender feelings of love, connectivity, and celebration. Quite the opposite.

 

[JoeWras]

The point is, it should be about the celebration, not the gifts.

A virtual shower is nothing but a greedy money grab. It does not engender feelings of love, connectivity, and celebration. Quite the opposite.

Amen! +1, etc!

 

[Winemaker]

Wounded Warriors $50

A public thank you!

 

[AS2019]

I’d be a little put off by it, personally. Although I like the idea of registries so you can get them what they need/want, I’m somewhat irritated by some of the invitations I get. For example, my friend’s baby shower for her 5th child. She just wanted newer stuff than she already had. My friends’ house warming registry, when both of them were in their 40s and each had a full household of possessions before moving in together. They just wanted newer stuff. Same for the wedding registry for two people who were almost 50. They each had an entire house full of stuff, but wanted nicer stuff. So it irks me. I think a shower should be for young people who don’t have much and NEED things. Later in life, I don’t think it’s appropriate to expect or request gifts.

Generally speaking, if someone asks me for a gift or implies that a gift would be appreciated, I don’t get them one. If they simply invite me to their wedding or baby shower, then I get them a small gift, off of the registry if they have one.

 

[RobbieB]

I like this, this is cool.

"I'm pregnant, send money now"