Gift card shower?
Djc12
19 years ago
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Comments (54)
mary_md7
19 years agogellchom
19 years agoRelated Discussions
shower gifts
Comments (13)I had a spouse's relative who essentially threw herself a baby shower, complete with what to get, how much it cost and where to get it all written out with the invitation. One was a big-ticket item out of our typical gift budget (and we are not stingy) and I called to see if one I found on sale with not quite the elaborate accessories would be suitable. Nope. When the other baby showers came along, and the subject of budgets came up I got firm...... we set the bar at the first one, and every one after that would get an equivalent gift so there'd be none who didn't enjoy the extravagence the first mom-to-be expected as a matter of course. That's the way it works in blended families, or should work, unless a recipeint is especially needy. That's been many moons ago and this person has matured a lot since then and I think that's part of it.........some children have been so priveledged by their parents, they find it difficult to transition over to a giving, as well as a receiving adult....See MoreMy Shower
Comments (6)"f you don't need gifts, then don't have a shower. Ah, but you aren't the one having a shower--your MOH is having it FOR you. "all the things"--by "things," do you mean: a shower, a bachelorette party, people asking you about your dress, etc.? Or do you mean pots and pans, specially chosen china, crystal, etc.? Since gift cards are your solution, since you don't need stuff, I'm betting that you mean you want to have some time when you're the center of attention, and your friends and family fuss excitedly over you. What a very understandable desire! I think all brides SHOULD have people fuss over them, and I'm tickled that you have a friend who wants to. That means you can enjoy it instead of wishing someone loved you enough to bother. However, i think I'm the person who said, gift cards aren't much fun at a shower. So.....register for gifts! Give your hostess & other friends some ideas! Or, let them pick a theme that will influence gifts (the way an "around the clock" shower does). Trust your friends and family to know that you have an established household. And enjoy the surprise that comes each time you open the present. (that's part of the fun of showers, and Christmas--the surprise. Sure, you'll get some "misses," but that's part of the fun, to me) Maybe it would be nice to choose a china pattern, and end up with really nice things that remind you of that time every time you serve a special dinner. Or maybe it would be nice to get fresh things, given with great love behind them. New sheets, in a new color scheme to mark a new time in your lovelife? So, just let your friends throw any kind of shower they want--let even the theme be their gift to you, and bask in their attention. And, stop trying to micromanage the guests at your shower or wedding. "If the host of the shower is called for ideas they can say you're all set and suggest a gift card" This seems even ruder, actually--if you're all set, then why is she throwing a shower for you? Why not a tea or luncheon? I think you should register for at least a few things, and you should give your considerate hostess a list of ideas she can pass on if asked--that your decorating style is modern or country or Victorian, what color your bedroom is and whether you have a queen-size bed, how big your dining-room table is, whether your towels are starting to wear out, or that you really want to concentrate on the garden next year and would love plants from the nursery, or power tools. what does it mean that it's an "out-of-state shower"--you'll have to travel TO the shower? There's a theme--a shoebox shower. Your hostess can point out that you'll have to travel back w/ the presents, and that it would be fun if each item they give you would fit inside a shoe box. Or that the total accumulation of them fits inside a shoebox, or something. They may think of gift cards on their own then, or maybe they'll buy you a neat gadget, or something....See MoreRE: gift card showers
Comments (9)Sorry, but I would find an invitation to a gift card shower to be just as tasteless as an invitation to a cash shower. It's virtually the same thing. I also think that it would be really boring, and even a little embarrassing, to sit and watch a bride "unwrap" a stack of gift cards. Kind of hard to ooh and ahh over that ... The only difference between the gifts would be the amount on the card. How very pleasant, and how satisfying to watch the expression on the bride's face when she opens my carefully selected ... gift card. I'm with Sweet Pea when she says, "And why would a bride be 'trucking through the store scanning items that in most cases she already has?' If she has it, and doesn't need it, then why add it to her registry?" I don't know what to make at all of the OP's comment, "As for a gift is from the heart, well....We all know why people have showers anyway. Why not save them a trip to the return line and just let them have fun with their new spouse on a shopping spree." Let me get this right: the reason people have showers is to get others to fill in their own shopping list? That is news to me. I thought it was for friends of the bride to buy her gifts for her new home, whether from the registry or not, and to have fun seeing her open the pretty packages and discover the thoughtful gifts chosen by the guests -- from the registry or not. A wedding is not an excuse for a "shopping spree" for the couple. Gifts are of course customary, but the idea is to outfit the couple's new home -- not to be the functional equivalent of winning a lottery or getting "fun dollars" from a mall. Cash gifts aren't meant to be spent all at once; they are for buying the things you need to set up a household, plus perhaps a few treats, and -- gasp -- saving the rest. I do, however, love the idea of a scrapbook party with each guest making a page for the bride. What a treasure she will have. I would also send pages to friends and relatives far away who cannot attend. I would just do that, and not direct the guests to buy gift cards, too. Something tells me that the original post isn't what it seems....See MoreDo You Like Getting Gift Cards?
Comments (39)Personally, I prefer cash. But some feel that's "impersonal". Gift cards are the modern version of the gift certificate or the trendy "check" (or "cheque" to my Canuck-lehead friends) being given as a gift. My gift shopping used to always include a stop at the liquor store for at least one person on the list. I knew that wasn't going to go to waste. A friend used to always give his grandmother a small ham for Christmas because she'd never buy it for herself. Some would be appalled, nay, even insulted if someone gave them grocery stoe food! It needs to be in little jars, in a box, flavors nobody likes, won't eat, and will be given away or thrown away! LOL I'm really bothered when someone says cash is a bad gift, impersonal or whatever. Doesn't anyone get tired of getting trinkets that someone else thinks is cute and you find abhorrent? But somehow that's a better gift than giving someone cash so they can put it toward their electric bill on a month they're a little short, or go to a movie, or put gas in the car to get to work, or put toward the heat bill or into a (heaven forbid) savings account or get the car repaired house reroofed or whatever else. What troubles me is there used to be a saying that it's the thought that counts. I buy someone a gift, it's thoughtful, right? They hate it so they return it or leave it on a shelf or whatever. But that's more thoughtful or personal than cash? I don't think so. If someone is considerate enough to give me cash and trust that I'll make a good decision on what to do with it, that, to me, is thoughtful. Our western society is so hung up on materialism. It's the gift not the thought. We have to spend more on that wedding gift than the Jones' spent or we'll look bad. Doesn't matter what the gift is. I could go on and on but won't. Consider that your Christmas present! :D This time of year often brings out the best, but also the worst in people. Lots of generosity at times, but also greed, selfishness, self-centered thoughts and after all, Christmas is about giving and receiving gifts right? There was a religious event that some people used to get into! :D I'll give you an example of why I don't like gift cards in place of cash. I had my oil changed last summer for about $17. I used a coupon and had it done. Hard for me to do that stuff anymore. :( I got an award from work - a $25 gift card of my choice. I don't shop at Macy's. I don't go on cruises. (I would have appreciated a gift card for the cruise though...) I don't have Staples in the state, much less nearby. There were 2 things I could see myself using. An oil change place or Amazon. I was going to go with Amazon but decided I'd need an oil change before leaving town for a trip so that could be OK. It'd pay for most of the oil change right? Not after it being a $65 oil change! LOL I got another card choice, same thing. I took a restaurant card but now wish I'd gone Amazon. Not sure when I'll get to the restaurant, but not totally sure what I want from Amazon either. Had a voicemail that I have another gift card coming from work. (I must really have them fooled, eh?) If they had options for Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, gasoline stations, or a prepaid credit card would be preferred. Keep in mind that the designation is important. They bank on people losing them or not using them. Extra profit, not unlike the post office selling stamps that don't get used. That's pure profit. And companies often get a discount so it appears to be more. But it could be worse. I remember when giving a turkey was often a Christmas bonus. Not everyone can use a 15# turkey. Some, a 15# isn't enough anyway. LOL How many people can't use cash?...See Moreashleyrourk_vpsb_k12_la_us
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