to put no gifts on a Christening invite?

[LittlePudding1]

Reason is dd2 had so many lovely and generous gifts when born we dont want people to think, "oh no not another present for dd2", we just want guests to come and enjoy the day with us all.

Mil is vey gift oriented and thinks we are being selfish.

dd2 will be given a lovely childrens bible and candle from the church and we will give a bracelet as a keepsake, dont think anything else is really needed to be honest.

god no. i did this both times and reduced the amount of pointless tat lovely presents we got. people who were really into presents ignored us and got her something anyway, but was much less than otherwise.

Hi. We did the same for DS. The only thing we asked for was for his godparents to write something for him for when he's older, either some advice or wise words or something like that. We had some really lovely letters and cards as a result, which were very emotional to read and confirmed our choices for godparents! We've put them away for him in a special box. Hope you have a lovely day x

YANBU

Hi, thanks for your replies, definitely feel I am doing the right thing now. Might put in a little poem or a few words re no gifts.

Love the idea of Godparents writing something special xxx

I think most people would be relieved to read that, and they wouldn't bother thinking hard about your motivation.

I think its fine to say no gifts - but if someone insists, I think you need to accept the gift.

You could put something like 'no gifts please but a donation to charity would be appreciated'?

That way those who really do want to spend out (though god knows why lol) actually can.

I don't understand how saying no presents is selfish

Anyway, I think it's fine, if you want people to just come along then say no presensts, I don't think it's a problem at all :)

I think it's fine, but depending on who you are to me, I might be inclined to ignore it!

Only because I do something for every christening, and think the child will appreciate it, so wouldn't want them to lose out.

You could put something like 'no gifts please but a donation to charity would be appreciated'?

That's a lovely idea :)

Agree a charitable donation is a lovely idea. SIL did this for both her dds christenings. DD1 they chose a local children's hospice and dd2 they chose to split the money between SCBU and local Women's Aid/Refuge. Although donations were small they were much appreciated and gratefully received.

I don't like "no gift" instructions as they're a bit presumptuous. It implies you were expecting a gift.

How about putting something like "Whilst we are not anticipating any gifts, if you were thinking of buying one we would be honoured if you would give a small amount of money to as an alternative"

That way leaves the option to those who really want to buy a gift to do so. I think it also allows for those who were not thinking of buying a gift.

It's a minefield, isn't it?