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Parties/celebrations

Whether you're planning a birthday or a hen do, you'll find plenty of ideas for your celebration on our Party forum.

Original poster

No party bags-and only one complaint!

65 replies

notasheep · 14/01/2006 20:43

dd had 6th birthday party today,great time and saved a fortune.
I bravely didnt do party bags and only one guest(out of 19) said WHERES MY PARTY BAG?!!!!!!!!

Look,I am not a meaney,just hate the things.
Any body else manage to avoid them?

OP posts:
jambuttie · 14/01/2006 20:59

we are having tea party tomorrow for the twins who are 2 on monday-ALREADY

and we aint doing aprty bags either

1st time ever for me

Original poster
notasheep · 14/01/2006 21:05

Hope u have a lovely party,It was my 2nd time of NOT doing them so maybe i am getting the experience and confidence,rather than being under so much pressure to do stuff!

OP posts:
Original poster
notasheep · 14/01/2006 22:08

Bump

OP posts:
goosey · 14/01/2006 22:13

That's great. I remember giving a pineapple each to a bunch of 8yr olds once as a party leaving present - they thought they were really great.
And a bit of kitchen towel wrapped cake.

HRHQueenOfQuelNoel · 14/01/2006 22:15

I did give party bags - but all they had inside was a piece of kitchen wrapped (homemade) birthday cake, a party hat and one of those party blower things.

KBear · 14/01/2006 22:15

I was wondering how I could out of the party bag thing with DD's party this year. It's costing quite a bit already and usually I love doing party bags but what with one thing and another this month is costing a fortune so i decided not to do them. I'm scared though!!! There might be uproar! Kids just expect them don't they. All the other mums will be thrilled if I set the precedent though.

FrannytheQuinoaEater · 14/01/2006 22:15

Oh marvellous, I do approve. I think with very little ones I can see it's a good tactic to prevent floods of tears at going home time but surely a balloon would do as well? I hate the bloody things because they always have sweets in and I have to secretly remove them when ds is not looking . Also all the cheap crap toys that get broken within half an hour and end up in landfill. One small good quality toy would be SO much better IMO...

Original poster
notasheep · 14/01/2006 22:19

So if we all continue NOT to give out party bags,then hopefully there will be a new fashion of not giving them!!!

And Chat on MNet of-does anyone ever give any party bags anymore!

OP posts:
Skribble · 14/01/2006 23:01

Boo hiss you will put me out of business . Party bags don't have to be tatt, mine can include wooden toys etc.

FWIW I think its the parents that have these expectations not the children so much, remember this the next time you are heartbroken because DD has not been invited to Trixybells party.

KBear · 15/01/2006 09:28

I don't think a parent won't invite their kid's friends to a party because they didn't get a party bag at their one! They will remember what a great party Kbear threw for all their kids! She hopes .

SoupDragon · 15/01/2006 09:30

I love doing party bags and will continue to do them so phthrrrrrrrrrup!

KBear · 15/01/2006 09:35

I love doing them too BUT we are pretty hard up this month and I'm trying to cut corners on DD's party (a bit). I just know that I will have 22 girls all standing there at the end of the party waiting for their party bags and I can't think of a way around it apart for saying "that's it, thanks for coming - bye"!

I have girls ranging from 14 to 6 coming and I can't think of something cheap and cheerful to put in them so I thought I might give them a miss. The more I think about it I know I can't do it but it would make like easier.

I do think it's a tradition that has escalated somewhat over the years and I certainly wouldn't be miffed if DD went to a party and didn't get one though.

Blandmum · 15/01/2006 09:38

My dd is having her birthday part next weekend. I have decided not to go the party bag route. I am fed up of little bits of platic stuff that gets jonked PDQ, and I bet that the mothers of dd's friends feel the same. So they will be geting a small wrapped gift that will be or some more use to them, I am thinking of gel pens atm, or possibly something smelly to put in the bath (dd is 9 btw)

edam · 15/01/2006 09:39

I enjoy doing party bags. Always a challenge as ds is only two so we've had mainly our own family and family friends over so far, children ranging from 9 to 3 months but I do like hearing from parents that the kids were really pleased.

We went to a party before Christmas where the mother didn't give out bags. I was surprised but didn't mind. Then the poor woman turned up on the doorstep half an hour later really embarrassed because she'd forgotten to give them out!

KBear · 15/01/2006 09:41

What do you think about this? DD is having a dancing party, led by a dance student we know. I was thinking - am prepared to be told it's a naff idea - that giving each girl a small bouquet of flowers at the end as well as their birthday cake instead of a party bag as such. Like performers get flowers at the end of a show. Supermarket flowers are very cheap and if I wrap them in tissue I thought they would be pretty and quite a grown up gift. Whadya reckon all?

alittlebitshy · 15/01/2006 09:46

Last year for dd's 2nd birthday we bought a batch of books from the book people (it worked out about 50p a book if that), and wrapped them up....

I was really nervous but they went down well, and someone else did a similar thing not long after

Not sure if will do that or something different this year, but if i can i want to avoid party bags -cost, the pressure of putting sweets in plus the thought of sending tat home when you know a nice book or somehting will get used not lost.. I know there are some really nice things you can put in however. dd went to a party in November and apart from a v sticky looking lollipop that i sneaked into the bin , the mum had done so well, on, i know, a very low budget. i don't know what boys had in theirs, but dd had a small pack of hair bobbles, some good quality (ie plain packaging not fimbles etc, thus the branding using all the money..instead getting a decent size bottle) bubbles, a small sheet of stickers.......

But i still think I'm going to try and steer clear and be a bit different.

alittlebitshy · 15/01/2006 09:46

Kbear- i think that is lovely

KBear · 15/01/2006 11:10

ooh good!

anorak · 15/01/2006 11:15

I did a lucky dip instead of party bags as DS's party.

Another parent gave a small gift, one decent toy instead of party bags.

Like kbear's idea too.

Original poster
notasheep · 15/01/2006 12:49

So why do we have to give party bags?!

I have provided entertainment,food and drink.
Isnt that enough?

Book idea was a good one

OP posts:
edam · 15/01/2006 13:35

Fab idea Kbear ? I would have loved that when I was little!

Aren't party bags a way of saying 'thank you fo r coming and giving ds/dd a present' to your guests? IIRC as a child we used to be given a slice of cake wrapped in a paper napkin and a balloon or something, but no bag to put it in.

tamum · 15/01/2006 13:38

I love doing them too, and most of the girls in dd's class are still using their little purses from last year for their lunch money I noticed that Baker Ross have got little flower presses for 75p each, so that's this year taken care of too. Kbear, that counds lovely. Hey, we could combine forces and they could press their flowers when they get home!

Mumbojumbo · 15/01/2006 13:39

For ds1's birthday in December, I did a party bag with one of these in:
dangler reflector

Hoped it might be useful as well as fun.
mj

emmatom · 15/01/2006 13:40

a bit of cake wrapped up and a couple of sweeties/chocs (in a bag of any description if you're watching the pennies), is no effort, hardly any expense and is a nice thank you for coming expression.

colditz · 15/01/2006 13:43

Party bags should contain, in my experience -

1 piece of cake in a napkin
1 party blower
1 balloon
1 small sweet, eg a chocolate freddo.

That is IT! Anything else is parental showing off if your child is under 7.

And if my child (over 7 - I know what 4 year olds are like]) complained to a host parent of no party bag, I would be mortified!