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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

that " book in a party bag " idea some CLOT had once

231 replies

Frivol · 12/05/2009 19:02

well it goes down very badly here.
My kids like books.

they like parties

they like party bags

they dont like them mixing.

a party bag BEST case scenario is sweets, with a football keyring( who has keys aged 6?!) if you haev to.

OP posts:
letswiggle · 14/05/2009 13:15

was wondering the same thing, Geo. Had never occurred to me to put cake in a party bag. Actually, come to think of it, I don't think party bags exist here at all.

Geocentric · 14/05/2009 13:26

They do here, letswiggle... Big competition, too, yuck!

Popular at the moment seems to be to give some sort of plastic container with a packet of microwave popcorn inside and a fizzy drink. I thought it was cute at first but after 4 almost identical party favours we now have a mountain of cheap plastic popcorn bowls which the DCs won't let me get rid of...

IVB · 14/05/2009 13:32

What's wrong with a book, cake, chocolate lolly and packet of smarties? My house is so full of plastic tat (much of which is never even removed from the actual party bag) that I decided enough was enough. My older son had a football party and each child went home with a football and a piece of cake - I still see the footballs in the gardens of their houses, which is fab.

mammamic · 14/05/2009 13:46

Could I have been the 'clot'? How long has this been going on?

I have always given books as 'party bags' and ALL guests (including parents) have loved the idea apart from one little boy last year who said he'd prefer not to have a book thanks and then noticed the spiderman sticker book and conceded (almost to do me a favour!!).

I put all the books out and as the children leave, they pick up their cake in a party bag and choose a book.

They are usually kept, last longer, revisited again and again and it means the children don't go home demanding the sweets in their bag, having a sugar frenzy whilst leaving plastic tat all over the place.

we are on year 5 and I'm still giving books.

I'd love to think I'm the 'clot' who started this but probably wishful thinking.....

Geocentric · 14/05/2009 13:53

I'm still curious about the cake! It was an honest question!!

AnnasBananas · 14/05/2009 14:07

Geo - I don't know why but in the UK people sing 'happy birthday' and then the cake disappears, gets cut and reappears in the party bag. The cake is generaly not eaten at the party.

I'm from NZ and back home we eat our cake at the party. And we don't do party bags, either (that I know of)

We're a cheap bunch, kiwis

emmylou40 · 14/05/2009 14:07

last party we had for DS 4th bday, I bought multipacks of Batman and PowerRanger pants for boys and pretty socks for the girls and put them in party bags along with lolly and something small and plastic. So excited were some of the boys they insisted on putting on party bag pants before going home....

Geocentric · 14/05/2009 14:11

Thanks Annas! I had visions of UK mums making TWO birthday cakes, one to eat and one to cut up for party bags lol...

mammamic · 14/05/2009 14:18

Geocentric - can't speak for everyone but usually there are cakes )eg fairy cakes, rice krispy cakes or similar) at party and then you send a piece of the actual birthday cake home.

If I can't be bothered making cakes for the party and a birthday cake, I make a bigger cake so they get a piece at the party and take a piece home too.

Weegiemum · 14/05/2009 14:19

re: plate decorating - I just use ordinary non-toxic felt tips. Not worried about stuff getting in the food cos:

  1. most food goes into mouths so quick no time for contamination
  2. much party food is so unhealthy that a bit of pen on it is hardly going to poison them.
  3. my kids are forever sucking the end of pens and getting it in their mouth and none of them have suffered!

And for a bit of order for those first 10-15 mins (earlybirds/late arrivals etc) it is worth it! Then when everyone is here we start on the present opening ..... and chaos descends!

Other top (esp boy) party tip invented by dh this year. Ds was 7 in feb. Empty all lego on to lounge floor. Give small boys 15 mins to build a spaceship/car/rocket/boat etc, then give small prize to winner. We did 2 or maybe 3 of these at ds party - the littl boys were practically silent while doing it. But we did have to remove precious Indiana Jones Lego bits before we did it!

gscrym · 14/05/2009 14:21

I can remember going to parties when I was little and the party bag consisted of a piece of cake wrapped ina bit of kitchen roll.

If you were really posh, the kitchen roll had a pattern on it.

newgirl · 14/05/2009 14:33

surely the point of giving cake to take home was to encourage the kids to leave - it WAS the party 'bag' - its a treat to take home so not to feel too sad for leaving

so a piece of cake and a balloon or something is traditional - a plastic bag of bits is a recent weird thing

susanbee · 14/05/2009 14:45

Sorry but plastic tat results in more landfill. I hate haribos and worst of all the lollys (sweet on a stick type).

Nooka - I know the Humbert book you mean. Still have my original copy from the 70s and now enjoy reading it to my children!

I did books this year and if you get a pack of books from the "Book People" they are not too expensive.

Stickers, seeds, cake all good ideas.

I hate it when you see a beautiful cake with yummy icing on the party table and then an inferior cheap plain cake is prepacked in the party bag - not in the spirit of things!

emmylou40 · 14/05/2009 14:48

we have received party bags that have where the contents was more generous than the birthday present we gave! Think that some parents are more concerend about what they give - party bag rivalry is alive and well. I know of mums who spend months preparing them. Bonkers. Long gone are the parties of the 70s where it literally was a piece of cake in a napkin and if you were lucky the prize you won in pass the parcel or musical bumps.

hohoba · 14/05/2009 14:50

susan God i have seen the two cakes thing done too!! so shocking.
books are paper too so unless all recycled not much better

Bonneville · 14/05/2009 14:53

I think its a good idea to eat the cake at the party. The cake dcs brought home in party bags was always binned. It just never survived the journey home in one piece.

Bonneville · 14/05/2009 14:54

I also think books and seeds would have been binned as well if received!

susanbee · 14/05/2009 15:01

you would bin a book? I hope you would give it to a charity shop or recycle it

Geocentric · 14/05/2009 15:02

Definitely much better to eat the cake at my parties! That way all my lovely buttercream icing that my DCs adore doesn't spoil and drip all over the place...

Sazisi · 14/05/2009 15:43

I confiscate the plastic tat asap and put it in my party box, ready to be recycled for my own kids' parties. I'm mean an evil genius

Wheelybug · 14/05/2009 15:47

susanbee - at dd's party I cut up a diffreernt cake for party bags because I'd made dd's cake which looked good (barbie pooping out of cake thing) but I knew the cake was overcooked so would have tasted awful. So I bought one to cut up.

FimbleHobbs · 14/05/2009 18:00

If at all possible I try and swipe the plastic tat from their party bags, and keep some in my handbag for 'bored in restaurant' moments and the rest in my desk drawer, so when the DCs have to pop into work with me occasionally, I have something to entertain them with.

But I try and avoid plastic tat myself when doing party bags, although did do rubber ducks one year which were popular.

What I don't like is the 'girls bag/boys bag' thing, I really would like to keep on doing unisex bags but that might be harder as they get older.

AnnasBananas · 14/05/2009 18:10

Fimble - your rubber duck comment reminded me...

A cheap good idea for age three and four is a bath toy, you can buy a pack of eight pirate or similar squirty bath toys from ELC they were well received when we did that.

claireybee · 14/05/2009 18:26

I am doing a little pot and a couple of sunflower or pumpkin seeds for dd's birthday, don't think I'd do it for older kids but she will be 3 and 2/3 year olds LOVE digging and planting stuff (well the ones I know do anyway).

I can see how a 9 year old would think it was shit though

Oh and we always eat cake at the party, not put it in the bag

Podrick · 14/05/2009 18:40

I think kids love party bags so why not let 'em have 'em.

My dd would NOT be pleased to get a book. Stuff she likes in a party bag is:
Haribo sweets
Birthday cake
Balloon
Bubbles
Tattoos
Stretchy men (Hawkins Bazaar)
Cute stationery items
Flower Seeds
Jewellery eg mood ring
Hello Kitty stickers
Magic tricks

I like to shove it all into a cellophane explosion with masses of ribbon to build the excitement...after all, what would be the point in a "sensible" party?