Helen Martin’s Blog

I don’t like the frenzy of the gift opening at children’s birthday parties; the crush of kids edging toward the front of the semi-circle; the way the littler ones especially insist on trying to help the guest of honor with the unwrapping.

Being somewhat Type A, I get a bit stressed by the sudden huge mess of discarded paper and packaging that has to be picked through before being thrown out, lest some microscopic lego piece be lost to the garbage heap.

So this is a little self serving, to be sure, but at Jack’s 6th birthday party this Saturday he is going to open any gifts he receives as they are given to him by his arriving guests.

It was actually inspired by the lack of time amid the planned activities of the party. And I think I am going to want to keep doing it this way for higher reasons than just my issues with untidiness.

I love the potential it has to shift the focus from the gifts and onto the guests. The real fun part of the party is the people, no matter how great the gifts are. I don’t mind my child looking forward to and receiving presents. Not at all! But I don’t have to *design* the party so that present time is crescendo.

With a little less of the build up, maybe he’ll escape some of that icky feeling of being let down about his presents; either by the gifts themselves or by the fact that he’s opened the last of them.

I would rather have him come from the perspective that the gifts are extras, and not even essential.

Yeah, yeah, fat chance. But I can move him in that direction, subtly.