A shower with no games??

Mr&MrsMTA · March 2013

I am throwing a shower for my BFF, she is a very close friend of the family and so far this year we have all attended 4 showers between both of or families and noticed the following. It seemed like most not all but most people did not want to play games myself and BFF are def not fond of them......she asked at her shower of we can skip the games, do you think people will miss them or wish we had games?

we also noticed at every single one of the showers when they were opening their gifts it seemed as though no one was paying attention and just talking among themselves and could not wait for the gift opening part to be over with it seemed. Is there any way to avoid this??? either some how keep their attn or I dunno what are your thoughts and feelings??

Emmakins87 · March 2013

Oh I made it clear I do not not want games- I would rather socialize and chat than do that.... I find them forced and not fun.

526SadieSadie · March 2013

Games are take em' or leave em' as far as I'm concerned. I've been to showers with them and without them. It's up to the hostess(es). If people don't want to play, they're not obligated to. As far as the gift opening, you can't make people pay attention. It's rude if they're shouting across the room or getting up and leaving in the middle of it but it's boring to sit and watch someone open gifts. Seeing their reaction to your own gift is nice but then when they have 50 other boxes to open it's hard to maintain enthusiasm. You could play the timer game and whenever it goes off, whoever gave the MTB the gift she's opening wins a prize, that might work. Honestly, I wouldn't make a big deal about it.

1026pumpkin · March 2013

I would not miss games at all at a shower! The only game I might suggest is baby bingo while opening gifts....it might hold people's attention to see what you're opening if they're trying to find the items on their bingo card. If it's not your style, just serve cake before opening gifts so people can munch and chat, and get through those gifts as fast as possible.

SCtoDC · March 2013

agree with PP - no games would be just fine w me

Gift Bingo does seem to help during gift opening. I use blank cards and give everyone 2 minutes to fill in the squares. This leads to lots of "does this count" conversations during opening, keeping focus on the gifts/MTB.

Unknown · March 2013

This content has been removed.

EastCoastBride · March 2013

Games are not necessary. Grown women should be able to get together and socialize w/o needing games to pass the time!

Gift opening though you need to do it. Yes, people talk and chit chat during it. That's fine. They are also paying some attention. Trust me. I went to one shower that due to the lack of background music, no one talked and everyone just sat and stared at the MTB. THAT was boring!!! I like to chit chat while also watching the gifts.

BallSox · March 2013

I still like the "Preggo or porn" game. :-D

PrimRoseMama · March 2013

1.) You are the host. You decide if there are games. If you know it makes your guest of honor uncomfortable and that many of the attendees would rather chat then don't do them. I find Getting to Know You games are great. Also, celebrity babies are fun if you can find the pictures. If you mix up the old school with the more modern celebrities it can be fun when the answers are revealed. I say if you are going to do games then do one or two. That way you an punctuate some of the time if you need to.

2.) Do you pass around the gifts for everyone to see, touch, fuss over? That usually keeps attention of the guests. Personally, I think its rude to talk like that when there is something obvious going on that deserves to be the center of attention. Usually the gifts are a fun part of the event. Almost everyone I know loves to look at them.

GTown08 · March 2013

PrimRoseMama:
2.) Do you pass around the gifts for everyone to see, touch, fuss over? That usually keeps attention of the guests. Personally, I think its rude to talk like that when there is something obvious going on that deserves to be the center of attention. Usually the gifts are a fun part of the event. Almost everyone I know loves to look at them.

This. At my BFF's party, she had the gifts passed around after she opened them so everyone could see them. While the guests were not necessarily focused on HER, they were still focused on the gift-giving, and weren't wandering off or discussing world peace in the middle of the baby shower. I think it helped keep the flow going.

rhubarb123 · March 2013

I would miss the games but know I am definitely in the minority on this board. I've never been to a family or good friend's shower that did not include games. Unfortunately, I have been to showers where there were no games and it was also unfortunate that the ONLY person I knew was the MTB. To be it was the most boring 6 hours EVER (2 different showers).

As for peole paying attention during gift opening...not a lot you can do. It is really disrespectful to the MTB for people be talking LOUD to the point the gift giver can't even hear the MTB voice a thank you or whatever.

When I host showers I have done one or all of the following during gift opening (depends on how many gifts there are). 1. Tell the MTB not to take a long time opening (don't try to "save" the paper for instance), 2. Pass out the dessert during that time (cake, cupcakes, whatever), 3. play "gift BINGO as described by another pp, and 4. Set a timer and give a gift to the person who's gift was being opened when it goes off. If MTB is inbetween gifts (just set one aside and is reaching for another) no one gets one...just set the timer again, and 5. Pass around the gifts that are outfits. Everyone usually wants to see the cute little outfits.

It is also very helpful to have a couple people helping the MTB (not opening the gifts) but handing them to her, taking away the discarded wrapping paper, and then taking the gift and putting it on a table, etc.

joshandpanda · March 2013

SCtoDC:
agree with PP - no games would be just fine w me

Gift Bingo does seem to help during gift opening. I use blank cards and give everyone 2 minutes to fill in the squares. This leads to lots of "does this count" conversations during opening, keeping focus on the gifts/MTB.

all of this

shakes · March 2013

It's hard to say, a lot of people don't like games but many do. I for one love shower games but I am a huge cheese ball that way. The best shower game I have seen was at my own shower. It was called "Feed The Baby" and one person sat on a chair and attempted to cradle another person and literally feed them a bottle filled with juice. It turned into madness, people yelling and screaming, cheering each other on. It just happened to be that kind of group of women. I don't expect to see that at every shower but it certainly was a blast. That being said you need to know your audience. If the MTB truly hates games and would rather socialize then that's far more appropriate.

Michelle C. · March 2013

A co-worker of mine had a "display" shower for her daughter. No wrapped gifts. They were all set out on a table with a card so you could see who gave what. It eliminates the opening of the gifts but I'm not too sure how I felt about it. It didn't feel like a real shower to me but some people might like it.

pinottoparenthood · March 2013

Our shower is very non-traditional, but we aren't playing any games. It's a couples shower, and I know for a fact that NONE of the guys want to guess how big my belly is, sniff candy bars melted into diapers, or chug juice out of baby bottles. OR any other game for that matter. We're also having beer and wine at our shower, and it's going to be more of a social gathering. We're hoping to have an indoor/outdoor affair (weather permitting) where people can hang out, socialize, we'll probably set up corn hole boards outside, etc. I plan to let people know when I'm going to open presents so they can watch if they want to, but I won't be offended if some people don't want to watch. I personally love watching people open baby presents, but some people just don't care. I appreciate their generosity, and I want them to have a good time. If they want to see my reaction as I open their presents, they can. If they want to sit a ways away with a drink and chat while I'm opening their presents, I'm fine with that, too.

Want a personalized experience?

A shower with no games??

Re: A shower with no games??

LFAF Summer 2016 Awards:

Choose Another Board

Search Boards