January 2017 Moms

Babyshower talk

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Re: Babyshower talk

  • Having been someone who generally sucks at sending out thank you letters (half my DHs family never ended up with wedding invites or thank yous (obviously received both in person though) because we never had current addresses) I think the idea is clever. It doesn't have to be on an envelope but even just in a guest book or something can be really helpful. I have moved at least 3 times since most of my friends got married and it's super frustrating chasing down current addresses especially seeing we likely won't use them again because who actually sends mail anymore...

    I think this is an issue we can all agree to disagree on and is totally up to the host and moms discretion. I have filled in envelopes at weddings and never even gave it a second thought... So not everyone would be offended especially not close friends or family 

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  • Am I one of  the few who don't bother with Thank you cards? I'm not having a shower this time around it's too much of a bother in the hospital. But it's never been a big deal to me. I say thank you and how much I appreciate the gift and I see them in person afterwards generally and say thanks again. The cards just get thrown out anyways. If I get something from someone I don't see much I call and say thanks. Granted I have a large extended family and we tend to be casual about these things. I don't get offended if someone doesn't send me a card after a gathering it's an old tradition and not everyone pays attention to that sort of thing. 
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  • So it's cool to track down their address to send them an invitation but not cool enough to track it down to write their address on an envelope?  Makes sense.

    Or the host could do her job and provide the addresses for you since, technically, she's the one who is sending out the invites.  



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  • Yeah, the last time I got an invitation in the mail was for a Wedding. Birthdays and Showers are hand delivered or strictly on FB/ evite
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  • Yeah let's criticize the host who was nice enough to throw and pay for the shower, because that must be great etiquette. How dare she not also give you an address book!
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  • Being 2016 doesn't mean it's okay to make your guests address their own envelopes.  

    I'm curious, why are so many people against addressing envelopes?  Why make your guests do what you should be doing?   



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  • We're talking about addressing an envelope, not writing their own thank you notes, or asking them to stay after the shower to clean up and set up whatever gift they got you. 

    Sure everyone's etiquette is different but I can't imagine getting so bent out of shape about it. If it really bothers you don't address the envelope and show that mom to be how ridiculous her request is. 
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  • canavaracanavara member
    edited November 2016
    So it's cool to track down their address to send them an invitation but not cool enough to track it down to write their address on an envelope?  Makes sense.

    Or the host could do her job and provide the addresses for you since, technically, she's the one who is sending out the invites.  
    Since it's 2016 and not 1995 most people send invites through Facebook or an email invitation site....so no one has address books anymore
    This. My shower hosts definitely do not have the address of a majority of the people invited. They have e-mail addresses. Which is totally reasonable and really, more convenient for people invited. Meanwhile, I still want to send personal "thank you"s in the mail but getting addresses has nothing to do with my shower hosts at that point.

    ETA: I think it's kind of weird to contact someone after your shower and be like "hey what's your address, I need it to send you a thank you card." We live in an age where we've advanced some of our social processes to digitalization while some aspects are still analog. There's going to be some awkwardness here and there until people completely stop sending thank you cards via postal mail.
  • KRB22KRB22 member
    edited November 2016
    I'm with @BumpasaurusRex here. I don't think it's appropriate to ask guests to address envelopes at the shower. It is most definitely not proper etiquette. I also think it reinforces the whole gift grabby premise that showers have become. Yes, I know the norm is to bring gifts to showers, but I think actually placing an envelope in front of a guest is a bit presumptuous. While it may be well-intentioned on the part of the hostess, I think the idea is a little misguided. 

    I also feel strongly that thank you cards should be sent out in a timely manner, ideally within 1-2 weeks of when the gift is received. And they should absolutely be personal. Might be an UO but it really irks me when I don't receive a thank you card for a wedding gift until months later, whether it's because the couple was waiting to have photo cards printed or simply because they didn't get around to it.

    @canavara not sure if you know where you're going to order birth announcements from, but a lot of online sites will include envelope addressing with the order, often at no extra charge. If you can get the addresses into excel you can usually upload them in bulk from there, and/or can print them onto labels yourself :)

    ETA: clearly the above is an UO around here, so I'll just leave it at that. 


  • ETA: clearly the above is an UO around here, so I'll just leave it at that. 
    @KRB22
    Agreed.
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  • Oops, totally read that as 'UO argument' meaning for the UO thread and not this one.
    Didn't mean for that to seem snarky. lol

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  • newyearsbaby5newyearsbaby5 member
    edited November 2016
    I wanted to ask this question, but now I'm scared. But i'll ask it anyways.

    Someone sent me a gift already and can't come to my shower (my aunt is keeping the RSVPs so she told me). Do I send her a thank you card ASAP? Or do I pretend I don't know she can't come to my shower and include in the note "we're so sorry you couldn't be at the shower!" and send it right afterwards? What about the people who sent gifts already and I have no idea if they're coming to the shower or not because they didn't RSVP yet?

    ETA I know most people bring the gifts with them to the shower, but a few people who sent gifts told me they were coming, but maybe just don't want to deal with bringing it and they know I hate opening presents in front of a group. 
  • HJMorgan said:
    I don't think everyone is against writing addresses. Everyone is against a high-and-mighty stranger sticking their nose up at an innocent suggestion. Is everyone going to have an address station at their shower? No. Will some people have it? Maybe. And that should be fine. You can disagree, but you don't have to be so stuck up about it. You're obviously not a guest at their shower, so who cares?

    This started out as a suggestion to help a mom-to-be do MORE for her guests (sending the baby's photo after birth). You turned it into this huge deal
    And I suggested not doing that because it's rude.  If you or anyone else took offense to that, that's on you.  I don't see how offering a different perspective is "stuck up."

    We can agree to disagree on this.



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  • @newyearsbaby5 I've received a few gifts but I'm in a similar position where I don't know if the people will be at my shower or not (given my situation, last week my mom asked for heavy/bulky gifts to be sent directly to my house). I'm just going to wait until after the shower and send all the thank yous at once. I don't think people will mind. ... maybe I'm wrong after reading some of these responses though. 
  • @newyearsbaby5 I waited until after my shower to send all notes. Anything I got in the mail early I didn't even touch until it got closer to the date of the shower anyway. Then, about a week before the shower, I opened whatever I got in the mail and started making my list so I could acknowledge it at the shower and thank them during the gift opening. I don't think you need to send a note right away in this type of situation. I had people send gifts that were coming and that weren't coming to the actual shower. I didn't have the running list of RSVPs either. I generally included something in my note about missing them at the event if they couldn't make it.
  • @newyearsbaby5 if the gifts are sent with the shower in mind, but ahead of the actual party, I think it's ok to send the thank you note after the shower. You can then either say "we missed you" or "I'm so happy you could celebrate with me" depending on whether the person attends. 

    It's also totally fine to send the thank you note when you receive the gift / before the shower. 

    @HJMorgan no worries!
  • I wanted to ask this question, but now I'm scared. But i'll ask it anyways.

    Someone sent me a gift already and can't come to my shower (my aunt is keeping the RSVPs so she told me). Do I send her a thank you card ASAP? Or do I pretend I don't know she can't come to my shower and include in the note "we're so sorry you couldn't be at the shower!" and send it right afterwards? What about the people who sent gifts already and I have no idea if they're coming to the shower or not because they didn't RSVP yet?

    ETA I know most people bring the gifts with them to the shower, but a few people who sent gifts told me they were coming, but maybe just don't want to deal with bringing it and they know I hate opening presents in front of a group. 
    @newyearsbaby5
    I would send it out the same time as the other cards, unless you're shower is still pretty far away. like if your shower is next month I would probably send them one now. But if it's in a couple weeks then I'd wait.
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  • I also don't see a problem with having people address an envelope. It is optional, they don't Have to do it. Also what I consider poor etiquette is trying to insist an opinion onto someone else and their social circle. Poster graciously heard said advice, and agreed to disagree. To continue to reiterate your opinion that multiple people have already said they don't agree with and then to say it is " tacky and rude" is poor etiquette in my opinion. Which is all any of this really is "someone's opinion". 
  • newyearsbaby5newyearsbaby5 member
    edited November 2016
    @christac1010 @LoneStar21416 @KRB22 thank you for the advice!!

    for my wedding shower, my friend sent me a gift early and I sent the TY note ASAP and then she got mad at me because she was coming to the shower and told me not to open it yet. selfishly, I knew she was coming to the shower, but it was a food processor and I couldn't wait any longer to make hummus so I took my chances :) since i have no use for these gifts yet, I wasn't sure what the protocol was. I think you're right in that it's fine either way for the ones I know about. my shower still isn't for a few weeks (Thanksgiving weekend) so I feel weird waiting that long to write a TY note. Oh well.
  • @christac1010 @LoneStar21416 @KRB22 thank you for the advice!!

    for my wedding shower, my friend sent me a gift early and I sent the TY note ASAP and then she got mad at me because she was coming to the shower and told me not to open it yet. selfishly, I knew she was coming to the shower, but it was a food processor and I couldn't wait any longer to make hummus so I took my chances :) since i have no use for these gifts yet, I wasn't sure what the protocol was. I think you're right in that it's fine either way for the ones I know about. my shower still isn't for a few weeks (Thanksgiving weekend) so I feel weird waiting that long to write a TY note. Oh well.
    The bolded made me laugh.  I can completely relate!
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  • colleenkevincolleenkevin member
    edited November 2016
    HJMorgan said:
    I don't think everyone is against writing addresses. Everyone is against a high-and-mighty stranger sticking their nose up at an innocent suggestion. Is everyone going to have an address station at their shower? No. Will some people have it? Maybe. And that should be fine. You can disagree, but you don't have to be so stuck up about it. You're obviously not a guest at their shower, so who cares?

    This started out as a suggestion to help a mom-to-be do MORE for her guests (sending the baby's photo after birth). You turned it into this huge deal
    And I suggested not doing that because it's rude.  If you or anyone else took offense to that, that's on you.  I don't see how offering a different perspective is "stuck up."

    We can agree to disagree on this.
    Based on the fact that you keep.coming.back I find this hard to believe.  It will be nice if you now stop hammering your opinion down people's throats, though.  

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  • @newyearsbaby5 I feel it with the food processor! We put one on our baby registry for making baby food, and opened it right away when it arrived. I wanted soup and I'm feeding the baby so it's justified.
  • nolemama24nolemama24 member
    edited November 2016
    Bless your heart! I would seriously hate to see how you handle bigger problems! What is said on this board are people's own personal opinions--- it's not Bible and it doesn't HAVE to be done. If you don't like the idea of asking your guests to supply their own address at your party, then don't ask them to do it. Also, personally, I like the idea. I loved the suggestion of having kind of like a guest book situation. 

    Had to edit because TB ate my post. 
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  • It had never crossed my mind to have people address their own envelopes... it is brilliant and I am stealing it! My friends who are hosting my shower chose to send out Evites so I do not have everyone's addresses. At the very least, I'll have a guest book and ask guests to write down their physical addresses.

    And honestly I don't give an eff if you think it is rude or not. If you don't want to write down your address then don't - I'll just call you and ask for it but if you can get off your high horse and write it down then I'd really appreciate the 5 seconds of your time.

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  • So I've been to showers in Grosse Point, Michigan - which I would imagine is just a ettiquite-centric as the south - where every detail is scrutinized, where I filled out my own envelope. I thought it was a great idea! Her bridesmaids made a request to the guests to do this, not the bride or the hosts. 

    In my family this is a no-go. I think you just have to know your audience! 

    For my baby shower, my sister in-law offered to do the invitations for my mom, who is hosting the shower. My mom and I put the guest list together together - the shower is family and friends. I typed all the guests and their contact info into a google doc sheet where we also coordinated the RSVPs - my mom revived a bunch of them, most of my friends told me they were coming and then asked if the should still call to RSVP, and most people RSVP'ed to my SIL. Google docs are the best!!

    There are many easy ways to get addresses if you need them, yes some may take extra effort, but really I don't think this is worth such a heated debate! Whatever is acceptable in your circle, go with it! It's really not much different from when you used to write your address in a guest book at weddings!


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