My Case Against Loot Bags
It started last February.
It was my son's sixth birthday and we were throwing him a massive outdoor party. We live on a farm and have a wonderful pond that, every winter freezes into the most excellent skating rink. There was a massive hockey game between the guests and their parents. We roasted marshmallows and hot dogs and made hot taffy treats in the snow.
In the thirteen years and almost forty birthday parties since I became a parent, it was one of the highlights - and I've thrown some good birthday parties.
There was the year we had fifteen girls over to plant flowers in our front garden and gave them their own potted plant to take home. We once had a professional makeup artist come over and makeover the girls in dramatic stage makeup and then do a photo shoot. There have been princesses, lizard tamers, magicians and one year, I kid you not, Santa.
I don't take birthday parties that seriously. Honest. These awesome parties are usually thrown together pretty quickly as I realize that the day is fast approaching and I need to get my butt in gear! In this kerfuffle, one thing usually goes unnoticed until I finally remember and run around like crazy getting together.
Loot bags.
I hate loot bags.
What is the purpose of these things? If I'm thinking correctly, we've just had dozens of kids over to run wild in our home and get high on icing sugar. Only to walk out the door wondering where their big bag of "Thank you!" is. They're usually filled with cheap and stale Dollar Store candy or toys and doodads that will not only break, but be stepped on by parents later that day. I can't stand that I've just spent nearly one hundred dollars on junk!
This year, I took a stand. No more loot bags.
I'm sure it will make the most unpopular Mom on the planet, but unless it involves some sort of keepsake or project that continues well after the party has ended, it won't be happening here.
Don't even get me started on the fiasco that has become the now seemingly mandatory ice cream treats handed out after soccer games!
Original post to Canada Moms Blog. Chantal rants about tonnes of hot button issues (and pretty much any other issue) over at her personal blog, Bread Crumbs In The Butter.
