"No Gifts Please"......Really?

[SC Minnie]

Last year one of DD's friends had a birthday party and on the invitation requested 'no gifts- bring canned goods for the local food pantry'. This went over very well. The food pantry was grateful and I didn't have to worry about what to buy this girl who had everything.

If they say no gifts then we don't take a gift but will take a card with a nice note.

 

[lg3]

I'm having a vow renewal this weekend (30th) and have also put "there is no better gift than sharing our joy with family and friends." I hope that people understand that this means no gifts, please!

Although I could handle wine or chocolates, I would have a hard time dealing with flowers, as I've ordered coordinating ones for our home and the restaurant. I also get a little annoyed when people bring cut flowers without a vase. That means I have to drop everything and arrange them, or just put them aside to wither. Refrigerating them usually isn't an option, as the fridge is full of food, drinks, etc.
I also can't tell you the number of gift certificates I have sitting in a drawer.
I've reached an age where I'm trying to rid of stuff, not accumulate more.

Yes - it is extremely frustrating to host a dinner party and have someone drop in with cut flowers that need to be arranged immediately - usually when you are extremely busy. Slightly OT: That happened to me last Thanksgiving, and the people were late and it was just total bad timing. It delayed the dinner at least 20 min. overall as a result. You work so hard to have everything perfectly timed with a large meal, and it is a big wrench thrown in. I know they mean well, but I would never do that - need to bring them in a vase or basket already arranged or something.

 

[aprilgail2]

Last year one of DD's friends had a birthday party and on the invitation requested 'no gifts- bring canned goods for the local food pantry'. This went over very well. The food pantry was grateful and I didn't have to worry about what to buy this girl who had everything.

If they say no gifts then we don't take a gift but will take a card with a nice note.

We tried something like that last week at my daughters 7th birthday party. She wrote on the invitation that this year instead of gifts for herself she asked if everyone could just bring a toy to donate to a sick or needy child. Well everyone DID bring a gift for a sick or needy kid, but most also brought HER a gift of GC. Then I felt bad because the people coming bought TWO gifts when we didn't even want one LOL...

 

[dianeschlicht]

I would NOT bring a gift if it said no gifts. I would, however, make a donation in the name of the guest of honor.

I know how folks don't like to come empty handed, so when we had our 25th anniversary celebration, we put "no gifts please" on the card, but we also encouraged folks to bring non-perishable food items for the food shelf. We were not a large group, but we were able to donate nearly 20 bags of groceries to the food shelf!