Baby Showers

I LOVE a baby shower. If you know me, you know I love any kind of get-together; as long as there is free food and cake, I am there... no need to tell me twice OK.

I love shopping for the mom to be, picking out just the right gift (and at a baby shower, you want your gift to be the gift everyone ooh's and ahh's over).

I have been to more baby showers here in Costa Rica, in the 3.5 years I have lived here, than I have been to baby showers my whole life. Back in Boston, I think I went to maybe 5 baby showers, and one of them was mine. I have lost count how many baby showers I have been to here... more than 10 I'd say. The first month I was here, I went to baby shower. A good start to my new life, in my opinion.

But one thing I have to blog about is the custom some people have here for certain baby showers. It's the 'Tico' custom I think I like the least.... the pay per person baby shower. Yeah you heard me right. People actually have the nerve to ask you to PAY to attend their baby shower, on top of buying a gift. Really!

The first time I heard of it, the only thing I could think of was "how tacky". I mean you want me to pay you essentially for the baby shower... for the food and the location (if it's at a rented hall).

Back in Bean town, we're used to pot lucks if someone can't foot the entire bill for a soiree. And for me, I think that is a little better. You want to have a baby shower but can't afford it, ask your guests to bring a dish... much better than having them PAY for their food. And some people have their asking price a little too high. One baby shower was asking c10.000 colones. Another was c4.000. Yeah, I hope the food was good... and no I didn't not go.

I did go to one that I had to pay for (against my better judgment). It was a friend of Hubby's. A good friend. And I consider his wife a 'friend' too so it was hard to say no... but she got that I was uncomfortable with the whole payment thing, to which she told me the price was pretty cheap for CR standards at c2.000 colones. I guess she was right.

Her mom was throwing the shower in her Hubby's aunt's house. Since her parents are of modest means, her mother needed the monetary help with the food (you pay ahead of time). I didn't pay, Hubby did.

I am glad I went but really, I would NEVER think to throw a party, especially a baby shower where guests are kind of expected to bring you a gift, and then charge a fee for guests to attend.

The whole point of a baby shower is to shower the new mom/parents to be with necessities for their baby. If I am showering you with a gift, isn't that payment enough? If push comes to shove, don't serve food then. Hand out a few snacks and call it a day. No need for fancy, smancy showers that call for a 4 course meal, professional hosts and a million games and prizes, which can take away from the whole meaning of a baby shower anyway. Just get to the gifts and keep it short, sweet, fun and simple, if that's what you need to do to cut costs. And if a rented hall is necessary, then by all means, ask for donations (from CLOSE family and friends).

Better yet, have a garage sale of some sort to offset the cost of a hall.... let the guests be guests. And leave the money out of the equation.