War on goody bag garbage

by Melissa Summers (Subscribe to Melissa Summers's posts) Mar 22nd 2006 2:04PM

Categories: Holidays

I have a hatred of clutter which is unbecoming for anyone who decided to have not just one child but two. Nonetheless, my hatred of small pieces of clutter drives me in a constant battle against Polly Pocket and Hot Wheels.
It's this hatred of clutter that's driven some of my friends and I to adopt a no-clutter birthday party goody bag policy. Instead of a lot of little items we pick one or two larger items and call it a goody bag. For my friend's daughter's birthday she sent the girl's home with a couple of Littlest Pet Shop pets and for my daughter's last birthday we sent home some pretty soap and lip gloss.

For my son's party last weekend we sent a custom designed mix CD home with all my son's favorite music (Spongebob music and superhero tunes). We also made up custom iron-ons with the same artwork we used on a birthday sign for parents to put on the kids tshirts if they choose.

Cheap, easy and unlikely to get sucked up in the vacuum cleaner.

Comments (10)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Merideth 3-22-2006 @ 2:20PM

I'm with you 100%. We fill our goody bags with a juice box and a cookie or snack cake each wrapped with a customized sticker that matches our party them. Cheap, easy, no mess. Sugar yes, but no mess.

kelly jeanie 3-22-2006 @ 2:36PM

Love the sign. What a neat idea with the iron-on patches and CDs.

cee 3-22-2006 @ 4:30PM

I hate those little goody bags filled with junk. I have noticed that people have quit giving them out. I am glad for so many different reasons.

The little pet shop pets is a good idea, I may try that for my daughters upcoming birthday party.

Another thing that annoys me is the penata's (sp?) at little kids parties filled with hard candy. Can we say choking hazard @@.

Jan Siplon 3-22-2006 @ 4:40PM

The last party my son attended the goody bag was a big hersey candy bar and a free movie rental card all tied up in a pretty bow, pretty darn simple and practical.

Stephanie 3-22-2006 @ 4:44PM

Ok, I feel really old... my baby hasn't had his first birthday party yet, but kids parties have certainly evolved. My birthdays consisted of cake and ice cream at my parent's house and the guests got a big "thank you for coming" when their parents came to pick them up. Now it seems you have to invite the whole class, pay a gym, bowling alley or petting farm a per child fee (and more if their parents stay for the party) AND send them home with a bag each of sweets and toys?

Wow... the iron-on patches do sound inexpensive, but would a mom be terrible to not include goody bags at all at her child's party? Has anyone tried this and survived?

Mimimom 3-22-2006 @ 4:45PM

It's so true, those goody bags are full of useless stuff most of the time! I'm going to take this suggestion for the next birthday party I throw for my daughter b/c I too hate clutter - and I was cluttering other people's lives - arrggh!

Spring 3-22-2006 @ 6:16PM

I think we are going to do foil balloons this year. They can be our decorations and the guests can choose one to take home with them when they leave.

suburban misfit 3-22-2006 @ 8:04PM

Stephanie, we don't do goody bags and my kids haven't suffered any ill effects, socially speaking. I normally plan a craft of some sort during the party. One year my son had a "Superhero" party and the kids made capes from inexpensive flat sheets cut into capes, and they used fabric markers. They wore the capes for the rest of the party and then took them home. My daughter's 5th birthday party was a tea party and the kids made crowns using inexpensive cardboard pre-made crowns and they added on "jewels" and sparkly stuff.

As soon as my kids bring home the plastic junk, we sort through it together and most of the stuff goes straight to the trash. My *kids* don't even like it.