Goody Bags

First, I read this article Can we please skip the goody bags

Then I started to comment on the article. And after I hit paragraph 5 or so I realized, I have more to say on this than a simple comment. So to the blog I go!

First, the recap: Goody bags are typically full of sugar and cheap crap toys, why do we keep doing them? And kids are rude about them and demand one from a party, but then don't care about them!

Now, I will start by saying that my son is only 10 months old, and so I'm new to this whole parenting thing. But he started going to birthday parties at 2 weeks old, and he's been to several.
The first goody bag I got, I was confused by, for pretty much the reasons stated in the article. It had a piece of taffy in it. Obviously, I ate that. But it also had bubbles, and it was my son's very first bottle of bubbles and I realized how quickly that bubbles are AWESOME!

So now I'm planning Scott's first birthday, and I'm making up goody bags (for the same kids whose birthdays he has gone to). There will be bubbles! And some cute card games that I got to give out as halloween treats to the younger kids, and it's a luau theme, so the kids will also get leis.

I am super excited to make the bags. I know they're unimportant, but at this age, the kids don't know Scott, the party is really for the adults, and to me they are party favors. In fact, I got incredibly cute boxes to put the loot in, so they'll in fact be decorations as well.

I think of goody bags the way I think of wedding favors. I didn't do jordan almonds at my wedding, or fancy chocolates. It was a wedding, there was food. Instead we gave away wine bottle stoppers and wine glass charms. It was something that reflected who we are (wine lovers :)) and they had love themes. People still use these gifts. I think for a kids birthday, the favors don't need to be something that will last a really long time, but something that can actually be used and enjoyed (and maybe even used up!) is a nice touch at the end of a party.

I wonder how I'll feel when Scott is 8 and I'm spending more every year to get things for a varying group of kids. But for now, I'll keep doing party favors, and I'll keep having fun with it.