Birthday Parties Emphasize Charity, Not Presents

More and more parents now request that guests at their children’s birthday parties bring not presents, but checks for the child’s favorite charity, reports The New York Times.

The article reports on a number of “no-gift parties,” including one that raised $240 for a local fire department and $675 (at a Sweet 16 party) for Heifer International. The donations are modest, but parents hope to instill a pattern of giving early in children’s lives.

Some observers, including Judith Martin, the columnist known as Miss Manners, cautioned against making children bitter — the charity could be seen as “stealing” their presents, after all. But most people celebrated the idea, especially for children who were affluent.

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