Return gifts ... hmmm... The kid in me still likes to see a little return gift now and then 😳
I can't say that it's a recent trend, fad or fashion. The practice of producing a "return gift" for your guests was in use when I was far younger and even when my mother was a little girl.
I've grown up seeing them as a token of appreciation from the host to the guests for having come, enjoyed and participated with them in the special occasion. Gift returns can also be seen as a momento by which the guests can remember the occasion and celebrations.
Like Gauridi, the last few parties I threw (it's been a few years, even for me ) involved return gifts my friends had, had an active role in creating. Good old Walmart supplied plain t-shirts, cheap fabric paint, and some whimsical stamp-pads. The rest was up to us girls 😃 My Sweet Sixteen (where did the years go!? 😕) involved blank frames, paint, glitter and accessories such as shells.
This provided for a great activity for all of us to enjoy together and bond over, and also gave a personalized "return gift" or "momento" of the special evening to my friends.
This interactive creation of return gifts, you could say, is a fad. I've seen parties where kids made their own doorknob tags, jewelry boxes (it's a community of girls for the most part), etc.
Sentiments vary. Some people may see return gifts as pretentious symbols of false appreciation, or unneccesary social etiquette, a passing fad, etc. I see return gifts as a means of thanking the people who took the time out of their lives (face it, we're all ridiculously "busy" in something or the other these days) to come and celebrate with me. Sure, a card might be enough...but to me a return gift is that little extra token (nothing extravagent) that says that your involvement was really special and meant a lot to me.
I think I should make another post for the topic of gifts and their prices 😆
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