Fewer people opening presents at bridal showers

May 05, 2009

A national columnist who focuses on social etiquette and manners has found a traditional party trend fading from various celebrations.

To put it bluntly, some people are no longer opening their presents in front of their guests.

Judith Martin, also known as Miss Manners, described this tradition as "not the best thought-out custom" in one of her recent columns.

Specifically, Martin refers to how opening presents plays out during bridal showers, which she says can "become tedious, putting a damper on conversation and a strain on expressing admiration for duplicate presents."

Furthermore, the idea of any surprise presents is gone since most bridal showers are equipped with a gift registry, which can allow the guest of honor to see for herself what she is getting by logging online.

Instead of going through the motions of opening numerous presents, Miss Manners suggested abolishing the practice altogether and taking the presents home and opening them in private. However, for people who still want that aspect incorporated into their party, she recommends issuing spending caps for presents instead of using a gift registry, which will bring back the element of surprise.