My darling friend, who is from Armenia, had a lovely baby shower yesterday. She was glowing and cheerful while being the center of attention at this mostly american tradition. Yes, the way we celebrate baby showers here in the US is very different from how they are celebrated abroad!
I learned from her that in Armenia a party is held for the mother and child after the baby is born. The party is usually held at the new mother's home with family members spending countless hours and days preparing for the occasion and cooking authentic homemade foods and desserts. Mmmmmmmmm... Registering for gifts is not common as most ladies call the new mother directly and know exactly what to bring as a gift. This is actually very practical as the amount of returned gift items must be extremely low! (I remember going back and forth to Babies R Us a thousand times to return and exchange gifts!)
And what about all those baby shower games?
This too is mostly part of our american baby shower tradition. Abroad ladies prefer talking and storytelling. In addition, eating and critiquing all the homemade foods and deserts takes up quite a bit of time.
As long as there is a celebration of love, gathering with friends and family before or after the baby is born doesn't really matter.
I'm curious, when would you prefer a baby shower...before or after the baby is born and why?
