When did baby showers become full-blown theatrical productions?

By @edieliterally · Family

I spent a month knitting a beautiful baby blanket for my niece's shower, just like my grandmother made for me. When she opened it, she gave a polite, confused smile and put it aside to get back to the mountain of beige-colored items on her registry.

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I was so excited for my niece's baby shower. When I was pregnant, my own shower was in my mom's living room with cake and punch, and my friends and aunts all brought little outfits and passed-down treasures. It was simple, and it was about community. This, however, was something else entirely. It was at a rented 'event space' with a flower wall, a professional photographer, and a theme that was just the color... greige. Everything looked like an Instagram filter. I don't mind a theme, but the vibe was just... off. Nobody was really talking to each other; they were just taking photos of the decor. And the gift situation was the most baffling part. There was a QR code on the invitation that linked to a registry with hundreds of items. Very specific, very expensive, high-tech things I'd never heard of. I'm a bit old-fashioned, so I decided to make something myself. I have a beautiful pattern for a baby blanket that my own grandmother used, and I spent weeks knitting it with the softest wool. I was so proud of it. When it came time for gifts, she sat in a big wicker chair and opened one identical box after another, all from the registry. When she got to mine, which I'd wrapped in simple paper, the mood shifted. She opened it, held up the blanket, and said, 'Oh, it's... vintage! Thank you, Auntie.' Then she folded it quickly, set it on the floor next to her, and grabbed the next box. It wasn't mean, exactly, but it felt so dismissive. It felt like my gift, my time, was an inconvenience because it didn't fit the brand.

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