Holidays can be a fantastic time to have a baby shower. Friends and family are already in a celebratory mood. Many times, travel is a little easier, especially if they already have time off for the holiday. While Christmas is the first holiday that comes to mind, it may not be the best time for a baby shower. Most people are already in the gift and party frenzy. Adding one more can feel like too much. But there are a lot of other holidays throughout the year that can add some fun to your shower.
Valentine’s Day
What better way to celebrate love than with the love you bear a new baby? There are many lovely ways to integrate Valentines into your baby shower.
Invitations
There are several ways to have a Valentine’s Day themed invitation. You can have invitations that say something like “Come Celebrate Our Little Sweetheart.” You can even print these up and die cut them to look like giant conversation hearts. You might also consider text like, “We’re in Love! Come and celebrate our new little Valentine!” and follow it with the name of the child. Whenever you print the invitations, go ahead and print matching thank you notes. That way, when you are addressing the invitations, you can address the thank you envelopes. Pack them with a pad of sticky notes for the shower. At the shower, have someone record each gift on a sticky note that you can place with the appropriate envelope. This makes writing thank you notes easier for a Mom that will soon be very busy!
Food
There are so many lovely ways to celebrate the baby and day with food. A fun and festive brunch can be a special way to serve your guests. Think about tiny heart-shaped pancakes. If you have a steady hand, these are easy to cook on a hot griddle. Just use a tablespoon and make the shape on the pan. You can add chicken nuggets skewered between mini waffles for a fun “chicken and waffle” bite.
Sweets are almost a necessity for a Valentine’s themed shower. Consider bright red cherry soda with the labels replaced with the name of the baby or the mom. Try making a tray of rice cereal treats. Place the soft treat in a lined jelly roll pan and let it set. Then take a small heart-shaped cookie cutter and cut out treat hearts. You can place the hearts on a serving plate, or press each heart on a lollipop stick for more fun.
Decorations
There are so many wonderful ways to decorate for a Valentines shower. You can go classis with Victorian valentines strewn around tables full of floral decorations. You can also go fun and kitschy with paper heart streamers and heart-shaped balloons. Be sure to keep your party local in mind when you choose.
Games
Who Loves ya Baby? Ask your guests to send their own baby pictures to the hostess before the party. Add numbers to each picture and print them out and hang them in a central location. Give each guest a list and ask them to match the baby with the guest. The one who matches the most wins. Also place a sealed jar full of chocolate kisses or conversation hearts in a central local and ask each guest to guess how many candies are in the jar. The winner gets to take the sweet treat home.
Halloween
Nothing says “new baby” like mummies and monsters, right? Maybe if you’re the Addams Family. But you can have lots of fun celebrating a new baby with a Spooky flair.
Invitations
Think about invitations that say something like “A Baby’s Brewing!” or “Let’ welcome our new Boooo-y!” (Or new Ghoul, whichever the case may be.) Then there is the ever popular: “Look who’s becoming a Mummy?” You can decorate this invitation with a Mummy and her baby bump. Be sure to add the pertinent information for your shower. When you print the invitations, don’t forget the thank you notes, and be sure to pack them with your shower needs.
Food
There are loads of fun foods for a Halloween Shower. Of course, you will need to offer your guests bowls of trick-or-treat candy. After all, who can resist a fun-sized candy bar? Don’t forget other season treats such as candy corn or mellocream pumpkins.
If you are looking for a (slightly) healthier option, why not have a caramel apple bar. Simply fill a crock pot with caramels and let them melt. Then offer your guests clean apples, sticks and toppings. Your guests can dip the apples in the hot caramel then roll them in toppings such as cookie crumbs, crushed nuts, or sprinkles. Your guests can either eat them at the shower, or you can add decorated bags so they can take them home.
Don’t forget hot drinks, especially if you live in an area where October is a chilly month. Pumpkin spice lattes and spiced cider are usually welcome.
Decorations
Don’t forget to use some of your food as decoration. Place White pillar candles in the center of a glass hurricane and fill around the candle with candy corn. Scatter candy pumpkins around the tables.
Pumpkins are also a frightfully good idea. If you have the talent, try carving a “baby” faced jack-o-lantern. For a sweet keepsake, purchase a paper Mache or plastic pumpkin and spray paint it white. Place it in the entry of your party with a jar of permanent markers and ask guests to “sign in” on the pumpkin.
Games
Do you remember those games you played as a kid, where someone would pass around a bowl of spaghetti noodles and tell you they were veins? Well, you’ve grown up, so the game can too. This time blindfold several guests and hand them bowls of fruit that need to be separated. It might be carrots and grapes, or blackberries and prunes. It depends on how squishy you want to be. Give each guest a minute and see who can separate the most.
Finally, you can have a “Lil Pumpkin Carving Contest.” Ask guests to carve a pumpkin to reflect what they think the baby will look like. You can even let the guests bring their masterpieces home.