With the wealth of toys, branded junk foods and advertisements flooding the market, kids are inundated with the message that more is better, and plenty is not enough. Birthday parties are ripe for celebrations of consumer goods, but if you dread competitive gift-giving or just too many toys on the living room floor, consider a present-free birthday party. Instead of gifts, party guests bring money or goods, which are then donated to a charity of the birthday child’s choosing. This cuts down on the spending and the sense of being inundated by a tide of unnecessary junk, and will let you focus on other important birthday issues, like just how much sugar your child is ingesting.
