party

What I forgot to mention in my posts about my mother's visit was the reason she came to visit in the first place. Belinda and I had an engagement party. Well, Belinda's mom threw us an engagement party.

Personally, I didn't want to have an engagement party. I feel that it's completely unnecessary, an excuse to get more gifts, especially if the bride is going to have a bridal shower. But Belinda wanted one, and our wedding is going to be over a year from now. So I can be flexible and I agreed to it, because it's what she wanted. I just had one requirement for the party:

We will not be opening the gifts at the party.

You see, this is a thing for Belinda's family, a family tradition. At every gift-giving event they have, after the cake is cut, the guest of honor (GOH) sits down in a comfy chair, surrounded by gifts. The other guests sit in a circle around the room. The GOH then proceeds to open all the gifts. The card is first, the GOH telling the giver how sweet they are and what excellent taste in chihuahua Hallmark cards they have. Then the card is passed around the room for each and every person to read and comment on. While the card is getting passed, the gift is opened and the guest of honor has to ooh and ahh all saccharine sweet and tell the giver what incredible taste they have in fuchsia costume jewelry.

I know that lots of families do this, but mine never has. I find the practice to be a bit tacky. Last year, when Belinda had a birthday party for me, I flatly refused to open the gifts in front of everyone. Her mother, Ms. Biddlebox, kept saying at that party, "Are you going to open the gifts now? Everyone is waiting!" Belinda was a trooper and she pushed back, and I prevailed, no gift opening.

Not so much at our engagement party. Belinda had a chat with her mother before the party and we all agreed there would be no gift opening and everyone seemed satisfied. What we didn't expect was to get pressure from the guests. Belinda's Aunt Lucy, who I love dearly, kept asking Belinda when the gifts were going to be opened. When Belinda said we weren't going to open the gifts she exclaimed, "Oh, you have to!" as if to save us from committing the most grievous of Emily Postian errors. Then there was her cousin, Connie, who kept saying, "You have to open gifts. You have to! Everyone wants to see!"

So Belinda caved. And I don't blame her.

But I tell you, I tried. I really tried to act pleased-as-punch because as I unwrap the stupidest looking wind chimes I have ever seen. But I am positive that I failed and that I may have been saying, "Oh, we don't have wind chimes, awesome. We definitely needed that." through my clenched teeth, the look on my face was really saying it all.