All of our birthday party invitations have included a footnote “Gifts not necessary,” if for no other reason than we wanted to avoid the endless piles of plastic that seem to dominate children’s gifts these days.  We’ve received pointed questions and murmurs from parents wondering what our deal is.  The New York Times now reports that no gift parties are not only a growing trend, but families are incorporating lessons about philanthropy in there as well.

Don’t be surprised if the next birthday party you attend has a requested donation to a child’s favorite charity.  This trend is all the rage, although some experts believe that children lose the valuable lesson of choosing a gift for someone and then actually giving it.  The long term trends are yet to be determined.