After reading a book about showers published in 1948, I found myself thinking how simple and practical things were once. They prepared for a shower for a new bride easily without elaborate planning.

The invitations were not very exciting but usually consisted of a correspondence card that you sent notes on with a magazine picture pasted to the front. The decorations were mostly the same one or two items fastened to walls and a centerpiece for the table. Favors and centerpieces sometimes were quite simply made, but very cute.

The party menu consisted of 3 -4 items that were not considered fancy, but special as opposed to the everyday menu. The ingenuity in food sometimes lifted it from the doldrums, but it still was not the feast that most prepare for parties in today's world. The food was good, but not fancy and not overly expensive. A time of entertainment was more about honoring the guest of honor, company and games than food.

It seems in those days a young girl getting married might have several showers, so a general shower, rarely was planned. Each kind of shower had its specific gifts to bring and often its own set of games or activities. For example a bride to be could have a kitchen shower where she would receive the types of gifts you would use in the kitchen. Items for cooking or serving and all the million and one utensils and cooking items considered necessary at a time when women still cooked most meals There could be a linen shower where the gifts would be towels, sheets and table linens( because they had several sets depending on what time of day and what occasion). There were showers for gardening where the bride to be could expect to receive gardening tools, gloves, seeds, plants, and little practical items. The Travel Shower saw that the honeymooner items like sunglasses, jewelry cases, lingerie bags, toiletries and suitcases possibly. There were dozens of kind of showers so that each friend could give the girl a party. It seemed like a very smart idea.

The practical hostess may discuss what each person would bring in order to avoid duplications. The guest would bring fairly small gifts by today's standards and several guests would 'club together' as the book said in order to buy something more expensive.

The party atmosphere was kept up without the expense and fuss most of us go to today. Presenting the gifts in clever ways such as hooking one end of streamers to each gift and have the gifts scattered about the house. The bride would be given the streamer and told to follow it. She would follow each one till she gathered it all together to open. Sometimes there were clues and it was more a mystery. Small gifts may be hung on a tree at a garden shower or a laundry shower might have gifts presented in a new hamper. Often lots of little gifts were piled into a large basket for presentation. I've seen gift streamers from a large umbrella or a total game made out of finding gifts just by playing 'hot or cold.'

They seemed to love games. It was a very down to earth affair with good clean fun and great conversation. The games were sometimes silly, often they just played bridge and sometimes the girl or couple was involved in some silly antics as part of the entertainment.

The showers sound very nice and hostesses kept in mind that you could invite more friends if the menu were simple and cost kept down. There must have been tons of opportunities to go to showers and every newly engaged or about to have a baby woman was feted greatly. Sounds to me like our ancestors had some swell ideas.