The New Shower Etiquette: Why More Hosts Are Skipping the Gift-Opening Tradition

Editor’s Note: This article contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Across Northeast Ohio right now—in community Facebook groups from Stow to Aurora , and in group texts between friends in Hudson —one surprisingly emotional topic keeps popping up: baby and wedding showers where the gifts are not opened in front of guests. What used to be a predictable finale in a Cuyahoga Falls banquet hall—cake, coffee, and an hour of unwrapping—has shifted. At some showers today, the party wraps up, the honoree thanks everyone, and the unopened gifts head straight to the car. For some, this feels efficient and modern. For others, it’s almost unthinkable. These aren’t theoretical debates. They’re coming from real people across the region, reacting to real events they’ve attended. “Old School” Expectations: Respect, Ritual, and the Joy of Wrapping Paper In online discussions from Parma to Mentor , a familiar sentiment appears: public gift‑opening isn’t just tradition—it’s respect. One woman described a recent wedding shower this way: “Went to a wedding shower where none of the gifts were opened at the shower. After eating and playing a few games the bride-to-be packed all of the unopened gifts into her car and took them home. Nobody got to see any of the gifts the bride got! Is this a new trend? If so what is the reason? I always thought watching the bride open the gifts was so everyone could enjoy seeing all the gifts that she received. Has anyone experienced this? Is this the future of wedding/baby showers? I’m ‘old school’ and am perplexed by this!” Others in Strongsville and Brunswick echoed the feeling that skipping the unwrapping is more than a minor tweak—it’s a breach of etiquette. “It is weird and confusing. Same thing happened at a baby ‘sprinkle’ I went to. It’s like, seriously? People took the time, thought and money into buying these gifts and you’re not going to open them? It comes off rude to me. I mean I get it can be boring and take awhile to get through presents, but it’s being polite and respectful.” The pleasure isn’t just in the reaction—it starts before the party even begins. One longtime gift‑giver in Mayfield Heights lamented: “I personally always enjoyed choosing the prettiest wrapping paper and ribbon when I had to wrap a gift. All part of the fun of giving. Guess I like tradition as well, I enjoy the gift unwrapping. Hope this won’t be the next set of lay offs, gift wrapping etc. companies ” For many in more traditional circles, the shower is also one of the few times extended family comes together. One commenter tied that directly to generational tension: “I think Gen X and later have much different standards. Showers are places where the matriarchs of the family all get together (moms, grammas, aunts, cousins) which rarely happens anymore. Is it boring? Sure. But you get to mingle with family you rarely see and Gen Z is a bit selfish and doesn’t see that. They truly are the take the gifts and run generation… Hanging around and opening gifts is a small price to pay for asking people you hardly know to stock your life with things you can’t afford without their help.” Some put it even more bluntly: “If you don’t want to have a shower people can just send stuff to your house. If you have a shower open the gifts, eat some food, laugh. And we will call it successful. The new style of life and new traditions are just plain awful.” The Case for Change: Boredom, Time, and Social Comfort On the flip side, plenty of residents in Lakewood and Beachwood —especially younger hosts and honorees—see things very differently. They argue that what looks like disrespect is often about practicality and people‑focused priorities. One expectant mom who recently hosted a large baby shower explained: “We did this… and my guests were more than relieved we didn’t sit there and spend 2 hours opening gifts. Honestly, as someone who attends many showers… that part is soo boring I can care less what they are getting… With close to 60 people there it would have taken forever to get through the gifts and I wouldn’t have gotten a chance to mingle and actually enjoy the company of my guests.” She pushed back on the idea that skipping the ritual is selfish: “Just because someone doesn’t like it or agree doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Honestly, I dread the present part at every single shower… if someone has something worth opening I’m sure that the guest of honor would gladly open for others to see.” Others are even more direct: “Am I the only one who thinks it’s boring to watch somebody open all those gifts?” Another person framed it around what showers should be about: “I don’t see a problem with it. The point is the celebration and the support. If it’s to celebrate the gifts/gift givers then that’s backwards thinking… Again, the celebration is the point.” Display Showers and “Please Don’t Wrap”: The Compromise Trend