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Forum
-> Yom Tov / Holidays
-> Purim
yidishmamma
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 Wed, Jan 16 2013, 10:23 am
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I also don't do any themes.. Whatever kids wanna b they will dress up as
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zaq
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Wed, Jan 16 2013, 10:41 am
| Culturedpearls wrote: | Am I the only one who doesn't "do" mm themes or dress their kids up in themed costumes?
To me mm is the mitzva, which we do b'hidur but no theme. Costumes are left to the kids imagination, so if my DD wants to be a kalla (again) that's fine with me.
Am I the only one? |
Not at all.
"Themed" MM are a relatively new phenomenon--new from the perspective of someone who's been sending MM for 30-40 years, that is, not from the perspective of a 20-year-old. There will always be people who feel they have to not only keep up but outdo everyone else. This is why present-day lechaims resemble the vorts of yesteryear, vorts are like weddings and weddings are circuses.
Themes can be cute and an outlet for creativity. Some people find that with themes they can make an impression at lower cost, because the cheapie contents are now not just cheap for the sake of being cheap but part of a unified whole. So be it.
There is no mitzvah of having a theme for MM. There is also no mitzvah to wrap one's MM in a handmade gift basket with matching cellophane and wired ribbon. You'd be yotze the mitzvah by giving your neighbor a container of yogurt and an orange, with or without the brown paper bag making it a "brown bag lunch" theme.
It's nice to know there are still people around who haven't been sucked into the mindset of
MM as a competitive sport.
ETA: I'm a shameless recycler and love getting MM in fancy packaging that I can salvage and reuse. The MM we send are almost all different because what are the chances of getting multiple identical containers? In a way this is good, b/c people can't go to other people's houses and say "Oh, you got MM from the Zaqariases, too!"
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spring13
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Wed, Jan 16 2013, 11:36 am
Judging by my first Purim in my current location, themes are common (at least for MM, if not for family costumes) but over-the-top is not. Everything I got last year was low-key.
I decided that my personal schtick is going to be bread. I like baking, it's nice to give/receive real food, and I just got a bread machine so I have years of playing around with recipes ahead. A couple of rolls and a drink and there you go. A perma-theme!
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chulentalakiddush
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Wed, Jan 16 2013, 1:20 pm
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This is our first year doing a theme and it's b/c my kids (ages 6 and 3) want it. They are so excited about what they picked. They've been talking about it since September! Hopefully, when it's time to do all the work they will be still excited and help make the MM.
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amother
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Wed, Jan 16 2013, 9:51 pm
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theme?? I'm so busy trying to keep from coming unglued, I have no energy to think up a theme....
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amother
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Wed, Jan 16 2013, 11:02 pm
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purim comes and I just wanna hide under my covers... I dont have patience for anything like this and last minute I always make myself crazy... is it almost purim again???
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cm
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Wed, Jan 16 2013, 11:03 pm
It never occurred to me to match costumes and MM.
We have always given rather modest goody bags (think along the lines of two hamantaschen and a juice box), as we were accustomed to in our youth, and were taken aback by the overwhelming excess when we moved to a different neighborhood as newlyweds. We still give small goody bags, but now dd and I like to come up with a theme such as a particular type of food - it's just a little more fun, along the lines of making birthday party goody bags that match the party theme. When dd outgrows it, we will probably revert to the classic "Purim" theme.
Fortunately, our current neighborhood is quite mixed, and while some people give elaborate gifts, many have chosen to buck the trend along with us and keep the focus on the mitzvah, so we are not embarrassed or considered peculiar for giving small MM.
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UQT
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Wed, Jan 16 2013, 11:31 pm
I do a theme every year - I love the creative part of it. Many of my friends don't and I enjoy a good salad, yummy baked good and pretty packaging or regular good food. MM is a great way to reconnect with friends/family I don't get to see all year and that's the point to generate goodwill. Don't stress out if you can't do it - no one is judging you at all. But for the people who want to - I think it should be OK too.
My kids can wear whatever they want though - yup we do the Kallah 4 years running too!
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oliveoil
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Thu, Jan 17 2013, 12:10 am
I also don't do themes.
Let the kids choose whatever they want to dress up as! Why should they have to be matchy matchy with their siblings? It's like the teachers who make all the kids do identical craft projects instead of letting them really make it theirs.
As for the mishloach manot, it's usually the theme ones that are a random assortment of inedible odds and ends, purchased only with the intention of matching the theme. The recipient was never part of the equation.
I will happily continue letting my children be children and enjoy purim the way it is meant to be enjoyed.
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bless
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Thu, Jan 17 2013, 1:01 am
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I just try to get something tasty and pretty for the cheapest price
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Isramom8
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Thu, Jan 17 2013, 1:58 am
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I remember close to 30 years ago my mother trying to describe that a woman she knew "made her shalach manos all about fish; they have salmon and gummy fish on a fish shaped dish - it's coordinated". In other words, our Purim related vocabulary didn't yet contain the word "theme".
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Simple1
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Thu, Jan 17 2013, 2:13 am
Most people I get from - which is not too many - don't give themes. But I've seen even without themes, some can be pretty fancy with nice packaging. I have one relative who does a theme - but it's not elaborate at all and they add a small typed note which usually expresses their humorous personality.
I don't do matching costumes with themes, but I don't mind at all if others do - we actually find it entertaining. Is coordinating the contents of your MM a theme? Because sometimes I end up doing that just to keep it neat. Ex. fruity stuff, Israeli, or crackers and Jelly etc.
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Isramom8
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Thu, Jan 17 2013, 2:38 am
I'm certainly not opposed to receiving a nice themed mishloach manot!
  
If you want to be that creative, go right ahead! No pressure.
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happy12
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Thu, Jan 17 2013, 8:07 am
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No theme- Kids get to dress up in whatever they find in our extended family purim costume bin. Shalach monos - got to cost under $2.
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Isramom8
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Thu, Jan 17 2013, 8:21 am
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One year our kids were happily diving into our extended costume collection. (We use them for playing all year.) Everyone but one daughter found something to wear for Purim. I comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, I'll buy you a costume from the store!" She bawled and said, "I don't want a costume from the store! I want a costume from the CLOSET!"
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Culturedpearls
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Thu, Jan 17 2013, 8:47 am
I save all my creativity for the seuda. We typically have a huge one & this year being Sunday promises to be even better.
What I'd really like to find time for is to really daaven properly on such an auspicious day.
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dee's mommy
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Thu, Jan 17 2013, 9:16 am
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I tend not to do themes either. I just make something nice (and healthy) and dress my daughter up in whatever we have available.
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esmom
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Thu, Jan 17 2013, 9:36 am
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I love doing themes but I hate the stress that comes along with it. I try doing something creative yet simple to make
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