How to Give the Gift of Presence… Hosting a Long Distance Shower
Sometimes there is just no way to gather everyone together in one place. Perhaps you are having a shower for friends and family locally, but she has many others who are scattered in different locations. Obviously, it would be best if any out of town guests could attend.
If possible, the shower should be scheduled so that it is
possible for them to be present, but if there is no way to
accomplish this, there are still a few things you can do.
One option is a videotape shower. This means that those
family members and friends who are at another location
actually host a separate shower. They can designate someone
to be the "mommy-to-be", and that person can open the
presents and act in the place of the real mommy-to-be (a
pillow under the shirt is optional). There should be cake
and games, just like any other shower. The shower is
videotaped and then given to the mother-to-be. The tape can
either be sent directly to her and viewed at her leisure, or
if an in-person shower is being held, it would be a nice
touch for the tape to be presented and perhaps even viewed
at the "live" shower. It would also be thoughtful to make
sure that you tape the live shower and send it back home to
the friends and family who are unavailable.
Recently, a high-tech option has become available in the
form of online showers. Invitations are sent, and live chat
rooms are available. There are message boards and online
games. While it certainly won't soon replace the fun of
sitting in a room together any time soon, it provides an
opportunity for sharing in the excitement of the pregnancy
when gathering together is not possible.
Another high-tech option is setting up a live video feed on
a computer. If you have a computer and a web camera, and
there is one available in the out of town location, it would
be fun if out of town friends and family could gather
together while the local shower is being held. They could
either hold a simultaneous shower (similar to the videotape
shower) or send their gifts to the local shower and be
"present" for the opening. If games are going to be played,
any handouts should be sent to the out of town guests, so
that they can "participate", as well. Perhaps they could
even serve the same food.
Friends and family are so important in the life of a woman
expecting a baby. Providing an opportunity for them to be
present in some way for her shower is probably the best gift
that you could give her. If at all possible, find a way to
involve those who can't be physically present.