What do you think of this idea? Parents asking for donations instead of gifts at their children's birthday parties. Anyone ever encounter this?
I've heard of it at weddings. But not at birthday parties.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/03/27/bi...imeout_from_parents/

My son has been to one such party - I think they asked for a $5 donation to CHOM. It was a load off my mind - I always have trouble picking gifts for other people's kids. And I have thought about doing it at my house. We've already instituted, within the family, a "no plastic" rule for gift-giving occasions - we don't exactly have no plastic whatsoever, but none of that cheap multi-part plastic stuff that lasts just a couple of weeks and then goes off to the landfill somewhere to pollute the planet.
That said, most of my friends and family know of our preferences and tend to bring small gifts like books or art supplies. And we don't do big parties for a our children. It's just family and our neighbors for our 3 year-old so far, and when our son turned 7 last year, I limited him to 5 friends and we had the party at home as always. We don't do a big production - I always make the cake and the kids play and have fun while the adults visit.

I think that is a great idea. I have heard of a few parents requesting on b-day party invitations that guests not bring gifts, but I'd never heard of them asking for donations to a charity instead. Most kids have way more toys then the need anyway. The amount of toys I've seen in some people's houses is just ridiculas. Mounds and mounds of junk everywhere.