"Goomba" wrote

>>> I don't think it matters where it is being done, it is bad manners. It
>>> is putting the screws on social acquaintances to get gifts and picking
>>> the gifts yourself.

We were talking WEDDING showers combined with housewarming.

>> It was the way it was done in the 1800's. Kinda stopped around 1900 or
>> so.
>
> What exactly are you talking about happening here? And can you cite

A wedding, it is traditional even now to register for china and such.

> where you got this information?

History. I find it interesting to know what my grandparents and great
grandparents were up to.

> And are we speaking of people who were barely scraping by or by "society"?
> Or something in between?

Does it matter? The less monied folks did what they could to emulate the
more moneied folks. Go look at some old newspapers and you can see the
wedding announcement often had a list of where they were registered at as
well.

>> Anyone going to a housewarming is expected to bring a housewarming gift.
>> It just depends culturally on what that is.
> A small token housewarming gift is NOT exactly the same thing as being
> mentioned here in this thread. Tacky gift-extortion (specific gifts, high
> dollar items, inviting strangers) is more what we're complaining about.

You are still thinking they expected one person to buy the whole thing. If
they did, they were idiots as that's not how such are normally done. You
put down 10$ or so towards the goal item. OR you bring a gift, OR you do
both with a small gift.