# Tacky, Tacky, Tacky! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 13, 2000, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacky-tacky-tacky/12826 "2000-01-13T15:14:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacky-tacky-tacky/12826/21 "2000-01-15T01:33:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by voguevixen: > \*\* Not expected? Are you sure about that? No cheap guests were ever taken “for a drive” after the ceremony? 😉 > \*\* Um, VV, when the guests arrived, and were greeted by Uncle Guido and his violin case, they all must have decided _not to be cheap_ at this wedding! * * * “Teaching without words and work without doing are understood by very few.” -Tao Te Ching ---
**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacky-tacky-tacky/12826/22 "2000-01-15T02:12:00Z")
We had this event at our house because …we are here and these people were in town. They could have gone to dinner. Some person, probably my wife’s friend, passed a hat around for donations. It more than paid for the food we bought. I was a bit embarrassed. ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacky-tacky-tacky/12826/23 "2000-01-15T04:45:00Z")
Enright3- I didn’t read th OP as if her son did not know about it, but you do have a point, he doesn’t know the girl, he might not even want to go. Dem-I don’t mean to speak for Opal, but I don’t think she meant the money dance was truly tacky (or maybe she did), it was a pun, a rather funny one i thought, _pin_ money on the gown…_tacky_ I like the money dance, too. I tie the bills in knots before tossing them out, though. * * * If your head is wax, don’t walk in the sun. -Benjamin Franklin ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacky-tacky-tacky/12826/24 "2000-01-15T16:59:00Z")
Geesh, if the parents didn’t want to pay the three bucks for the kids’ meal, they should have had the party at home. It’s not like the kids are going to eat the burger anyway; they’ll be too excited to eat. I agree though that you shouldn’t punish a child for the sins of the parents. I’d let my child go (with the $3 and the Lego’s wrapped up) and genuinely wish the birthday child well. Hopefully he’ll grow up with more couth than his parents. I know, I know, doubtful. P.S. The tackiest shower I’ve been to was my cousin’s baby shower. After she opened up all the gifts, she handed everyone a typed and xeroxed poem, that basically thanked everyone for their thoughtfulness. It was touching until her mother said, “Well, I thought it would be easier for her than having to write out all those thank you notes.” Oh. ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacky-tacky-tacky/12826/25 "2000-01-15T17:16:00Z")
Legos **and** Happy Meals!! When I was a lad we were grateful for the homemade sheetcake with gritty icing! (Dollar dance, OK; registration, OK, but I usually’ll get something I want to give; asking a stanger for a bike for your kid? Firebomb their house while they’re at Mickey Dee’s) * * * You are now leaving a “Smiley-free zone”! A public service message brought to you by G.R.O.S.S. ---
**Author:** ![Petite\_Chouchou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@Petite\_Chouchou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petite_Chouchou)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacky-tacky-tacky/12826/26 "2000-01-15T17:20:00Z")
Not pertaining to tacky kids parties, but I have a tacky story to contribute… About 10 years ago, we went to my cousins “shot-gun” wedding in Tahoe. He was getting married at one of those cheesy wedding chapels to his already-showing girlfriend. While hastily choosing her dress, I guess she forgot that she was showing , as the dress was tight across her belly. Anyway, I digress. We’re at this chapel, music playing over a tape-player, sitting in metal folding chairs. About the nicest thing aboout this chapel is that there is a picture window over the altar and you can see the sun and the mountains, etc. Anyways, the bride starts to come down the aisle and, as she walks towards the window, we can see that she’s not weaking a slip under her frilly Gunne Sax frock. Eyebrows were raised and smiles were covered. BUT when she gets almost to the front of the chapel, she shrieks, “MY BO-KAY (sic), MY BO-KAY! I forgot my BO-KAY!!!” So, she runs back UP the aisle, grabs the bouquet, rewinds the tape, and does a re-dux like nothing ever happened. Tacky, tacky, tacky… PC * * * My cat’s breath smells like cat food. –Ralph Wiggum ---
**Author:** ![Petite\_Chouchou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@Petite\_Chouchou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petite_Chouchou)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacky-tacky-tacky/12826/27 "2000-01-15T17:22:00Z")
BTW, the happy couple went on to divorce, conceive another child, marry again, divorce again…in that order. Who knew? * * * My cat’s breath smells like cat food. –Ralph Wiggum ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacky-tacky-tacky/12826/28 "2000-01-15T19:30:00Z")
My upper-upper middle class brother in Atlanta reports to me that kids birthday parties there have turned into something like weddings, held at fancy restaurants, special catered meals and entertainment, elaborate party favors, etc. My daughter’s birthdays were always held in the house - decorated with balloons - I would spring for a supermarket cake. Then when she turned 11 she said she didn’t want any more parties (thank God) and so we all went out to dinner and bought her one nice present. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2000, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacky-tacky-tacky/12826/29 "2000-01-16T07:17:00Z")
Petite, Have these people every been on Jerry Springer? Maybe I’ll catch them on the Too Hot For T.V. tape! I can’t wait! Enright3 ---
**Author:** ![tatertot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@tatertot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tatertot)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2000, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacky-tacky-tacky/12826/30 "2000-01-16T23:19:00Z")
I wished I’d been at that wedding that Petite Chouchou described, now that’s entertainment. I went to the party today, and it was nothing special. It was actually pretty lame, because the Burger King didn’t have a play area, so the kids just made a nuisance out of themselves. Luckily, it was during a slow time, so not too many people’s lunches were ruined by a bunch of screaming, out of control children. I was happy to note that only one person bought anything off of the list. SUCKER! All in all, I was bored out of my mind (although to be fair, I did go to two kid’s parties yesterday, so I was pretty partied out) and we left as soon as decently possible. For all those who suggested that we not go, I would have been happy to stay home, but my husband had already told our son about it and there was no telling him no. (Well, I could have, but it just seemed like a mean thing to do.) Like I said before, we live on an Army post, so it is not unknown for people who just moved here to invite their co-workers kids to a birthday party, especially if the child is really young. Nobody minds, because we’ve all been there. ---
**Author:** ![tatertot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@tatertot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tatertot)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2000, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacky-tacky-tacky/12826/31 "2000-01-16T23:29:00Z")
I just remembered another incredibly tacky thing, this time unfortunatly involving my own relatives. My father and his siblings are not close at all, not estranged or anything, but they don’t write, call only if someone dies, you get the picture. Well, my father’s sister had a daughter who one day, out of the blue sends him this form letter announcing she’s going to someplace in Africa with her church group to dig a ditch or some such thing. Of course, it requests a “contribution” to pay for her trip. On the bottom, she drew a happy face with “I Love You Uncle”. Keep in mind, she’d never written him before, so this really disgusted all of us. So my father writes her this hilarious letter about how he is so moved by her desire to help the Africans, that he decided to send a couple hundred bucks straight to Africa to hire an actual African to dig the ditch, pump money into the local economy and all that good stuff. He knew she wouldn’t mind not going since now the problem was solved and she could concentrate her good works on digging ditches for the poor in her own home town. Of course, he wimped out and didn’t send it. In fact, I think he sent fifty bucks to keep peace in the family. I would have given anything to see the look on her face if she’d read the letter! ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacky-tacky-tacky/12826/32 "2000-01-17T22:19:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Petite Chouchou: > **About 10 years ago, we went to my cousins “shot-gun” wedding in Tahoe. He was getting married at one of those cheesy wedding chapels to his already-showing girlfriend…** ## I guess that’s what it means to be married in Winchester™ Cathedral Come let us go, I’ve a cask of amontillado. ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacky-tacky-tacky/12826/33 "2000-01-17T22:48:00Z")
I agree with the OP, T-A-C-K-Y! However. . . > [@](#): > > I find the whole gift-registry thing tacky, mainly because it’s clearly something invented by department stores to sell more stuff. If I am going to fork out money for a wedding gift, I want to give them something they want, need, and will match their decorum. Besides, it sure makes shopping a lot easier. ## :::shrug::: \>^,^\< KITTEN Fluff yer hair Beula, I’s feelin frisky - M.S. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacky-tacky-tacky/12826.md?page=1)