SHOWER Those You Love with Love

Shower the people you love with love, show them the way that you feel…these lyrical words sound dreamy when they come out of James Taylor’s mouth. He wrote the song “Shower the People” in 1975 as a positive anthem that is ultimately about encouraging people to express whatever love they feel.

moon and back

"I Love You to the Moon and Back!"-- a wonderful way to tell your child you adore them! Purchase your own, I Love You to the Moon and Back! Use promo code SAVE10 and get 10% off your purchase. Offer expires by the end of the day! 

Is this kind of showering of love the reason we name the parties thrown for babies—Baby Showers? The party known as a “shower” today might include a brunch, a meal, and a tower of baby necessities wrapped up in paper and bows.  Showers are a time when family or friends gather to celebrate the union of a couple or the addition of a baby in someone’s life.

Long ago, a celebration of a new child often coincided with his or her debut or christening, depending on the family’s religious background. The Victorian Era (or late 19th Century) brought about a tea party honoring the new mother. The umbrella started being a symbol for a shower as those attending the parties might carry an umbrella to the afternoon tea.

Victorian stork

Emily Post mentions in her 1937 version of Etiquette: The Blue Book of Social Usage that a “stork shower” – was at first a Christening party, but later explained under American Neighborhood Customs that it was a friendly neighborhood gathering for a bride-to-be or in expectation of the arrival of the stork.

Spring is a time when another Mother is busy—Mother Nature, that is. ‘She’ starts to wreak havoc on the blue skies with rain to make the grass greener and flowers start to bloom. As the old saying goes…April Showers Bring May Flowers. Spring is a time of birth.

femalesign

Letter 2 Word thought April would be the appropriate month to create the perfect baby shower gift—or a gift for anyone expecting a little bundle that they want to announce an arrival, we call it the Shower Stork.

The STORK. According to German folklore, storks found babies in caves or marshes and brought them to households in a basket held in their beaks. The babies would be dropped down the chimney of a hopeful mother. Households would notify when they wanted children by placing sweets for the stork on the window sill. Generally the stork icon symbolizes an exciting announcement—like a birth or an adoption—of a new family member. The stork surprises everyone by bringing a little package tied up in a kerchief, to be flown in carefully to grace a home with its new addition.

The Shower Stork is created as a chalkboard option versus pink or blue to gives versatility in the announcement. It allows you to write in the logistics---date, weight, sex, name, or you can even get creative. My personal favorite was the sign my brother wrote at the birth of my first child --in blue marker…”10 Fingers, 10 Toes” – and everyone made their own assumptions—healthy baby boy!

storkcameron

Now on that chalkboard stork, you could put the symbols for male (circle with an arrow) or a +sign topped by a circle for a girl—to symbolize the sex of new babe.

Blast from the past: I remember when people used to rent the yard stork to announce the baby—but this is much more versatile! You can put it on the entry door, stick on the front of a house, and later move it to the baby’s room and change the words to say “Shhhh…..Sleeping Baby," Write the baby's name in a cute font for their bedroom door! 

"Storkster" is an exclusive piece and not yet offered in our line. Don’t you want to be one of the first to own or give the gift of Storkster for a front door announcement? 

It's Contest Time! 

Forward this week’s blog to your friends and family….let those you love enjoy the fun as well!

1. Visit Letter2Word Facebook page

2. You will see a post that says "Storkster Contest" go to that post and "like" the post. If you haven't already "liked" the Letter2Word page now is the time to do that as well! Stay up on the latest L2W news :) 

3. In the comments section of the post tag yourself and a new momma or momma to be!

4. Here's where the Showering those you love with love comes into play! After you tag yourself and your momma friend into the post both of your names are automatically be entered into the drawing to win Storkster! If your name is selected both you and your friend will win your very own exclusive Storkster!

5. The contest ends Sunday, April 10th and the winner will be announced on our Facebook page at 10am CST on April 11th. Best of Luck! 

“Just shower the people you love with love, show them the way that you feel.
Things are gonna work out fine if you only will do as I say, just
shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel.
Things are gonna be much better if you only will.”

(Shower the People, by James Taylor, album In the Pocket 1976)

 

By Ann K. Nicknish  (BWG--The Blogging Word Girl)

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