Charlotte's 'No Crap Parties' movement frees parents from plastic gifting

Charlotte Mason-Curl started the No Crap Parties movement to help other parents resist the gifting status quo at kids’ parties. She says it’s led to fewer awkward moments, less plastic tat – and more true connection

Charlotte Mason-Curl started the No Crap Parties movement to help other parents resist the gifting status quo at kids’ parties. She says it’s led to fewer awkward moments, less plastic tat – and more true connection

The balloons! The games! The sugar high! The table groaning with panic-bought presents. And of course, the party bag full of plastic doo-dahs, all destined to end up in landfill. Just what we always wanted … said no parent ever.

For families firmly in the pass-the-parcel years, birthday invites can be a source of stress, or even shame. Some 40% of parents say they dread the gifting aspect, while only 9% love it. But parties wouldn’t be parties without any presents … right?

Not according to No Crap Parties, a grassroots movement aiming to bin gifting conventions for something more sustainable – and more joyful.

“A lot of people see gifting as a love language,” says founder Charlotte Mason-Curl, mum to Heidi, four, and Max, 18 months. “Everyone wants the best for their kids, but we’re sold this idea that ‘the best’ means having loads of stuff. When actually, what kids really want is time with their loved ones.”

Like many parents, Mason-Curl experienced a rush of climate anxiety after the birth of her daughter. “I had this moment of going: ‘Oh my god, what is the world going to be like when she’s my age?’” Hearing about the slew of invites and “plastic tat” that awaited her once Heidi started school, she became determined to turn the tide.

“In the UK we buy around 28.5m new presents every year for kids’ parties aged 11 and under. And if a million children each attend five parties a year, and each party has a party bag with three plastic items in it, that’s 15 million short-lived pieces of plastic being handed out every year. It’s bonkers.”

Inspired by the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign, which helps parents present a united front in the struggle with big tech, she launched the Kids’ Party Pact – a digital pledge to take a low-waste approach to hosting and attending birthday parties. The response from parents has been overwhelmingly positive, and relieved. “I thought we were the only family who had these concerns and gripes,” wrote one signee. “So happy other parents feel the same!”

Beyond the environmental impact, there are other reasons to hold back the party avalanche. Clutter is high on the list for many pledgers, as well as the prohibitive cost. When surveyed, 43% said that having to buy presents for children’s parties put a strain on their family’s finances. Then there’s the sheer mental load of choosing, buying and wrapping all those gifts – a job that invariably falls on mums (of @no.crap.parties’ 4,300 Instagram followers, 95% are female).

The pact has three parts: agreeing not to give plastic-filled party bags; to give secondhand, homemade or experience gifts (or none); and to issue guidance on greener gifts for their own children. Parents can choose to sign whichever parts appeal to them.

What kids really want is time with their loved ones