The Baby Shower
婴儿送礼会

（拓展学习：熟词僻义 | shower 是一种怎样的给与？）

When the news of the expected baby is known, someone may offer to give a baby shower. Although this type of shower is held less often than it used to be, it is a delightful custom.
孩子即将出世的消息一旦传开，就会有人提出为他举办一场送礼聚会。尽管这种聚会如今已不似从前那么风行，但它仍然是一种令人愉快的习俗。

There should be only one baby shower, not several, and it should not be scheduled until one month before the expected delivery date. Traditionally, the baby shower was held for close female friends and relatives at lunch or during the afternoon on a weekday. Since so many women work today, more and more showers are held on weekends. Usually they are held only for the first baby, since subsequent children are the “beneficiaries ” of the hand-me-downs.
通常这种聚会只举行一次而不是数次，且必须安排在预产期的前一个月。按照惯例，应邀参加婴儿送礼会的只有关系亲密的女性朋友及亲戚，时间选在某个工作日的午餐时分或者下午。由于当今许多妇女都要工作，因而聚会越来越多地改在周末举行。这种聚会通常只为全家第一个孩子举行，因为之后出世的孩子也都是这些礼物的“受益者”。

When a baby shower is held, guests always bring gifts with them. It is a good idea to organize what the guests should bring, so that the parents are not left with fourteen baby bibs, sixteen rattles, and nothing else. Gifts do not need to be elaborate, but should be truly useful. If people give a friend a nice baby shower present, they do not have to send another gift at the time of the baby's birth or christening. If the tragedy of a stillborn baby or an early infant death occurs, the parents' natural reaction will be to return the shower gifts to their friends. The latter will vehemently resist such an action. The friends will always say, “Don't send it back. That sweater will do for the next baby, who'll be along soon. Put it away — it's not going to go out of style.”
聚会时，客人都要送礼物。客人最好事先商量一下送些什么礼物，以免聚会结束时孩子的父母收到14件婴儿围嘴和16只拨浪鼓，其他却什么也没有。礼物不一定要很精美，但应非常实用。在这次聚会上送礼之后，待孩子出世或者接受洗礼时就不必再送礼了。如果不幸发生胎停或婴儿夭折的悲剧，婴儿父母会很自然地提出物归原主。朋友们总是坚决不愿收回，他们会说：“不要还了，这件毛衣就给下一个孩子吧，你们很快就会有的。先收起来吧，不会过时的。”