DEAR ABBY: Have you ever heard of a "weight-loss shower"? The premise of the shower is a celebration of weight loss. The individual hosting the shower has lost 30 pounds, and this definitely is cause for celebration.
The "catch" to this shower is that the guests are expected to bring monetary gifts so the hostess can buy a new wardrobe to fit her smaller figure.
I would love to hear what you and your readers think about such a shower. -- AMBIGUOUS IN CONNECTICUT
DEAR AMBIGUOUS: Weight loss certainly is a positive reason for supportive family and friends to get together and help the hostess celebrate. However, she has no business hosting her own "shower." Furthermore, I'm taken aback by the idea that guests will be expected to foot the bill for a new wardrobe. If such a shower is successful, what's to stop someone who has put on a few pounds from using a shower to raise money for a wardrobe for his or her fuller figure -- or a kitchen shower to replace broken dishes, or a bedding shower because the sheets are getting thin? Readers, care to comment?