[bunderbunder]

I'm a fan of not doing presents during the party at things like birthday parties.

It's boring for pretty much everyone involved. It intensifies the pressure everyone feels to not only bring the present, but try and bring the best present. Which then increases the volume of presents, which then makes it even more boring. I suspect it also reduces the quality of individual presents, too, since the public-ness of the might psych people out a bit. Depending on the kid's personality and whether or not they like being on display like that, it might also be exhausting or intimidating for them.

Long story short, parties are more fun when you spend your time at them partying.