专四晨读美文：Party Time

Party Time
Americans plan parties for many reasons.
As in other cultures, many Americans attend parties
for weddings and religious and national holidays.
But some parties are especially American.
For example, a group of neighbors
may gather on their street to eat food,
play music and visit with one another.
This is called a block party.
A woman might invite a group of women
to a party called a baby shower for a friend
who is about to give birth.
Guests bring presents for the new baby.
Americans also attend tailgate parties.
A tailgate is the back end of a truck or other vehicle
that opens down.
Tailgating parties are a big part of sports culture
in the United States.
Friends bring food and drinks to a sports event.
They eat together in the parking area of the sports stadium.
They gather around the tailgate
to eat hotdogs and hamburgers cooked on a grill.
There is a good chance
that these tailgaters will also be drinking beer.
Birthday parties are also very popular.
Many parents organize a party for their child around a theme.
We asked a spokesman for a party supplier
called the Oriental Trading Company
what the most popular parties are right now.
She says rock star parties
are very popular for young girls and boys.
And she says Luau parties
with Hawaiian decorations and clothing
are very popular with adults.
Birthday parties usually include gifts
and a birthday cake with candles.
In many parts of the United States,
cupcakes have become a popular replacement for cakes.
Cupcakes are individual sized cakes
topped with a layer of sweet icing.
Birthday parties can be low cost or very costly.
Some parents take their children's birthday parties
very seriously,
even when the child is too young
to fully understand the celebration.
One group of parents started a Web site
called Birthdays without Pressure.
They decided
that some parents were under too much social pressure
to plan costly parties for their children.
The group sees this movement
as an example of America's culture of "too much stuff."
The group's Web site gives suggestions
on how to keep birthday celebrations
simple, meaningful and fun without spending a lot of money.
Their advice may be all the more helpful
during this period of economic recession.