Invitations set the theme, of course, and creating invitations based on this theme are really very easy. Simply print out a card with the tic-tac-toe grid on one side and the details of the baby shower on the other. To decorate the invitation, punch two holes at the top or in a corner of the side of the invitation card and use them to attach a small pencil to the invitation with a piece of red ribbon.
Black and white with touches of red would be a terrific, and graphic, color scheme for this baby shower. Setting up the decorations would totally be a snap! Layering black and white tablecloths and alternating black and white napkins make a really great effect. Accent the napkins with red bows made from cloth ribbon. The centerpieces can be bursts of color done in all red with black ribbons tied around the flower containers.
The food table could also be decorated in the same way, with the red flowers scattered in little bouquets around the food platters. It would add more of a punch if they were placed in white and black shot glasses or in small clear vases and held down with black and white marbles.
Finger food would suit this baby shower – little sandwiches cut into rounds, cheese sticks, vegetable sticks and chips with dip, and possibly a nice round frittata to add a warm dish to the meal. If you're up to it, sugar cookies cut in rounds and x-shapes make a great addition to this spread. You could also have a cake decorated with X's and O's as a highlight on the table.
For games, only tic-tac-toe will do! There actually is a baby shower tic-tac-toe game that is adapted to the maternity theme. This baby shower game is played with two opposing teams. The hostess must have questions regarding pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood ready. The teams must give the correct facts as an answer and whichever team answers first has the chance to put either an X or an O on a giant tic-tac-toe grid drawn on a whiteboard or a blackboard. Of course, the team that gets 3 X's or O's in a row wins the game.
A more active game of tic-tac-toe involves the players becoming the letters themselves. There should be at least 10 people playing the game. The teams need something special to distinguish themselves, like a special colored shirt, hat, or simply a ribbon tied onto their wrist.
Mark off a giant tic-tac-toe grid on your floor using pieces of
rope. Then, choose the team who will start off by flipping a coin
or playing “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” We're going back
to childhood, right? The winning places a marker (player) on the
board and then the opposing team follows suit. The play continues
until one team gets 3 players in a row. Play several rounds and
give a prize to the group that has more wins.
Favors for this tic-tac-toe baby shower can be black and white candies,
or dark and white chocolate Hugs. Include tic-tac-toe playing cards
you can download off the internet and include a small bag with 5
pieces of white and 5 pieces of black flat half marbles.