Birthday Traditions

Birthdays are a special opportunity to honor and celebrate a person. When planning birthday celebrations and traditions, consider the honoree’s age, personality, and interests, and what the honoree would enjoy.

Jack and I have two traditions for our birthdays. One is that the entire day is celebrated. The birthday person is as excused from work and chores as possible. The second tradition is that the honoree does not know what will happen. Some of our celebrations have been unique and included elaborate surprises, other times we have enjoyed simple pleasures like bike rides or walking in the arboretum.

For our children’s first ten birthdays, we planned parties. Kathy’s mother made a dress for our daughter each year, but our son’s birthday outfit was purchased after the age of two. Every party had a theme connected to the children’s age and interest and we created decorations and activities to go with that theme. Some were teddy bears, dolls, Mickey Mouse, balloons, art, firemen, and Legos. Jack always put on a simple puppet show and Kathy always decorated an appropriate cake. If possible, we would even have music to go with the theme~ We found a Lego song that was only about 15 seconds long so we played it on a loop over and over and over… We can all still hear that song in our dreams!

Milestone birthdays are a great time to look back on the life of the honoree. You can focus on their origin, history, accomplishments, and interests.

Kathy’s father, Frank, lived in rural Southern Illinois as a child and still likes things to be casual and simple. For his 80th birthday, we had a country theme. Food was homemade and traditional. Guests particularly enjoyed the blue grass musicians who usually play at our town’s Farmer’s Market. The party was outdoors on a warm July day and we provided the guests with paper fans with pictures of dad from different eras of his life.

Kathy’s mother, Jeanne, grew up in a home where her mother ALWAYS wore a dress. Even when there was no money to go in it, she carried a handbag with a linen handkerchief. Hats and gloves were expected apparel for church. Mom has been an antiques dealer for years. For her 80th birthday party, we planned a dress-up ice cream social in a church fellowship hall. We used linens and a variety of silverware from her shop to create a special atmosphere. We asked two musical friends accompany the guests in a Sing-a-Long of music from mom’s youth and assembled a slide show of pictures from her life. All of the guests were given small booklets of poetry written by Jeanne.

Birthday parties, graduations, and anniversary, and are a wonderful time to share the past with both new and old friends. You might ask friends to put together a skit; we’ve enjoyed doing one for friends celebrating their 25th anniversary. It based on real events, but of course, loosely interpreted and embellished. Consider showing slides of people and events throughout the years– Scan a selection of photos for a power point presentation.

Ask family & friends to share special memories of the birthday person at dinner, while gifts are being opened, or in greeting card messages to be read aloud.

All activities do not have to be done as a group. For instance, at an Open House, you could have a slide show on a laptop on a table where guests can stop by and watch it during the party. You might have a book for people to write in or a poster to sign– perhaps put a long timeline in a hallway and ask guests to write their name and a sentence about how they met the honoree on the section of the timeline corresponding to the time they met. The results make meaningful keepsakes for the honorees.

Make a videotaped interview or journal describing best memories of the last year and add to it at every birthday. If you have been taking videos or keeping up with scrapbooks, consider using birthdays as a time to sit down and look through them to reminisce. (Birthdays may also be a good time to set as a goal for updating your scrapbooks and editing videos.) Here are some questions you might ask:

What were the most significant events of the past year?
What is your hope for the coming year?
What was your best birthday?
For the guests: What are your hopes for the birthday person?
For milestone birthdays:
What was the highlight of this decade/hope for the next?
When and where were you born?
What are your earliest memories?
You might like to create a written journal or video diary to save the answers.

OTHER IDEAS

Let the honoree chose his favorite meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Some families keep a special birthday plate or hat. You might want to eat dinner in the dining room using your best china and a fun centerpiece or napkins.

Take a picture of your child in the same place or wearing the same apparel every year. One friend has pictures of her grandsons wearing their father’s shirt and tie. It’s fun to see them swimming it in as toddlers, then it getting gradually more fitted. Another friend sits his children (all them together!) in the same chair each year.

Have a special birthday tablecloth for each person and let each all the family members list or illustrate a special memory on it every year. Small children can leave handprints.

Celebrate a birthday week. Keep the activities and gifts simple~ choosing a meal, the household watching the person’s favorite TV show together, a new book inscribed with the date, a chore-free day, one late wake-up or bed time, arranged phone calls from faraway friends or family, a favorite dessert, etc. Decorate the house or a room and leave the decorations up all week. This might include small celebrations with immediate family, grandparents, other extended family members, close friends, neighbors, schoolmates, small group members, etc.

Write a letter to your children on their birthday every year. Keep them in an album or a special box.

If it’s not the middle of the night…
Children: Have the family sing Happy Birthday to them.
Adults: Call your mother and thank her again! (You might also want to give her a gift.)

Have a treasure hunt with small gifts. Use clues or just hide the gifts like Easter eggs.

Think of all the things that should be replaced on a regular basis and wrap them up as gifts.
Some ideas: toothbrush, glasses or contacts, pillows or linens, make up, oil changes and filters, water filters, batteries for smoke alarms, etc., underwear, running shoes

Breakfast in bed

On your own birthday, or during your birthday week, write notes of appreciation to the people who have been of special support and encouragement to you in the last year.