There are moms who spend hundreds of dollars and hours upon hours planning picture perfect birthday parties for their kids. They might rent out play places or have an elaborate theme that they apply to everything from the food to the party favors.
I love these moms and the love they have for their kids.
However, I’m not one of them. That’s probably due to my own childhood.
What I remember from my birthday growing up is getting to pick out whatever special dessert I wanted. Sometimes it would be a professionally decorated cake, and sometimes it was something my mom made like a dirt cake. I remember having family over for cookouts and them watching me open presents. I remember having friends over to eat pizza and play games.
They are sweet memories.
I don’t remember any of the gifts I received or whether I had an elaborate party.
And that’s exactly how I want it to be for my kids. Which is why we embrace simple birthday celebrations for kids and adults alike.
If you’re wondering what exactly a simple birthday celebration looks like, here are the 5 steps to create a simple birthday celebration.
5 Steps to a Simple Birthday Celebration
1. Choose a theme.
I choose a theme for birthdays, depending on what the person is into that year. We have done everything from Mickey Mouse to unicorns to pirates to superheroes. I buy decorations for the table and fireplace mantle at inexpensive places like Dollar Tree, Walmart or Oriental Trading.
2. Choose an activity or party.
The birthday boy or girl gets to decide whether they want to do a special activity or a larger party with a group of friends.
My girls are still young, so we have always done an activity. Some years, the activity corresponds with the theme, and some years it doesn’t. Many times, I pick the activity and make it a surprise for the birthday boy or girl.
Activities could be anything from going to the movies or bowling or going to a concert.
Choose something that fits into your budget.
The activity doesn’t always fall on the person’s birthday, but I try to choose something that is within a couple of weeks before or after.
3. Choose a cake.
Just like my mom always did, I let the birthday boy or girl pick out their birthday dessert.
For kids, this is usually a character cake from a grocery store.
My husband almost always wants an ice cream cake, and I usually pick cupcakes from a bakery or a dessert from a restaurant.
If we lived closer, I would probably still ask my mom to make something for me because she is such a great cook.
4. Choose a couple of gifts.
We get the birthday boy or girl a couple of gifts, usually 1 to 3.
I purchase gifts keeping in mind what the person will like and use, not necessarily something that corresponds with the theme.
Tip from personal experience: Make sure you set a budget before you start buying gifts, or you’ll find yourself going overboard. I love to give people gifts, so it is easy for me to overspend if I don’t set a budget first.
5. Choose the food.
One rule we have in our family is that the birthday boy or girl gets to eat all their favorite foods on their birthday.
That typically means I make something special for breakfast and lunch, and we go to the birthday boy or girl’s favorite restaurant for dinner.
I suspect birthdays will look slightly different than this some years. As my girls age, we will probably have a small parties for friends to come over and eat birthday cake.
And milestone birthdays, whether for the girls or us adults, will have bigger budgets for activities and gifts. (I’m determined that I will go skydiving for my 40th.)
But overall, I want to intentionally keep our celebrations simple.
For a season, my daughter loved watching Sofia the First. There is an episode where Sofia is planning her tea party as a princess, and after Sofia suggests doing something simple, her stepsister Amber tells her, “Bigger is better, and biggest is best.”
It seems like, as a society, we are becoming Ambers and forgetting the beauty of simplicity. It is something I constantly have to work at, but I want my girls to experience the sweetness of ordinary.
I’d love to hear about your family’s birthday traditions, whether they are similar to ours or completely different. Send me a message on Facebook or Instagram to tell me about your favorite birthday tradition.
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