Birthday Traditions

Birthdays are a very special event in our house. I always try to have parties for the boys so they can celebrate with friends but the selfish side of me really does not like to share that day with the world. We tend to celebrate birthdays at our house with just the family and then we have their party a couple of days later. We always try to start that day off with a special breakfast for the bithday boy with a place setting and banner set for the king.  We have used the same place setting and banner for years now. The one time I did not put up the banner, they were clearly put out with me. (it went up , right fast, I must say) The whole day  we follow their lead. The day reaches it climax when they receive their Birthday Letter, dinner and dessert.

The Birthday Letter is a coveted piece of paper that the boys look forward to every year. It clearly recaps their birth story, how much we love them, and the most anticipated gift......their new priviledges. As we introduce their new priviledges that have arrived with another year of life, we also explain the new responsiblities that go hand in hand with these priviledges.  For example, this past year the twins were given the priviledge of a later bedtime but with the responsibility of completing new responsibilites around the house. It has become a wonderful tradition that we believe is helping us shape our boys into responsible men.

Now to get the boys excited about the Birthday Letter when they were younger, we developed the Birthday Blastoff which is actually a countdown to their birthday. We start our countdown on the fifth day before their birthday. The Birthday Blastoff consist of 5 pockets  leading down to the final birthday pocket that has the letter in it. We have always just given a Hershey kiss with a note or picture of their first year. As they have gotten older we have added trivia info about their birth year.

Every day they love to hear about their birth and of course the chocolate certainly sweetens the deal. It is a fun way to celebrate another year of your childs growth. It also gives you a wonderful opportunity to share with them how much you have enjoyed watching them grow.

My dear friend has a spunky little princess that is about to have a birthday in a week.  A pink and purple crown for Sophie seemed to be the perfect thing to make for her. Plus, I was able to make it with my embroidery machine. I have to say it turned out absolutely wonderful!! More than I could have ever imagined.

After completing the crown, I realized this was something that would be treasured for years, so I decided to add to the collection. I made her a banner of Birthday Pennants and her very own Bithday Blastoff to celebrate this momentous event in the future years to come.

 

I hope Sophie and her family grow to love this tradition as much as our family has through the years. Knowing that Sophie may not have a great appreciation of all of these items at such a young age, I decided to toss in a book she might enjoy at the moment too. I figured a little instant gratification would be greatly appreciated by this 4 yr. old.

I am curious what kind of birthday traditions do you have at your house?

I am linking these birthday traditions to:
733 Blog - Sugar and Spice Weekly Party