List #35: Birthdays

Sprout's first birthday party last August.

Stasha's Monday Listicles topic for the week is Birthdays. I took a trip down memory lane & thought back to some of the birthday parties I've been to, both mine & other people's. I remembered a lot of fun stuff, so here is a mishmash of fun memories & things I like about birthdays in general:

1. The cakes. I can't pick just one--I've seen some incredible birthday cakes in my life. Recently there was the 99% edible carousel complete with animal-shaped cookies riding between oreo straws of my friends' son's first birthday. I loved the construction-themed masterpiece my sister put together for her son's 5th birthday. Then there were all the colourful shaped cakes my mom would bake for us when we were little with the pans she rented, painstakingly decorated with buttercream icing. Yup, I've seen & eaten some really fun cakes.
2. The costumes. Okay, I know most people don't have costume birthday parties, aside from maybe the paper hats, but I love dressing up. One of my favourite parties was my 33rd, where we had a sci-fi/cyberpunk-themed costume bash. Everyone dressed up--costumes included Spock, two Captain Kirks, Predator, Darth Vader & various other bizarre aliens & futuristic get-ups.
3. Knowing how to party. My in-laws are well into retirement & despite their rather advanced years (77 & 81), they still know how to tie one on. Every year, for my mother-in-law's birthday, they have a huge do in their back yard with dozens of friends. Copious quantities of beer & wine are served, & nobody goes home without stuffing themselves on bratwurst & the myriad desserts that everyone seems to arrive with.
4. One-of-a-kind gifts. I love to make presents for people. Lately I've been pretty busy with work, so I've slacked off on the gift-making, but there's nothing like seeing someone enjoy something you made with your own hands.I much prefer to spend time on making something unique over spending money buying something that's likely to be duplicated.
5. Timing is everything. I was born near the end of August, which often meant my friends were on vacation when I was having my birthday party. However, the 22nd also falls during the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver. Being able to celebrate my birthday on the rides, seeing all the prize-winning farm animals & munching on cotton candy was pretty special as a kid & I still love to go there around my birthday as an adult.
6. The planning. Possibly my favourite thing about kids' parties is planning out themes, decorations, the food, the invite list & all the little details that half the people probably don't even notice anyway. I've tried not to overdo it with the planning for Sprout's first & second birthdays, as he's too little for costumes or involved games but I have some great ideas for when he's a bit older!
7. An excuse for a get-together. I'm a social person & I love bringing people together. Birthdays happen all throughout the year & give everyone a chance to have fun. 
8. A new number. Sometimes birthdays are a huge milestone, like the first one. Or the fifth, for me, as that was just a week or so before I started kindergarten. Turning 16 meant I could start learning to drive. 19 came with full voting privileges & the ability to legally drink. Though this year's isn't going to be anything spectacularly different--I'll be 37--I was getting tired of the number 36 anyway.
9. The centre of attention. Maybe it's because I'm one of three kids in my family, or maybe it's just my personality, but I think that having a day dedicated to celebrating one person is pretty awesome. Hallowe'en & Christmas are great too, but they're more about everybody. Birthdays you get full permission to hog the spotlight.
10. Best present ever. In 2010, my 'birthday present' arrived almost two weeks before my birthday: Sprout was born. I don't even remember what we did to celebrate that year, though I think there was something. Giving birth to a healthy little boy was enough to keep me on cloud nine for a long time.

Why Monday lists? Reading the lovely Chloe's blog, Tea Swamp Park, I found an idea I had to 'steal': a list of all her Halloween costumes, with quite a few photos. She got the idea from Hula Seventy's List Project. I've decided to do the weekly lists for a year that Hula Seventy is doing. 

Tea Swamp Park & Hula Seventy are not the only ones doing lists, however. Click on the Listicles badge to the left to check out NorthWestMommy's list & 'assignment' for next week.

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