Remember when you were a kid, those friends with summer birthdays? They might have missed out on some birthday celebration because they didn’t get it announced in class, and their friends were away on summer vacation. (Was this you?) Well, now that we’re all grown up, we get this fabulous thing called “choice.” We can choose when and how to celebrate any occasion -- birthdays included!
How about choosing to host your friends for an Un-Birthday Party? This get-together lets you showcase all your friends’ birthdays (and yours!) in one fell swoop. Gather everyone together, any time of year, and make it your group's un-official un-birthday soireé.
Sprucing Up Your Pad
You can find festive and inexpensive party decorations at your local discount store. Just because they’re inexpensive doesn’t mean you have to dispose of them afterwards! I’ve carefully stored many of my discount-store decorations for years, and my friends and family are always amused to see them appear again on different occasions.
Create a little place card for each of your friends with their birth date and sun sign on it. Include a recent horoscope, or notes on their sign that highlight their best traits.
Thoughtful Gifts
Want to give a small token of appreciation to your guests? Check out this article on dinner party favors adults will love. Author Janice Bear has really cool, no-fuss gift ideas like infused liquors, honey straws, small potted succulents, or decorative tea towels that your guests can use for napkins and then take home.
If your attendees know ahead of time that they’re coming to an un-birthday party, see if the group wants to exchange gifts, but be sure to set a dollar amount that will fit everyone’s budget. Or better yet, re-gift lovingly-but-lightly used items.
Want to give the gift of tea? Check out these creative tea gifts that anyone would love to receive, such as Books & Tea, or Appreciation & Gratitude.
Let Them Eat Cake -- or Donuts!
While a traditional birthday cake would be completely appropriate here, consider getting a little creative with your centerpiece sweet. My family has started a tradition of having a dozen donuts as our main event for birthday celebrations, so I thought I’d share that with my friends, too.
Keep in mind your guests’ dietary diversities. There are so many lovely vegan, gluten-free and/or dairy-free delights these days. When I decided to go with donuts as my featured treat, I found these gorgeous ones that are vegan at a local market. Delicious!
Pair your eats with some tasty hot tea, such as Plum Deluxe’s Coconut Macaron Dessert Tea, a rich blend of black and earthy honeybush. Or go green, with the Celebration Blend Darjeeling. This blend of Darjeeling and green teas is highlighted with a sprinkle of rosehips, and flavored with strawberries and champagne -- birthday in a tea cup.
Better Than a Card
Here’s a fun tip you might like to use with your gift giving: Instead of a standard greeting card, I like to give a children’s book. You can usually find an inexpensive one that has a lovely sentiment relating to the occasion. Write a personal message on the inside cover, and they can cherish it forever. This is one “card” that they won’t throw away.
My favorite birthday book ever that I love to give is called “On the Night You Were Born,” by Nancy Tillman. If you’ve never read it, I encourage you check it out. (There’s one page that talks about tickling your toes, which you’re welcome to do, but for the most part, it relates to all ages.) Keep one for yourself and read it on your birthday, or better yet, have a loved one read it to you. It’s a beautiful reminder that the event of you arriving here on this planet was -- and is -- a unique and special occasion to be celebrated.
On the night you were born,
the moon smiled with such wonder
that the stars peeked in to see you
and the night wind whispered.
“Life will never be the same.”
From “On The Night You Were Born,” by Nancy Tillman
