Today is someone special’s ninth birthday. Man, things have changed since I was a little girl, when you got a two-hour (max) birthday party at your house. Don’t get me wrong, but these days -- WOW, birthdays are quite something.
In celebrating the girls’ birthdays, all the following have occurred twice – once for each youngster:
· Special handmade birthday invitations that actually required sewing
· Slumber parties that included their favorite dinner (for ten of their closest friends), cake, ice cream, gifts, games, movies and sugar-filled breakfasts the next morning (including Yoo-Hoo and Sunny D, which pass for chocolate milk and orange juice in my husband’s book)
· A gift from their mom, dad and sister
· A special shirt publicizing their birthday to anyone who might have failed to notice
· Special birthday lunch at school, including cupcakes for all their classmates
· A trip to the American Girl store (hosted by a doting grandmother and aunt)
· Their favorite meal for dinner on their birthday
· Special handmade birthday invitations that actually required sewing
· Slumber parties that included their favorite dinner (for ten of their closest friends), cake, ice cream, gifts, games, movies and sugar-filled breakfasts the next morning (including Yoo-Hoo and Sunny D, which pass for chocolate milk and orange juice in my husband’s book)
· A gift from their mom, dad and sister
· A special shirt publicizing their birthday to anyone who might have failed to notice
· Special birthday lunch at school, including cupcakes for all their classmates
· A trip to the American Girl store (hosted by a doting grandmother and aunt)
· Their favorite meal for dinner on their birthday
Bottom line, we enjoy the joy the fanfare brings to the kids’ faces, and a birthday is the perfect excuse to make special people feel celebrated.
As adults, we might look a little silly if we wore a special t-shirt displaying our age or demanded all our friends bring us a wrapped treat on our special day (not to mention once we get to a certain age we’re more likely to be perfectly happy if a birthday slips past unnoticed.)
If you have a business, don’t let an anniversary pass by without a celebration – at the very least by sending a news release to the local media and an announcement to your customer list. For example, if you are a work-from-home mom celebrating a full year in your photography business, let people know! It’s the perfect excuse for an adult to celebrate an important accomplishment. In today’s world, a flourishing business is certainly something to be celebrated.
So here’s to accomplishments – whether it is weathering another year in the complicated life of a pre-tween, or celebrating 10 years of helping business owners avoid federal prison for tax evasion.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to round up 9 candles and make a cake.
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