This post is sponsored by Target. More Playtime, More Together; Immerse yourself in the roles of your children’s favorite characters at Target – and have fun doing so!
Back in 2010, when I learned I was going to have a baby at the end of the year, my very first thought (and I’m not exaggerating) was… I’ve given this poor child the dreaded Christmas birthday! And there’s only one birthday worse than the Christmas birthday, and that is the early January birthday. While in December, you might get Christmas/Birthday gifts wrapped in snowflake paper, at least people seem to be in a festive mood. In January people are just done. Done with parties, done with spending, people just want to clean their house and eat soup.
So when Gordon was ultimately born on January 7th, 2011, I unknowingly had done him one worse than the Christmas birthday. I had given him the soup birthday. Literally. For his first 2 birthdays, we invited a few friends and neighbors over to watch football and eat soup like grumpy old trolls.
If you’ve spent some time around here, you know that we can go over-the-top with our birthday celebrations. Remember Quinn’s Farm-tastic First Birthday? Scarlet’s Indian Elephant 2nd? How about Clare’s Buggie Birthday? Or how about that time I trained myself as a balloon artist just to twist a monkey for each kid at Quinn’s Animal party? While there is something about Spring that brings out the crazy happy birthday party planner in me, hen Gordon’s birthday rolls around 2 weeks after Christmas, extreme party planning is the last thing I want to do. This past year I did manage to pull myself together and throw a fabulous last-minute Batman party when Jaime basically forced me to do so by sending Gordon the best gift ever. She said she owed it to him as a fellow Capricorn. Isn’t she the best best friend? I mean really.
But still there is just something so fun about a warm weather party. Just a bunch of kids running around outside, playing games, and eating some frosty treats, not overshadowed by post-holiday exhaustion. This year I decided to give him a little “1/2” birthday celebration, inspired by his current passion and seemingly undying love of How to Train Your Dragon…
Not a big over-the-top bash, just some easy How to Train Your Dragon themed party gear from Target (available for 8 or 16 guests)…
store-bought treats…
a few 5 minute DIY crafts like felt beards…
Black “Toothless” balloons with taped on eyes…
and “no gifts please” back yard fun for him and the gang. Target just makes party planning so effortlessly easy and adorable, don’t they? And that Toothless just tears at my heartstrings with his cute little face and Hiccup saving ways.
I know not everyone is as birthday crazy as I am but tell me what you do about your end of year birthdays? Do you do it up? Keep it mellow? Shift the party to a different time of year?
While we will always celebrate his birthday in January (and there will probably always be soup, poor kid) I like this tradition of celebrating Gordon in the Summer too. Maybe his”real” birthday will be HTTYD-themed too, after it comes out on DVD in October! I should probably start planning that now, while I’m in the party spirit.
