We were asked a week or two ago if our family had any traditions that we would like to share with the ward. I thought a bit and didn't come up with anything I hadn't told people about before. I also thought about the traditions that my mom tried to start after we had started our own families, but were short lived. Somehow traditions just fall in our lap and those are the really good ones. Here's what happens on your birthday if you live in our house...
1. In honor of Harry Potter fans and the-need-to-shut-the-kids-up-about-when-they-get-to-open-their-presents: Birthday children wake up to see their "lot" of presents at the foot of their beds, just like happens in the HP movies. (It doesn't happen like that in the books, but visions of the kids ravenging and throwing paper in the air really brings a smile to my face.) This solves the problems of: when to open them; too much pressure to be excited about something that might really suck; being on display as you hoard your stuff; getting several moments to really enjoy your stuff after you've ransacked the lot. It really has become fun the 2 times that we have done it and already the kids are talking about their birthday morning. (Oh, and the presents do tend to be fairly small but needed items and the kids are more grateful for the surprise in the a.m. than they are the actual present)
2. We sing to the birthday person all day on their birthday. We will just burst into the Happy Birthday song on a whim. By about noon the birthday person is going crazy and rolling their eyes, but at the same time loving every minute of it. By nighttime they are quite done listening to it. It ends if there is a cake and we sing one last time. (Notice I used the word IF there, cake is optional in this house. Cheesecake would be preferred by most, and candles are off limits for 2 of us!) Bill and I also can't help busting out with "You say it's your birthday? bu-nu-nu-nu...It's my birthday too!" even though that's the only part of the song we know. Who doesn't love a little Anthony Michael Hall and Sixteen Candles reenactment?!
3. Thanks to Crystal and her what-can-you-get-for-free-on-your-birthday post, I'm sure we will spend most of these days spending more money than necessary to get that free something for the birthday person. Something is fun about telling a complete stranger it's your birthday and they give you something for it. Weird, huh?
That's it. That's all I've got in the way of traditions. See me again in December for St. Nicholas night. (I can never remember if it is the 6th or the 7th, something about D-Day being the same day or a different day has really thrown me for a loop, and some Germans even celebrate on the 5th. What a mess!)
4 comments:
I'm stealing your bday morning surprise for sure. Pressure smessure!
I had a tradition when I was growing up and have tried to pass it on to my family, but my wife (ok, the kids too), will not allow it. She feels it is too mean! When eating your birthday cake, you were not allowed to say a word from the first bite to the last. If you spoke,your "birthday wish" would not come true. Everyone else was free to make comments and ask questions that were sure to get you to talk. I remember it being fun and challenging, but people seem to think this is cruel...Oh well...there is always next year!
I love your birthday traditions. They sound like a lot of fun. I'm assuming you are talking about another Crystal in this post because I never did a blog on birthday stuff.
Crystal (Lee)
What Bill neglected to mention is that they would say terrible things about each other and almost make the birthday kid cry!
Yes Crystal, it was Cyrstal Aker that posted the birthday freebie list. I put the link in my post if you want to click on it. We ended up getting Kyra a free Pizzooki at Oregano's Pizza (YUMMY!) and free popcorn at the movies.
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