Birthday celebration
I received an invitation this morning for a birthday celebration for my granddaughter. This was unexpected, as her birthday is actually not for a further five months. What a great idea.
Kyla was born on Christmas eve, two-and-a-half years ago. Her two birthdays have been overshadowed by the impending big day the next day. As her mother stated on the invite: We are going to try and do this every year so that little miss feels special and can actually get a birthday, not a little side/after thought the day before Xmas.
So many people I know who were born around this time bemoan the fact that they always missed out. Stephen, for example, has his birthday on January 4th. ``Everyone was always on holiday,’’ he says of any planned parties. And of course, there was no day at school, when classmates would sing happy birthday and he would feel special.
Many of these people have also stated that they missed out on presents too, often being given one to include both their birthday and Xmas. I know in these two short years since Kyla was born, I have often found it difficult buying for her and making sure I have been fair so that she gets the same amount as her brother for both her birthday and Christmas.
My own birthday is at the end of June and I always felt fortunate, in that I would receive both a winter and a summer present. When buying for Stephen, I often think it would be good if his birthday was mid-winter as well, as any clothing in stock is always summer stuff and finding other options for presents is difficult. Of course, I could always buy mid-year but I never seem to think that far in advance. But conversely, mid-winter is a difficult time for any barbecue-type gatherings due to the unpredictability of the weather. It is far easier to plan a summer party than a winter one.
I am not really one for birthday parties for myself, preferring family-only occasions. The one exception to this was my 40th which I celebrated with three other people in the community; another turning 40 like myself, one turning 35 and the other 30. It was held in the implement shed of the farm we were living at, at the time. We removed the machinery and lined the walls with haybales for seating. With four of us, pretty much the whole community was invited and we had an awesome night. The weather, however, was terrible and it belted with rain for most of the evening. While we were undercover in the shed, any visit to the toilet meant a wetting, and bringing the food over was difficult too.
I did mean to have a 60th but as my New Zealand children were away at the time, I ended up travelling to Queensland instead, to be with two of my kids over there. As for my 50th, strangely, that was a birthday I had trouble with; I didn’t want reminding that I had reached that age. It is strange, that with some birthdays, we feel old and don’t want to acknowledge where we are at, and yet at other birthdays past these, we feel fine about our age.
I was too busy with young children to worry about my 30th, so that one didn’t happen either. My next big one will be my 70th, in four years-time. I remember celebrating my in-laws 70th. Am I really that old already? In my head I still feel young, though my body frequently tries to tell me otherwise. I guess we are only as old as we feel.