A birthday girl

birthdaycake

Birthdays really are events full of joy.

I love preparing for our family birthdays. And so do the kids. They pour over the birthday cake book choosing which cake they would like their dad to make them. They daydream about what kind of party they will have (if it is a party year) and who they will invite. We tend to follow the guide of inviting as many guests as years they are turning. So my daughter who turned 4 was allowed to choose 4 friends to help her celebrate.

birthdaybubbles

And I love the ritual of a birthday-eve. After the children have gone to bed I hang the birthday bunting, I carefully place their playsilk wrapped gifts (so pretty and saves on wrapping paper!), their birthday crown, and arrange the birthday ring with the number they are turning and some other little decorations.

These are the first things they look for in the morning. And are part of the birthday ritual! They know they need to wait until everyone is awake before the gifts can be unwrapped, and sometimes that wait can take awhile! My big boy is usually the first awake and it actually surprises me how patient he can be.

blowing bubblesbunting

We love to watch their excitement as they unwrap their gifts. I think that is a gift in itself, to the giver *smile*

We still follow our gift giving philosophy. And it is serving us well.

We try to be careful about what we bring into our home. Books and toys are to be beautiful and loved. We prefer toys made from natural materials that can inspire imaginative play. And we love plants and homemade goodies too! And our lovely friends know us well, the birthday girl happily unwrapped a hand-knitted milo vest, a lavender plant (for her fairy garden) and a beautiful wand made by her friend. Gifts to be treasured!

presentwand gift

And this year was my daughter’s first ‘proper’ birthday party. She chose to have a fairy party, so the children made fairy wands, blew bubbles and played in the backyard. We kept it fairly simple (although I always tend to over cater!) and pass the parcel was the only organised game. They jumped on the trampoline, played in the cubby house, dug in the sandpit and otherwise just ran around (fueled by some party food).

afternoon teatea cup biscuits

My daughter had such a lovely time, it almost makes me reconsider having parties every second year! And I’m not even entirely sure why we do it this way? Perhaps because that is how my mum did it? Parties can be expensive extravaganzas these days, but truly, keeping it simple was lovely!

wand making

Do you have birthday parties each year?

Warmly, Kelly

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6 Comments

  • Reply Kim June 22, 2015 at 9:04 pm

    Happiest of days to her, and happy birthing day to you.

    I, too, love the night before ritual of decorating with buntings, placing presents and birthday crown on the table, and preparing for the celebration. And as for the celebration itself, we keep it simple too.

  • Reply Bek @ Just For Daisy June 22, 2015 at 11:24 pm

    What a delightful birthday! And I love the idea of keeping it simple. Children are unaware of the extravaganzas on Pinterest and will thoroughly enjoy some good, friends and fun with great wonder and joy! I really want to create some predictable birthday rituals after reading this! Xxxx

  • Reply Kate Lloyd July 7, 2015 at 10:06 pm

    How wonderful. It sounds like the most wonderful birthday. You’re approach is so inspiring. I’m going to look into those beautiful birthday rings.

  • Reply Suzie's Home Education Ideas July 8, 2015 at 9:52 pm

    What a beautiful birthday party and a great way to celebrate birth day! I have never heard of a gift giving philosophy but I LOVE IT! What a lovely idea. And your photographs are just perfect too!

  • Reply Melissa @ Honey Bee Books July 11, 2015 at 9:24 pm

    It sounds like the party was just lovely, and the sun was shining, which makes it extra special at this time of year 🙂 I think there is something so special about backyard birthday parties and I love hosting them. I am finding them to be very rare these days. Many of the parties my children are invited to are outsourced. Whenever we go to one they seem to lack the warmth and magic of a backyard party (not to mention the cost).

  • Reply Decorating the birthday chair ~ Happy Whimsical Hearts May 30, 2016 at 7:18 pm

    […] You can read more about our Waldorf birthday traditions here, and see how we celebrated Ruby’s last birthday here. […]

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