Everyone has special traditions that they practice for holidays, birthdays or wherever they fit. Even having candles on the cake is a tradition. A party tradition doesn't have to require a lot of preparation or money, it just has to make a longing impression and make others feel special. When they were little, my children's party guests always thought they were crazy when after all of the cake was served, my child would throw their face right into the cake. What a tradition! Now how can you forget that? Here are a few ideas about getting started with your own traditions and memories by adding special touches to any party for all ages:
1.) The Cake- Make the honoree's favorite cake. It is a very big deal in our family that you get to have your favorite kind of cake. My son's last birthday cake was Italian Cream Cheese cupcakes. His favorite! (Mine too!) It's also a lot of fun if you can make the cake even more special by decorating it to match the personality of the honoree. The cake above was one that I made for my nephew, Tripp's second birthday. It was a blast to make and fit the birthday cowboy perfect! The cake on the right was made for my mother-in-law's 50th birthday. She loves flowers and lots of details. This cake fit her perfect!2.) Special Touches in the Decoration- How special do you feel when you walk into a room and notice that almost everything displayed is about you? How warm and loving!
(1st photo) Old pictures of the honoree are always a great way to bring back memories. For my son's 10th birthday, I put out old pictures of him ranging from a new baby to just the year before his birthday. Everyone enjoyed looking at them. (2nd photo) Have your guests share their own memories of the honoree. How fun and meaningful is it to hear from so many people that love you? (3rd picture) And of course I cannot forget the flowers. Flowers are beautiful always, but what they go in can be so important also. A sweet arrangement in a baby vase will be pretty long after the shower sitting in the nursery while making memories with the precious baby. (4th photo) Lastly, decorations that are used can be given to the honoree and guests as keepsakes so that the memory will last.
Name cards, menus, photo books, journals and bookmarks are all great keepsakes.
3.) Traditions in the making- In our home, it's always the tradition that if it's your birthday, it's your "birthday week"! It even goes on the chalkboard. The morning of your birthday, you get to pick-out your favorite breakfast and listen to the family's "talented" voices as we sing "Happy Birthday" and then you blow out your family candles. Some families have a tradition of using a birthday hat. For my daughter, we use what fits...a crown!
All the little special touches that are put into a birthday can make memories last, but it's the traditions that make those traditions keep going. Those little traditions are then passed down from generation to generation and help make each family member feel special by creating a sense love.
4.) Holidays- Holiday traditions can be very traditional and can last lifetimes through many generations. One tradition that I learned when I was little from my mother is Advent at Christmas time. Two years ago I made an Advent bulletin board that now stays up year round to remind me of the special things in my life I should be grateful for, especially God. Each little thing on the board means something special in my life or is an old item from someone special.
We of course like many others also do the traditional cookies and milk, but we have started a new tradition in the last couple of years. That is helping the less fortunate. Two years ago, a friend of mine, lost his home, "shack" (1st photo), in a fire. He was living alone in an outhouse. My faithful family church got busy and started building him a new home. My family decided to make it a tradition to spend Christmas Eve doing something to help others. That particular year we got the pleasure of moving my friend into his new home, (2nd photo), on Christmas Eve. Just in time for Christmas. It made my family realize how blessed we really are. This tradition of helping others I have also learned from my mother after so many years of watching her do the same for others.
More to come soon! Traditions & memories in the making!
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