How to Celebrate Birthdays with Traditional Parties

Creative ways to celebrate your children's birthday without throwing a party is sometimes a necessity for financial or health reasons. When you have a seriously ill child, and cannot host a birthday party for him or her, you learn ways to forego the traditional birthday party and instead settle for something else.

When my youngest child turned one year old, what should have been a traditional first birthday party just could not happen. He was fresh out of the hospital for yet another repository infection, his sixth so far because of severe asthma and having many children in the house may have put his health as risk. We opted instead for a cake with my parents and my older children.

My parents brought the birthday cake as well as the presents from my siblings who understood why they were not invited. We had a non-traditional party that year and it would repeat itself over the years for various reasons.

My daughter was born the week before Christmas, followed by a son the beginning of January and another son at the end of January. With all three children, being born so close to the holidays money was tight so we had to come up with different ideas to celebrate their birthdays rather then having a party.

Also with having, all three children being born in winter months it seemed as if someone's party would be canceled in those early years because of sleet, snow, or bad roads. I could not let their special days go unnoticed so I began a unique tradition of having a birthday dinner party.

When it came time for a birthday, we simply allowed the child to choose what was for dinner and invited my parents for a small party. My children saw nothing wrong with this as the years went by because they still got to have the cake, presents, and got to spend time with their grandparents as well. I think part of the excitement was also getting to be big and choose what was for dinner, and it helped them learn by planning a menu.

We have had birthday dinners where we have ate tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, spaghetti and meatballs, burritos, to Kentucky fried chicken. These are menus picked out by my children and it made their special days a bit more special. I have seldom heard that they missed a traditional birthday party, because this began happening so early in their lives, that they know no different. Yes, we have been to their cousins and friends parties that were fun, but this way we have with birthday parties is how my children enjoy celebrating their special days.

This year my children celebrated their 16, 18 and 21 birthdays respectively and we celebrated all of these with special dinners the same way as we have since they were little. Our style of birthday parties may seem odd to others, but for us it is the only way to celebrate a birthday.