Premature Party Planning
Do you like parties? How about parties with a theme?
I loooooooove themed parties.
So I’ve been mentally planning Lucy’s first birthday party since…hmm…since she was born? Probably. Or maybe since before she was born. Anyway, it’s been a looong time.
For months I thought I’d be doing a Dr. Seuss theme, or maybe just “The Lorax.” Then, yesterday, while running errands inspiration struck. Whole new game plan folks!
I’m not telling {yet}. But trust me, it’s going to be awesome-sauce. Yesterday my mind was a-flurry with ideas. Then, as I lay in bed trying to sleep {which seems to be a common occurrence these days} I worried and wondered.
About what?
About the fact that I don’t actually have many people nearby to invite. And the people I would invite have kids. So either A: I invite just them and not their kids and then it’s an awkward adults only party for a kid {hello! weird and kind of rude} or B: I invite the whole families and the Fire Marshall comes to yell at me for fitting faaaaaaaar more people into my house than is probably legal. And if it’s only adults, what the heck are we supposed to do at this party? And if kids come too, well, what the heck are we supposed to do that’s fun for all ages? And what if I invite people but nobody can come because it conflicts with holiday travel plans?
It was enough to make me almost throw in the towel and give up on the party altogether…almost. But Lucy will only be ONE once. And it’s kind of a big deal. And I really want to decorate and make cupcakes and so on. So then I thought, well, maybe I’ll just do it for the three of us {though that seems like a waste because Lucy won’t care and Adam probably won’t either}. Then I thought, maybe I’ll set up the web-cam so Grandma can at least watch Lucy dig into her cake. But, again, why go to the trouble and expense of decorating if the only person who’s going to appreciate it is me {and the people who ooh and aah over the pictures I’ll post here on my blog}?
So dear readers, what do YOU think I should do?
Also, would it be tacky to put “in lieu of gifts please consider making a donation to the charity of your choice” on the invitations?
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8 Stubborn Stains:
I think inviting the adults would be fine..yeah, she's a kid but she won't remember any of it, or even care that the people there are kids..just whether or not she's getting the attention LOL. I would maybe just invite a handle of people and do something fun!
Hmm... I'm not sure you can get away with inviting parents and not their kids - people get enough flack for that for a wedding.
And I don't think it would be tacky to request no gifts (that would probably be a relief to people) and then you don't have the awkwardness of opening them and having to "ooh" and "ahh" over each one.
Have the party. Invite everyone! Can they spread out outside if the fire marshall comes? He probably won't anyway. :P
We always say "no gifts" on the invite. Most cultures celebrate birthdays by the birthday person giving gifts, not the other way around like it is here. So we go that way, and the people who still bring gifts (like grandparents and close friends who are stubborn) stick around later and we open gifts after everyone else leaves so the "people who can follow directions" don't feel awkward for doing so, lol. :P
I'm having this problem too. My son turns one on December 29th and most of our friends and family live on Vancouver Island while we are on the mainland. So do we extend our visit for xmas and have a party at someone else's home where I can't really make it the way I want it to be, or do we invite everyone over to our place and just not expect a big crowd? My hubby wanted me to keep my legs crossed so he wouldn't be born so close to xmas. I didn't cooperate :)
Janet
muggabug AT shaw DOT ca
Please learn from my mistakes!
Firstborn: HUGE first birthday party, mostly adults. Nice enough time, but the child SLEPT through the whole thing. She got so many toys she outgrew some before she had a chance to play with them.
Secondborn: Forgot. And felt like CRAP for...oh, I still do! We hurried and threw together cake for the grandparents. FAIL! Even though he did not remember it, there is the photographic evidence showing the disparity between the two parties, and it is ammo his big sister didn't need.
For the twins, I will be planning a small gathering of just grandparents, aunts and uncles, and our very closest friends. No more than 12 people plus their children. Ice cream and cake only.
As far as gifts go, it is considered tacky to advise your guests on gifts as it conveys the assumption that you are expecting gifts. I would let the grandparents spread the word that you perhaps only want books, or that you started a college fund, or something specific like that. People are going to bring you those noisy Fisher-Price jobs anyway. All you can do is smile and say thank you, and make a mental note to save it for when THEIR little darling comes along.
You better believe my sister's twins got a gumball machine and a drum kit from Aunt Boingerhead.
Don't worry, I've been planning my little girl's 1st birthday since before she was born, too! It is only 8 days away now and even with all that planning I'm still running around like crazy trying to get everything perfect. lol We live overseas so we don't have any family and are only inviting a few families with kids over. We have a small above ground pool in our backyard so we just put in the invites to bring swimsuits and towels... at least for the kids. It is only going to be a couple of hours long so with the pool, pizza, and cake I am not too worried about people getting bored. Well, I'll worry, but I don't really think I'll have to. :) The party is definitely mainly for you since she won't remember it. The only way she'll get to really "experience" it when she's old enough to care will be through the pictures anyway!
when i was little my mum threw me elaborate birthday parties from age 1 to 9. by 9 my second brother was born and she didn't have time. needless to say my three brothers never really had any elaborate parties. anyways, we rented out small pavilions in local parks or if it was bad weather, we used the community center room. since lucy is born in winter and you are in canada the outdoor pavilion idea is out of the question but most community centers have rooms you can rent out and some even have kitchens to use. you can bring board games or have a theme cake or use one of their projectors / televisions for movies. usually rental can be as low as 50 for the day or sometimes you just need to reserve the room and it's free. definitely worth checking out.
I have to admit that for Samantha, we had 2 parties her first year...one at my in-laws for family and one at home with family friends. It gave me the excuse to make 2 cakes, and still include all the family that wanted to be. This year for Sam, we had cake and stuff, with my parents on the webcam watching Sam open presents and such. They said it was nice to still feel included. I have had friends go both ways you are thinking of, and never regreted it. I think it comes down to you, and how you feel best about it. After all, it may be her birthday party, but at age 1 and 2, it is more for us...and maybe any of the youngsters older siblings. (not your worry).
Either way, have fun and best of luck planning.
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