3 Inexpensive But Wickedly Cool Birthday Ideas
I’m not sure if you were aware but today is a National Holiday. If you are working today, you need to check with your Human Resources department; your office is supposed to be closed. The expectation was that you would have the day off from work – celebrating and commemorating with me.
He’s Not Lord Of Lords
Today is the annual celebration of a king. No, I’m not referring to Jesus (King of Kings…). This king wasn’t born in a manger but he has spent more than one night resting at a Holiday Inn Express. This king similar to Jesus hails from a town with a foreign name and a distinctive meaning – “Valley of Paradise”. Despite the similarities – for heaven sakes – please don’t expect this king to walk on water or turn water into wine. He’s not divine. He makes mistakes and he is still too young to drink.
If you were thinking today is a belated celebration for Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. you would be mistaken again. Dr. King’s birthday will always be January 15th. Similarly, this king does – like Dr. King and every one of us – possess the talent and ability to change the world. He’s truly committed to changing the world too. For he is not just a king and a world changer but he’s a jolly good fellow.
King of the Castle
The king I’m referencing today is a lesser known king – for now – which is probably why your employer failed to disclose to you that today was a National Holiday. There is no doubt about it. Today is a holiday around these parts and this king merits a celebration.
Trust me! I’ve known this king since the beginning when he was but a teeny-weeny fresh prince. Without question, he is national holiday worthy. So without further ado put on your party hat, grab your noisemaker and join me in signing “Happy Birthday”.
Whose birthday is it, you ask? Well, if I haven’t been obvious enough, today is my son’s Naeem’s birthday.
Happiest Birthday Ever
Besides embarrassing Naeem with today’s post, I thought I would honor him further by sharing three of his most memorable birthday celebrations. The following three celebrations may give you something new and/or additional to consider as potential birthday ideas for your child’s next birthday:
1. Coming of Age – On Naeem’s thirteenth birthday, we decided to borrow from the time-honored Jewish tradition and give him a bar mitzvah. Well, it wasn’t exactly a bar mitzvah as we are not Jewish. No intended offense or disrespect to the Jewish faith but we called Naeem’s Coming of Age celebration his Black-mitzvah.
The fact that we weren’t Jewish and bootlegged the name to give it a cultural undertone was of lesser significance than the enormous and wonderful value of having a set date to delineate when Naeem was to be considered a man who was responsible for his own actions.
We made only one birthday request to each person in his “village”, we asked them to send him a note, a poem, an article…anything that we could collect; a keepsake of significance that could be included in a scrapbook to commemorate the day. The aim was to provide him with a historical document that he could reference throughout his life that would serve as a reminder of all those who love him and provide him comfort and direction should he ever question his ability and doubt his purpose.
To say his Black-mitzvah was a success would be an understatement. There were no birthday gifts and there was no money spent. Yet, it was one of the most memorable, valuable and inspiring days of his life. It was a birthday that shall be remembered through the ages.
2. Scavenger Hunt – On Naeem’s sixteenth birthday, instead of breaking the bank on a Sweet Sixteen party, we planned a scavenger hunt. We wrote a clever rhyme (well I thought the rhymes were clever especially the ones I authored) for each stop on the scavenger hunt.
By day’s end, we were exhausted. We had gone to breakfast at his favorite breakfast spot, played miniature golf, driven go-karts, eaten lunch at his favorite restaurant, placed a giant sign outside of his school to embarrass him (“Happy Birthday Love Mom and Dad”), collided into each other in bumper cars, gone to see a movie, celebrated him with balloons galore, visited the comic book shop, took lots of photos and laughed more than should be legally allowable.
We didn’t need plane tickets or hotel reservations. There was no requirement or mandate to wait in lines. We didn’t have to feed and attended to the whims of a bunch of entitled kids. There were no deposits for banquet facilities or down payments for a vehicle. Neither were we required to travel outside of the city limits.
Best of all, we didn’t quite spend during the entire day what we would have spent on Sweet Sixteen birthday party cake. Naeem’s sixteenth birthday was better than sixteen – it was a 10 and it was unforgettably sweet.
3. What Are We Gonna Do Today? – No, I’m not asking you “what are we gonna do today”? What Are We Gonna Do Today is the title of Naeem’s upcoming book. I told you Naeem wants to change the world.
In an attempt to do his part, he has written a book to promote childhood literacy and encourage increased parental engagement. Birthday or no birthday, I’m sure you would agree that Naeem has a worthy mission that is worth celebrating. I told you he was a king. How about it, are you ready to sing “For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow” now?
Naeem doesn’t know this – well he didn’t know this until now. We had a cake designed to look like his book. The cake cost less than three of his books but the books have zero calories. I’m hoping that the cake doesn’t taste like his book. He and I have been on a fitness challenge and I feel my inner Marie Antoinette coming to life – let me eat cake!
Regardless of the cake’s taste, the purpose of ordering a cake that looks like his book was to do something memorable. We have a few other birthday ideas up our sleeves, I’ve been taking notes like a pro from another galaxy for a while. Whether the other birthday ideas come to fruition or not, I’m certain he will always remember the cake commemorating his birthday and his first book.
Happy Birthday Soop!
Naeem’s had a number of traditional and sometimes expensive birthdays. However, he would tell you that the birthdays that your children are most likely to remember are the ones that cost you the least financially but you spend the most time planning and executing. I suppose that’s why his favorite birthdays remain the Black-mitzvah and the Scavenger Hunt. We didn’t spend a lot of money but we did devote a great deal of time and effort. There is just no way of escaping intentional and purposeful parental engagement.
Each year, I’m eager to find a way to top his favorite two birthdays. Maybe this year will be the year. I put this years in the post already so I could really use your help not to look foolish. If you have a suggestion for something original and additional we can do, please share it.
Whether you have other birthday ideas or not, I would really appreciate it if you would wish our king a happy birthday. Tweet him happy birthday @Naeem627. It’s the least you could do. After all, he is responsible for the National Holiday and your paid day off from work.
What was your most memorable birthday? What was your child’s most memorable birthday?Did these birthday ideas help you?