Did you love your birthday when you were a kid? Have any extra fun birthday gifts or parties? Some of my newsletter readers did and they shared the stories with me and let me share them on with you.
First here’s Pam.
My birthday is December 26 and when I was a little girl I can remember my mom and granny making me a snowman cake. Then one year my mom and dad gave my brother and I a shared birthday party. His birthday is July 8th and we had so much fun. I remember my favorite gift I received was a big box of crayons with a sharpener on the box. That was the first year crayon boxes had sharpeners on it. I’m so thankful I grew up where simple things were such a huge surprise.
I wrote back to her saying I tried hard, well, maybe not too hard, to not be envious of those big boxes of crayons with colors like melon and midnight blue. Actually, I don’t remember the color names, but I do know they weren’t just red, blue, yellow, and green. Pam wrote back to say they had the joint party in July. That’s when she got the crayons because then she says:
I never took my crayons to school because I colored all summer. I have to admit I colored a lot so I could use the crayon sharpener.
I don’t blame you, Pam. I would have done the same.
Dana remembered what fun it was to celebrate with her friends with a slumber party. While I never had one, my daughter did. Those parties were mis-named. Should have been an awake party!! But Dana had fun. Here’s what she said,
I’ll never forget birthdays as a child and celebrating with friends. There’s nothing like a 1980’s slumber party! Now I like to celebrate my “birthday month” with lots of great foods, treats and simple joys stretched out all month long.
I’m with Dana in stretching out a birthday into a birthday month. Kathy remembers her 10th birthday.
The birthday that stands out for me was my 10th (60 years ago!). I got the Barbie doll I had been wanting. And a Betty Crocker Kids Cookbook, and a wooden spoon. I still have all 3. I am the oldest of 7, and mom figured 10 was a good age to start baking. All 7 of us used that cookbook as we turned 10, so it’s kind of worn, and has a lot of memories!
I’m guessing Dana and her siblings turned to the cookie and brownie recipes first. I know I did when I got a cookbook when I was a young teen.
Connie’s birthday story made me smile. I think it will you too, especially if you have a brother. Connie even sent a picture which makes her story even better.
Here’s what she said.
Most of my birthdays were pretty quiet. My mom would always make a cake and decorate it with the little Happy Birthday icing letters. You would wet the cardboard they were stuck to and peel off the letters and stick them on the cake. My brother gave me a present for one of my birthdays, I think when I was around 8. He wrapped up a cigar box and put a dime in it, ha! He was a big spender!
I have to think that when she took the picture, she was imagining many things that might be in the box and probably never once thought of a dime. I told Connie she should wrap up a box to give her brother on his next birthday and be a bigger spender and put a quarter inside the box.
Not sure how long ago that was, Connie, but a dime might have bought you a candy bar or some bubblegum.
Lori’s story brought some smiles too. It’s not a birthday when she was a kid, but kids are in the story. Here’s what Lori said.
When our two kiddos were 1 and 4, my husband took them to the store to buy Mom a birthday gift. When I opened it up I started to cry. I had wanted a bread maker for a few years. Well, our son saw mom cry and thought I didnt like it so he started to cry. And our youngest saw her brother crying so she started to cry. My poor husband didn’t know what to do at first. I started laughing while crying because of the silly situation we were in. Well, that just made the two kiddos cry harder. Finally we were able to all get ourselves under control and laughed. I immediately took the kiddos into the kitchen and we made our first loaf of bread. Ohhh my! Talk about yummy. To this day I do not know how my husband got them to not tell me about the gift they helped get. As a family we had many adventures with that bread maker.
What a sweet story, Lori. Thank you for sharing it with us. I’m sure your kids have many good memories of those bread making adventures.
I hope you all enjoyed these birthday stories. There’s still time to get in on my newsletter giveaway. Here’s a link to the newsletter if you didn’t see one show up in your mailbox and you want to check it out. I’ve got a couple of old pictures of me in there.
What do you like best to do on your birthdays?
Comments 16
Do on my birthday? I don’t have a real set thing to do. When young it was always spaghetti my choice. Except one time it was fondue. Yum. But I remember it more because it was so hot. You stuck to everything!
When our kids were young we I let our kids pick out a restaurant of their choice. Going out was not often on our to do list.
This year? My birthday. My husband, looking back, had had a stroke in the morning. By the time the ambulance got here he was up off the floor and seemingly fine. We had a quiet day. No out to eat. No going to the movies; it was $3 at theater day. But oh my. A nice quiet day together!
Author
Glad your birthday turned out better than it started, Shari. I always let my kids pick their birthday dinners and desserts when they were young. I still would, but two of them live too far away to be home for their birthdays most years. I always enjoyed making their favorite desserts. I used to do that for my husband too, but now he’s not supposed to eat sweets which takes some of the fun away. We usually go out to eat instead if the kids aren’t able to come celebrate with him.
I’m sure your kids fondly remember those outings to the restaurants on their birthdays.
I enjoyed reading the birthday stories. One of the joys of having a birthday is the special cake and getting to share it with family and friends.
Author
Glad you liked reading the birthday stories, Connie. Fun that I could share yours. I like making birthdays special for family members with a special dessert or meal. A person ought to have a special day on his or her birthday.
I’m a December baby so most of the time it’s just another day.
Author
My daughter-in-law has a December birthday. She likes having it noticed separately from Christmas. I have a granddaughter with a December 17 birthday too. I’m sure sometimes it feels like that birthday and Christmas melt in together.
A meal with family and friends.
Author
Indeed, Pamela. That’s the best.
My birthday is in June just as the first strawberries are ripe. I’ve always enjoyed strawberry shortcake instead of a birthday cake (I don’t care for cake anyway. I’m a pie lover.) My mother always made strawberry shortcake for my birthday and since she’s gone on to Heaven, I make my own. As to birthday memories.. two days before my 16th we moved to a different state. I guess Mother was too busy to even remember my birthday two days later. I cried my eyes out so my dad took me to Isaly’s and bought me a banana split. I never did have birthday parties as a kid but a few times Mother let me have a few friends over for a weenie roast.
oh yum, having strawberries around your birthday sounds divine
Author
Love strawberry shortcake, Lee. It’s neat that you still make one for yourself. I used to make myself a cheesecake with cherries on top for my birthday. But now I’d rather have Angel Food cake and those strawberries even if my birthday is after strawberry season.
Your poor mother was properly stressed out, but at least your dad tried to make up for it with a trip out for a banana split. I took my granddaughters out for a banana split last year when they told me they’d never had one. They usually opt for blizzards. 🙂
I like to go to dinner for my birthday. Denny’s about 30 yrs. ago, would give a free dinner to the birthday guest! They might’ve made you buy a dinner also. Of course I went with my husband, and he did the same for his birthday too. Other restaurants used to sing or some kind of birthday chant, then give the birthday guest a free dessert. It’s sad that most restaurants don’t do anything anymore. My husband and I still enjoy going out for birthday dinners. It’s still special, because we don’t go out to eat that much except to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and Valentines day.
I remember when Denny’s did this. Wow. And the free desserts and singing. I agree that it is sad they dont do this anymore. Our birthdays are super special times and should be celebrated somehow.
Dennys still does the birtday free meal. I get a coupon in NY email every year.
That’s my, not New York.
Author
I don’t think I was ever at a restaurant that gave you a free meal, but plenty used to do the dessert. Some still do and do the singing although usually a different version than the Happy Birthday song. The women who wrote that little ditty or maybe their families started wanted royalties for restaurants singing their song. That when the waiters and waitresses started doing the clappy version.
A funny story about that is once when my husband and I were out to eat with his brother and his wife. It was at a Mexican restaurant when all at once we heard these bangs. We were about to dive under the table until we realized it was just the waiters knocking something together to sing their version of the birthday song. Gave us quite a start. LOL
Oh, and we were out on my birthday with a friend who shares my birthday date. We, well our husbands, told them it was our birthdays. Thank goodness they didn’t sing to us, but they did bring a dish of ice cream on the house. Not one of their regular $5 plus desserts, but the ice cream was in a pretty stemmed glass bowl and tasted good.