giving the gift of memories… a very special Birthday Date
My sister is BRILLIANT! And no I’m not just saying that because she is the editor of this little bloggy blog here. (Meaning she reads everything before you do. 😉 ) She is also the creator of one of our favorite family traditions. The Birthday Date.
The Birthday Date isn’t an earth shattering idea. It’s simple… and we love simple. She takes each of the kids (her nieces and nephew) on a date for their birthday instead of buying them a gift.
Auntie L started birthday dates 3 years ago when S was turning 4. Her special date was to a beauty school. She wore her princess dress and was treated to an updo. (This would have worked at a salon too of course!)
Big M’s 7 year old birthday date was a half hour train ride down the coast…. just the two of them. He brought his own camera and took pictures of the sights. I can not tell you how much he LOVED that experience.
The kids talk about their birthday dates all year. Because Auntie L does such a great job of making these dates personal… the experiences vary greatly. This year Little M got to see her first Broadway play for her birthday date. (Oh yes I was TOTALLY jealous and almost begged to join. But I got my own birthday date. It wouldn’t be fair for me to crash hers!)
T has a fantastic imagination and loved her picnic in the park. She picked the place and Auntie L planned a fun adventure to go along with their lunch.
These birthday dates have turned into something magical for the kids…
and they almost always involve ice cream!
A note from Auntie L... Since I am the editor I can add a tidbit of my own: Birthday dates aren’t just special for the little ones. There are very few moments when I get to be with each individual niece and nephew alone. When you come from a family like ours you usually get the whole crew. I look forward to these Birthday Dates as much as the kids do because it is a time where I get them ALL to myself and I get to join in on the fun! 🙂
Other Birthday Date Ideas
- Painting Studio
- Book Store
- Children’s Museum
- Trolley or Bus ride around the city
- Beach Day
- Nail Salon
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Today’s Birthday date post is sponsored by Melissa & Doug’s Ultimate Birthday bash!
We unofficially started this with my oldest this year. She and her grandmother went for a train ride for her fourth birthday, and it was a very special experience for both of them. They are already talking about their next Birthday Date for next year. Thanks for the ideas!
Around here there is always birthday date planning going on. What a special grandmother/ granddaughter memory!
I love this idea! Especially the train birthday date, but as you can see from my blog’s title, we’re partial to that at our house. 🙂 But giving an experience instead of an object is a wonderful tradition to have, particularly when you’ll be making memories together.
The train ride was a huge hit! In fact we were going somewhere this weekend and drove past the track. Big M talked about his “train birthday date” for the entire drive.
Wow, it really made an impression! That’s so wonderful.