Birthday Celebrations that Stay in Our Hearts
May all your dreams come true.
Hope your birthday is amazing!
Hope your day is as fabulous as you!
These are some of the typical birthday greetings we like to send and receive. But what kind of birthday is the “fabulous” kind? And which gifts become the memorable ones? We asked a few grown-ups from Mississippi and around the globe to share their favorite birthday memories. Maybe this will help us know how to create special experiences for our own kids and loved ones.
Stephanie said nothing beats a surprise birthday party. “The presents don’t matter. People always make the best presents. Having college friends that I hadn’t seen in almost 10 years take the time away from their families to drive an hour to spend time with me – that will always be my favorite present.”
Iryna loved her “surprise party in the woods”. This is a fun twist. You might expect a surprise party in someone’s home or at a party facility of some kind, such as a bowling alley or ice cream shop. But in the woods? It takes creativity to find a perfect hideout destination and a special group of friends to commit to an adventure such as this.
Adam, a Canadian who lived in Ukraine for a while, also shared his favorite birthday memory: “10 Ukrainians jumping up from behind couches, yelling “Surprise!” and presenting me with a Ukrainian hockey jersey on my 17th birthday. Hands down.”
One of our readers told us about a gift she gave rather than received. “In my late teens, someone very special had a birthday while we were on music tour. There was no opportunity to celebrate properly – in a restaurant or even someone’s home, because everybody was hosted in different homes, a new location every day. So I threw him a party ON THE BUS. His seat was decorated with ribbons and balloons and covered with his favorite snacks and candy. When he stepped inside, the whole bus yelled “Surprise!” I’ll never forget his face in that moment. I know he felt very special.”
It looks like surprise parties, as well as our friends’ desire to make us feel special, places them at the top of the Favorite Birthday Memories list.
Gifts matter too, though. We can’t disregard them completely. Daniella, Jackson resident, shared: “When I was 10, my mom had a dollhouse made for me for Christmas. She decked it out with carpet and wallpaper and all sorts of fun Barbie furniture. Now that I’m older, all of that has been pulled out, it’s been re-stained, and it’s a bookcase that lives in my bedroom. That was always her plan for it, and I’ll treasure it forever!”
Tamara said she had a star named after her by her mom. This is truly a one-of-a-kind gift you cannot pick up at Target. She received another very special gift for her birthday one year. Tamara loves singing and wanted to learn to play the keys too, so she was completely overwhelmed when she got a piano from her husband.
Last year for my birthday my husband was in Ukraine on a mission trip helping with refugee relief work. And frankly, I didn’t feel like celebrating at all. I decided to just “cancel my birthday” and pretend it didn’t happen. It was supposed to be a regular workday. But… my friends had OTHER plans and definitely made it a BIG deal! I had a party breakfast with my kids, provided by a sweet friend from church, coffee with a few girlfriends, lunch with another friend and dinner with the whole church (who also happened to sing in my honor – oh my!). I got thoughtful gifts all day long, flowers, the best hugs, way more desserts than we could eat, cards, notes, calls, and texts. The best gift, in my opinion, is to love and be loved in return. Any expression of that on your birthday is the best gift.
