Birthday month is coming up for our family. My two bigs have birthdays in November along with my mom and father in law. We like a reason to celebrate at our house, so the next month is going to be good. Although we celebrate big, we are intentional with how we celebrate. Today I’m sharing a few ways to have Intentional Birthdays.
Intentional Birthdays
Fewer Gifts, More Experiences
Every family has different values. For us, we value experiences over stuff. That is not right or wrong, it’s just what our family prioritizes. This year, we asked our two big kids if they would rather have gifts from us or go on a mini getaway to Great Wolf Lodge. Luke and Lily chose the latter and so we are headed to swim for a few days to celebrate.
They will still receive gifts from grandparents and a few other close, loved ones. We will celebrate them, it will just look a little different. The gifts will be in the form of time together instead of something wrapped in a package.
Birthdays at your house don’t have to look like our’s, but I think it’s helpful to get clear on what you do want them to look like. Big party? Fun gifts? Family experiences? What do you want your family culture to be surrounding birthday celebrations?
Intentional Time
One thing we make sure happens during kid birthdays is spending one on one time with the birthday kid. A date with Mom and Dad is on the calendar and we are sure to give the birthday kid our undivided time and attention. Believe it or not, this is semi-hard to make happen, but it’s always worth it.
How can you set aside intentional time for the human whose birthday you are celebrating?
Celebration Journals
Several years back I found keeping track of birthday cards to be difficult. Kevin and I started using celebration journals instead of getting each other cards and it has expanded to our kids. Every person in our family has a celebration journal (similar to this). We write a note in their journal when their special day comes around. The journal keeps everything from past years together and it’s fun to go back and read old entries from birthdays and other celebrations. We also use these for anniversaries, holidays, or when we just want to write a note to our kids on a random Tuesday. Celebration Journals give us a simplified way to tell the people we love that we love them.
Are celebration journals a tool that makes sense for your family?
Celebrating another year of life is special and sacred and worthy. How can you be intentional with birthday celebrations at your house?