Birthday Parties During a Pandemic
Before we get to the details of Elle’s party, let me preface this by discussing the elephant in the room… Celebrating birthdays during this current health crisis is hard, difficult, awkward, different from usual, etc. We all must do what we think is safe and appropriate for our families at any given time.
In Texas, we were under lockdown during March and April. In May, those restrictions started to lift. And through all those months, the number of COVID cases in Houston was relatively low. Nevertheless, I knew we weren’t living in normal times. So, a full-fledged, over-the-top party was out of the question. Yet, a drive-by type of party didn’t really work for us logistically. We are currently living in an apartment, so we didn’t really have a good set up for that.
So, I started pondering our options. Eventually, I landed on the option of simply inviting a few of our very close friends to join us for swimming at our club’s pool – and then having cake and cookies and balloons and such. Actually, our club still is not officially hosting parties. But we were able to book a family-size reservation at an off time and have the pool to ourselves.
This option worked for us. It was something we were comfortable with, and it turned out wonderfully.
Celebrating loved ones on special occasions is not canceled. Celebrations solidify the feeling of community and belonging. So, think it through and come up with a solution that is safe for you and yours.
Okay, off my soapbox…
Character-Themed Parties
Mom to mom, can I confess something to you? I honestly hate the character-themed products and such that come in the toddler phase of life. I actually tried my hardest to keep them from invading our life. But let’s be honest – she loves certain branded products and shows right now. From Mickey Mouse to Daniel Tiger and lots of stuff in between, characters have become a big part of her life.
At the top of that list: Frozen. She is all about anything and everything Frozen. She likes to pretend that she’s Elsa, I’m Anna, and Daddy Mah is Kristoff (or Olaf, depending on her mood).
So, while I kept her first and second birthday parties clear of branded characters (rainbow-themed and golf-themed), I knew that was going to be impossible for this birthday. For months, she kept reiterating that she wanted a Frozen-themed birthday party.
Who am I to squelch those dreams?
So, I gave in and started planning a Frozen-themed birthday party. But here is the phrase I kept repeating to myself and to my vendors…
“Chic, Not Cheesy, Frozen Birthday Party”
Beautiful bday party! And I learned years ago, kids enjoy a few friends and less fuss just as much as the elaborate, big parties! In fact I read an article which said whatever the child’s age is how many friends they should invite! So a 3 year old would be more than happy with 3 party guests and so on.❄️⛄️🥶
See – you always have so much mama wisdom to share with me! 🙂
Thank you so much for having me! I love, love, love the modern simplicity of it all. And on top of it everyone seem to have a wonderful fun time. 💙💙💙
You are awesome! Thanks so much, Elizabeth.