Two of my three kids are born within a week of each other. The thought of planning two different birthday parties was overwhelming. Then when I started looking at places and saw what it would cost for just a couple of hours of play, I was even more put off. That is why I decided this year to forgo the birthday party and take my kids on an experience.
Full disclosure, I went overboard with the experience, but it was so much more fun than a two hour birthday party. I took my boys to Disney World to Mickey’s Christmas Party. My brother and sister were going with their families so I decided to jump on their trip and take the boys for a long weekend. My husband and the baby stayed at home. This meant some one on one time with my bigger boys; which I haven’t had much of this time in the last year with a new baby in the house.
Taking the money I would have spent on birthday parties and gifts and putting it towards this trip was amazing. I was able to get flights using points. I asked relatives to give money towards their park tickets instead of gifts (they do not need anymore toys). When all in, I did not spend that much more than I would have for a party. Instead of two hours of watching my kids run around, I got 3 days of watching them laugh (and sometimes cry) on rides, meet characters, swim in the pool, and experience all the magic that is Disney.
I think moving forward this will be a new tradition. Instead of parties we will go on experiences. Definitely not as big as Disney every year, but time together as a family. Time to celebrate them and give them the attention they deserve to get.
What have you done instead of birthday parties? Let me know!
