It’s often said that if your birthday falls near the holidays it’s unfortunate, because your special day gets lost. Do you think that is true?
Our second son, Maddux was born five years ago on December 1st, right between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I realize that as he gets older the way we celebrate him will depend mostly on him. He’ll probably have a place or theme in mind. But, for now, it’s up to us, his parents to decide. Last year we hosted a “Thankful for Maddux” party on the weekend after Thanksgiving. Maddux loved it. It was basically just a birthday party, but we all got into the Thankful theme, especially Maddux.
We also attended a house party last year at a friend’s home where Santa stopped by. For the following 11 months I’ve thought about Santa coming to a party at our house. How fun would that be? Especially given the ages of our children. And, we really couldn’t have a Christmas party and a separate party for Maddux. So, why not have a Birthday party with a Christmas theme?
And, so we did. And, Maddux was happily on board again. He loved every minute of it. I cooked adult food- roasted mozzarella tomatoes, chicken curry, a very colorful vegetable tray and for the kids an assortment of finger sandwiches, fruit, cookies and cake for everybody. My in-laws brought really great hummus. We had cupcakes and hot chocolate (which was delicious!) And, my mom made sugar cookies shaped like Christmas trees for the kids to decorate. Just before Santa’s surprise arrival, my mom sat down at the piano and we sang Christmas carols. Everyone came inside for Santa’s entrance as we sang “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” At that moment our house was more full of love, singing, joy and laughter and people…so many people…than ever before. It was amazing. It was magical. And, Maddux was thrilled. Santa, accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Claus, made his way through the crowd and into the brown leather chair next to the Christmas tree in the den. The children gathered at his feet and he read “The Polar Express.” Maddux ended up in Santa’s lap half way through the book and Trinity would periodically stop Santa’s story, so she could tell him her own. Children took turns sitting with Santa, taking pictures and talking with him. It was more than a delightful experience. It was beautiful. It was childlike. It was exciting.
We gathered in the living room for the birthday song. And, Maddux told his guests “thank you for coming to my party!” We sang to him and he successfully blew out the five lit candles on the cake.
I believe that Maddux knew that this wasn’t a party just thrown together between holidays. It was a really special way of honoring him and showing him that we love him dearly. I think he’ll look back on it and be pleased. 🙂
About Maddux: Maddux is five years old. He is our second child of four. He is smart and intuitive. He loves people. He loves his siblings and his entire family with his whole heart. He plans for the future, thinking about what he wants to accomplish in life, where he wants to live “when I’m a man,” where he’ll go to school and how he’ll always want to be close to his parents. He loves sharing a room with his brothers and takes good care of his sister. He thinks about others. His bright blue eyes and smile light up our life. He is cherished by so many. And, we are grateful that Maddux is our son. We thank God for our little Maddux.Â
