A Golden 9th Birthday

Do you know what a golden birthday is? It’s the one year in a person’s life when they turn the same number years old as the day they were born. Harrison turned nine on the 9th of February so we celebrated his golden day of birth! We also had to have the tough conversation with Sullivan that he will have to wait until his 26th birthday to celebrate his Golden birthday but that’s just the way it goes.

Anyway, I have a nine year old. Like, one year away from double digits. A child I birthed. It feels very weird. Last year we celebrated with a Minecraft Party at Code Ninjas and little did we know how different this year’s celebration would be as we are still very much in a pandemic.

He knew that he wanted to celebrate his golden birthday surrounded by lots of gold but was very clear he didn’t want a drive by car parade. I was bummed but respected his wishes, I suspect he got burnt out on attending so many of them over the past year, haha!

My goal was to make it as special as possible as we celebrated with just our immediate family. With the exception of one brain swab (he had to get a COVID test on his birthday… definitely a memorable pandemic birthday event), I think we accomplished just that.

Keeping Traditions Alive In A Pandemic

We have a tradition with our kids that has been so fun to keep alive the last few years. On the eve of each of their birthdays, we decorate the living room for the birthday boy. So, after the birthday boy falls asleep at bedtime, the other kid sneaks down to help decorate for their brother’s birthday.

Sully was so excited (and reminded me 85 times not to forget) to help decorate for Harrison’s birthday this year. It has been a great way to teach them the joy of celebrating other people and thinking outside of themselves.

We also have a tradition in our family that the birthday boy or girl gets to choose all meals for the day. He started his day off with Senorita Bread from our favorite bakery, Starbread. Lunch was pizza from his favorite place and dinner was a “special dinner.” These trays became a hit in our house during the pandemic.

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If I’m being completely honest, they were born from my low mental health days when making dinner felt too daunting so I threw foods they love on a tray and called them dinner trays. They have evolved in to being called Special Dinners because both of my kids love them so much.

A Few Golden Surprises

Since there was no party this year, we went all out with decor and had small surprises throughout the day.

When all else fails: balloons forever! Our amazing friend Jessica is the owner and lead designer at Frosting & Fringe Events. She was kind enough to install this amazing balloon garland on the front of our home. If you are in the Sacramento area, keep her in mind for your next event, party, or special occasion.

The balloon garland was the perfect frame to a giant birthday wish from Luxe Lawn Cards. Celebrating with yard signs became really popular during the pandemic so even if you’re not local to use this awesome company, I’m sure there is a similar company near you!

This year was the first year I was stumped as to what to get him for a gift. He’s at an age where he needs nothing and doesn’t really know what he wants. I have seen the idea of a gift card bouquet for a graduation gift and decided to rework that concept as a birthday gift. I’ll be posting a how to and will update links here as soon as it’s live!

Other Golden Decor

If you need a head start on easy budget-friendly golden decor, here are a few of the things we used!

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