Birthday season is coming around. The joy is that all these celebrations fall in the latter quarter of the year, the dreamy time of the year. I would love to share with you some thoughts on birthday celebrations.
In different phases of life, we love to celebrate things variously.
My childhood and teen tradition of birthday celebration.
When I was with my family, during our birthday celebrations, we had a great tradition of preparing a special birthday dinner. It’s one of the best homemade menus I know. No specially designed icing-filled cakes, but a mouthwatering dinner. Most of the time, the menu is with a famous Sri Lankan party-vibe food menu. fried rice or some special type of rice, chicken either with gravy or frying, dhal curry, brinjal moju, salad dish with some more. (my parents host this even today, for my two siblings in my mother country) How blessed!! My birthday traditions for the last few years have been like that. The specific birthday magic my family created never fades away.
Having a globally mobile life is a kind of blessing. But our thoughts and life experiences are always embedded with its roots. So, the small gathering with my inner circle on my special day will be my favorite, and that is the core always.
Birthday tradition as a couple.
My husband’s honest effort in choosing my “birthday gift” is amazing. He knows that it is not always about expensive physical gifts. How lucky!! I love the way he recognises my needs. The love language we share is profoundly advancing day by day. I tell him, “We are aging gracefully.” Most of the time delicious homemade foods, and deep talk become our thing. We fly to hidden places we have never been before. Even a small stress-free calm and quiet backyard party soothes us both tremendously.
And the special birthday card from my niece is one of the most wonderful things I receive every year.
Most folk have had enough cakes on their birthday. I love cake. But I do not expect many cakes filled with candles and icing layers on them all the time. (but I do it for my parents, a kind of box of love)
I usually take a day off and be with my family. It means a lot to me. Doing whatever sounds good to us is the authentic way to taste birthdays. He says always!! Sometimes, we want to try something adventurous, and sometimes, we both love to be at home with our homemade foods, watching movies or playing games.
Sometimes, we both go on a special shopping tour. Such moments are always magical. I look for ingredients for the recipes that I am going to try for the birthday table for the first time while he is wandering around. There will be a surprising dining table every year. He knows that! Feeding has become my love language. What a transition!!
Have you figured out how to spend your birthday in a meaningful way? What are your thoughts on birthday celebration? Has it been subjected to changes over time?
