2009 October | The Official Birthday Blog

Archive for October, 2009

Healthy Treats for Trick-or-Treaters

Posted by Josh on October 31, 2009 in General

halloween Tonight, little witches and wizards are coming to your door for candy and other sugary snacks. But this year, why not try offering them healthier treats instead. Fruitsandveggiesmorematters.com offers tasty, yet healthy, recipes and candy alternatives that will still satisfy the neighborhood kids’ sweet tooth.

For trick-or-treaters try…

Individual baby carrot packs

Individual pre-sliced apple packs (available with and without caramel for dipping)

Mini box of raisins

Shelf stable 4-ounce fruit bowls

Halloween Fun Tip: Tie a black and orange ribbon around each package and attached a plastic spider ring

Don’t want to hand out food? Try handing out Halloween goody bags with spooky stickers, pencils, and erasers – perfect for school!

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Fun Fact Friday: The history of… birthdays

Posted by Josh on October 30, 2009 in Fun Fact Friday

birthday_party_04 Every Friday we write about some interesting fact or tidbit about birthdays. But we’ve never actually addressed where the idea of celebrating birthdays comes from. So today we’re going way back and tracing the history of the birthday as we know it (from aceprodj.com):

Before humans had a way of keeping time, no one paid much attention to the anniversary of important events, such as birthdays. Only when ancient peoples began taking notice of the moon’s cycles, did they pay attention to the changing seasons and the pattern that repeated itself over and over. Eventually, the first calendars were formulated in order to mark time changes and other special days. From this tracking system came the ability to celebrate birthdays and other significant anniversaries the same day each year.

Evidence of birthday observances dates back before the rise of Christianity. In pagan cultures, people feared evil spirits – especially on their birthdays. It was a common belief that evil spirits were more dangerous to a person when he or she experienced a change in their daily life, such as turning a year older. As a result, birthdays were merry occasions celebrated with family and friends, who surrounded the person of honor with laughter and joy in order to protect them from evil. Instead of gifts, most guests brought positive thoughts and happy wishes for the upcoming year. However, if well-wishers did bring gifts, it was considered an especially good influence for the birthday person.

Although historians are certain that people have observed their birthdays for quite some time, there are few records of such celebrations that still exist. Of these few descriptions, only those birthdays of kings, high-ranking nobility, and other important figures have been documented. Common people and especially children never celebrated their birth when the idea came about. This trend has been explained by a theory that nobility were the only people wealthy enough to throw such celebrations, and quite possibly were the only ones deemed important enough to have been written about or remembered. Some historians believe these early birthday bashes resulted in the custom of wearing birthday “crowns” as time went on. The first children’s birthday parties occurred in Germany and were called Kinderfeste.

Eventually, birthday celebrations became a tradition around the world with young and old, rich or poor. Although birthday customs are quite similar in some countries today, not everyone celebrates in the same way. Different people have incorporated their own rituals into the birthday celebration, based on spiritual beliefs and ancient cultural traditions. While you may find some of them odd, or even humorous, each one is unique.

Now wasn’t that cool? I bet your friends would find that interesting too, so why not try out our nifty new share buttons below (shameless plug)… remember, sharing is caring

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How to remember birthdays

Posted by Josh on in General

i_didnt_forget_your_birthday_really_card-p137416733402941627qt1t_400 Have you ever forgotten a birthday? I know I have. There are a million ways to try and remember — from notes on the fridge to setting up reminders in Outlook — but I’ve never quite found the perfect solution. Luckily, I found a great article from Real Simple with some great ideas for how to remember birthdays for those of us with a less-than-perfect memory:

Visit a bathroom in a home in the Netherlands and you might find a good idea staring you in the face: a list of birthdays important to your host posted opposite the toilet. Why in that spot? To assure that it’s viewed regularly.

While you may not want to sacrifice your bathroom aesthetics for the sake of remembering key birthdays, the more often you see the dates, the more likely it is you’ll remember them.

“I have a list of every significant birthday taped to the inside of my pantry door,” Sue Ellen Cooper, founder and “Exalted Queen Mother” of the Red Hat Society says. “It’s impossible not to see those dates every time I open the pantry.”

Whether it’s inside a cabinet, on the refrigerator, or bookmarking a page in the novel you’re reading, place your list in a spot where you are likely to view it every day and you’ll always be aware of an impending birthday.

Check out the rest of the article here to see some more suggestions, then follow the advice and hopefully you’ll never forget another birthday again.

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Cool birthday candle videos

Posted by Josh on October 29, 2009 in General

I had no idea so many great videos could come from birthday candles! For your viewing pleasure this afternoon, we have a 1-year-old valiantly trying to blow out his candle, the world record for most birthday candles on a cake, and a truly amazing Japanese birthday candle. Do you have any other great birthday candle videos? Add a link to them in the comments.

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Theme Thursday: Zoo Animal Birthday Party

Posted by Josh on in Theme Thursday

zoo_backpack_150 Whether you’re watching tigers on the prowl, feeding giraffes, or taking a ride on the train, the zoo is a great place to take the kids! But if you can’t take the party to the zoo, why not take the zoo home with you by throwing a zoo-themed birthday party. Here are some great ideas from birthdaypartyideas4kids.com :

Zoo Party Decorations
Decorate the food table with a tablecloth that reaches the floor and then attach construction paper grey bars to the tablecloth to make it look like a cage. Hang a please don’t feed the animals sign on the table until you are ready to serve. Scatter stuffed zoo animals throughout the party area and make a habitat for each one using artificial plants, grasses and flowers.

Fun Ideas
Dress parents and older siblings up as zoo keepers. Khaki shorts and shirts with safari hats. Wear name tags such as “Zookeeper”, “Feeding time administrator”, “Lion keeper”, etc.

Food
Trays of fruits and vegetables with pictures of animals that like those kinds of treats.

Popcorn in brown paper bags that say “Gorilla Food”.

Peanuts in small bags that say “Elephant Food”.

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