“What I Learned” is a guest post series of lessons learned in relationships that matter the most (you can send us your story too). This guest post is by our friend Hannah Wong Greiner.
[Before you go any further, kindly click on this YouTube Link and let it play as you scroll down to read this post.] Many of you will be familiar with the story Alice in Wonderland, especially the animated Disney version released in 1951. The most memorable song for me is the “Unbirthday Song.” In that scene, Alice is shocked to see the Mad Hatter, March Hare and the very adorable Dormouse celebrating what they explain is an unbirthday party, which occurs 364 days out of the year. She soon joins the party and has a fun time singing and enjoying tea and cake.
My UnBirthday Party
One dreary day, while sitting in my office, with the minutes ticking away like hours, I had this sudden craving. Similar to when you get a food craving, but in this case, it was a very odd kind of craving…I was craving a birthday.
I suddenly craved cake, tea, presents, friends and fun….but what to do since my birthday was still a long 7 months away, and it had not been a friend or family member’s birthday in a while?
I thought, why not have an UNbirthday party? (Here is another lady who had a similar idea.)
How to throw your own unbirthday party:
- Choose a date Preferably a cold, rainy, dreary one, in between major holidays when neither you nor your guests have a birthday coming up (your Facebook calendar is a great way to check)
- Choose a venue. I held mine at my parent’s house, which had plenty of room, as well as utensils, cups, plates, etc.
- Invite your guests. Generally, the more the merrier!
- Plan a few fun activities. They don’t have to be tea-party related, but make it fun and silly. Many of us wore some kind of hat or head piece for fun (this is when you can finally use those Mickey Mouse ears you bought at Disneyland but never got a chance to wear again).
- Give your guests incentive to attend.
My sisters were also inspired, so they helped out by making creative and delicious snacks and brought out their fancy blooming tea and tea sets.
They also made a beautiful cake and we even sang “Happy Birthday” to each other, and everyone collectively blew out the candles!
As the host, I also gave out Unbirthday cards (it was too expensive to buy everyone a birthday present, since it’s everyone’s unbirthday). I went to the dollar store and got everyone a regular birthday card (browsed the humor section of the birthday cards) and changed all the “Birthdays” to “Unbirthdays”. You can also choose cards celebrating birthday years that are nowhere close to your guest’s actual age.
Another possible idea is to have a gift exchange, so everyone brings and receives a present.
I guarantee this will be a fun excuse to get together, especially with people whom you may feel like you need an excuse to meet. Not only will it pick up your mood, you might even have so much fun you’ll want an Unbirthday party theme for your REAL birthday!
As Tim mentioned in his blog post entitled Please Celebrate Your Birthday, “Every life is important. Every life is precious: yours, theirs, and the life of every human being on the planet.” So go out, and use this fabulous excuse to celebrate life!
About the Author:
Hannah Wong Greiner is a music enthusiast and is passionate about sharing that with anyone. She mostly plays the piano but also dabbles in the harp, flute and clarinet. You can follow her blog at pianofortekeys.com