Ghosts of Parties Past 6/12/2022

By: Jennifer Richardson Holt

This week is party number one. Now, that is not to say that this week’s party is number one because it will be the best party ever. No, that is not the context of which I speak.  I say this party is number one because it is the first of two. I probably should have simply said that, but it would not have made for as interesting of an intro and you know us wordy people. Why use 4 words when you can use a half paragraph, am I right?  If you read my blog you are smirking now and nodding because you know that is certainly how I work.  As is another of my standards, I am digressing. The party this weekend is the first for my daughter’s birthday. She will be the big 6 on Monday.  I could make all the comments on how quickly time has passed but I would simply be repeating all the phrases that anyone who has ever had or known children say. We all know, whether we want them to or not, they grow up quickly. So we have the first party this weekend which is for family and is somewhat shared because her Daddy’s birthday is 4 days before hers.  The second party will be all hers and for all her kid friends from church and will be a much bigger, more extensive event. I admit it. I overdo it. But, in my meager defense, I have and will only have this one child. If I can feasibly spoil her then I shall. Lord knows I better get it in before her grandparents completely ruin her before I get the slightest chance.

In thinking, and if I’m honest, stressing about parties and all the associated planning that goes with them I am remembering some of my childhood birthday parties.  There are two that stick in my head pretty clearly. The first must have been when I was close to my daughter’s age or maybe a year older.  It was had in the fellowship hall of my childhood church.  The turnout was minimal but that is ok. We probably didn’t invite many people.  I don’t even remember if there was much by way of decoration.  I remember my cake’s theme was unicorns. I smile at this because my daughter has inherited my love of unicorns to the point that both her 3^rd and 4^th birthday parties were unicorn themed.  Who knew it was genetic?  Though apparently I am the genetic mutation that started it because my mother doesn’t have such strong affections toward horned horses.  But I remember there was a unicorn on my cake.  It wasn’t edible and I think I remember this being a fact that frustrated me at the time. In looking back that is a ridiculously petty thing to be annoyed by but, such things do sound typical of a clueless child that age.  The unicorn on this cake was actually a suncatcher.  Perhaps you know the things I mean, those bits of stained glass one hangs in one’s window with a suction cup.  Very often they are seen in windows over kitchen sinks.  That is the unicorn that was on my cake and in retrospect I think my mother was quite clever to employ this method. Anyone who has ever attempted to draw knows that anything in the equine family is not an easy task on paper much less in icing. That unicorn is the only thing I really remember in any detail about that party.  Interesting that the one thing that perturbed me is now the most endearing bit.

The only other party of mine I remember is the year I turned 13. I invited three of my best friends for a sleepover at my house. Now this, I do in fact remember in far more detail.  This is not for good reasons though.  I remember it because, well, let’s just say that the 4 of us were not on our best behavior.  I won’t get into the specifics but imagine if you will all the unpleasantness that could be spawned from pubescent girls. We didn’t get along particularly well.  Sides were taken.  Disagreements were had.  There was teasing.  There was most certainly no sleep.  I am pretty sure there was at least one wonder off into the woods in an attempt to go home. Overall, it was not something that I repeated or ever wanted to repeat. I believe my mother just recently in recalling that fateful event, referred to it with disdain as “that miserable night.”  It’s a valid description. She was there alone to deal with us 4 girls as my dad had been sent off to visit relatives.  No, thin walls in a small house and hormonal girly drama is just not a fun time for anyone. There was however, delicious pizza and my mother’s homemade chocolate cake with the vanilla crème filling and fudge icing so, every dark cloud does in fact have a silver lining.  Frequently said lining is edible.

So this weekend we begin the celebrations for my daughter. There will be cakes and balloons and music and swimming (because when you have a pool and summer birthdays they are somewhat par for the course as built in party entertainment).  This year the party is themed after yet another favorite movie and all its beloved characters and absolutely charming music will be heavily featured.  Hopefully she loves it and has a wonderful time.  But she’ll get gifts a plenty and get to eat two kinds of cake so I feel like she’ll be perfectly content.  I wonder if anything will annoy her about the décor or some other random aspect.  And then I wonder, if 35 years from now, she will look back on that oddly placed streamer or awkwardly sliced piece of cake and think of it as the best part of the day.