Author: Jenn Goddu

Jenn Goddu http://www.birthdayarebest.com I am a writer, editor, and writing coach who also blogs about birthdays!

Birthday Royal Excuses

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A birthday is a day on which we might be forgiven for feeling slightly more sovereign than those around us. Looking at examples from history can help those of us who love our birthdays feel a little bit better about any extravagances today.

Accused of going overboard on your special day? Bring up England’s King Charles II.

birthday

Photo credit: Internet Archive Book Images / Foter / No known copyright restrictions

He held a double gala celebrating his nativity on the 29th of May along with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. After more than a decade of unrest, Charles had returned to the throne. Plus, he was hitting the big 3-0 (probably even a bigger deal back then when life expectancy was truncated compared to now). What better excuse to throw a lavish public ceremony?

Arriving in London he was greeted by the cheering army while he exchanged his coach for a charger. Riding past he was treated to pipe music, processions of young girls dressed in white, Morris dancing, flowers strewn in his path, and tapestries strung on the houses he passed. According to a Victorian historian cited in Lewis (1976), “The different streets…exhibited a scene of splendor perhaps unparalleled in the annals of public rejoicings” (p. 83). Of course the event wrapped up with fireworks and “a profusion of wine and food” (p. 84).

If your outfit is questioned, look to the example of Kublai Khan.

royal birthday

Photo credit: Foter / CC BY-SA

Lewis (1976) quotes Marco Polo’s description of a grand festival to celebrate his majesty’s birth: “the grand Khan appears in a superb dress of gold” attended by a“full twenty thousand nobles and military officers” also clad in gold silk and ornamented with precious stones (p. 86).

That’s right. The partygoers dressed up in gold, silk and jewels too. Think of that next time someone shows up to your celebratory shindig in sweatpants!

Photo credit: .Va i ♥ ven. Arp / Foter / CC BY

Photo credit: .Va i ♥ ven. Arp / Foter / CC BY

The Politics of Birthdays

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I am going to have to start suspecting anyone who wants to know my birthday!

So, I’ve written about advertisers wanting to know our birthdays to better target us. Plus, twitter wants to know your birthday now, too, so that it can — yes — give the information to advertisers. But now politicos are getting in on the action too!

I was intrigued by a headline announcing presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton was asking her supporters for their birthdates. On her site, under the headline, “Who doesn’t love birthdays?” we’re told “Hillary always remembers a birthday.” We’re then promised a “personal note” on our special day if we provide an email address, zipcode, and date of birth.

That’s the thing, points out the New York Times’ Derek Willis. With a date of birth along with zip code, Clinton’s campaign can better target its campaign communications. “The date she’s even more interested in is Nov. 8, 2016. Election Day.”

I noted the date of birth form asks for the year of birth. We don’t really need to know how old someone is to send them a birthday greeting, yet it will help Clinton’s team in determining what messages to send and when.

You know what, though? I’m still interested in what Clinton will say in a “personal” email on my birthday. So, I signed up. Of course, once I did the campaign asked me for $. I’ll wait to see what she says on my birthday before deciding to make any contribution!

Political birthdays

Photo credit: SEIU International / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

Birthday Monster

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MTV published a list recently of nine birthday behaviors that make you a monster. Apparently now “birthdayzillas” is a thing.

BOOOOOOOOO

Here are the nine no-no’s:

  1. Not calling your parents (or answering their call)
  2. Caring too much about who does and doesn’t come to your party
  3. Not saying thank you
  4. Turning your birthday into a multi-day celebration
  5. Repeating that it’s your birthday over and over again
  6. Wearing accessories meant for royalty
  7. Drinking too much
  8. Expecting presents
  9. Thinking no one else can have the same birthday

I’m going to say it again: BOOOOOOOOOO

Birthday Crown

Photo credit: Francine Clouden / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

Certainly I agree with the premise of a birthday not being a day on which you can forget your manners and lord it over others in an awful way. But I’ve done too many of the things on this list in my lifetime (and, yes, I’m admitting that this will even have been after I became an adult) to accept they’re all full monster behavior.

Some we can’t control. Or, in the case of #7, realize only the morning after that we should have better controlled…

But what if we get a tiara as a present (#6)? That would make it rude not to wear it (see #3). Or maybe our birthday is spreading out over several days because one group of friends wants to take us for dinner and then a friend from work wants to get together the next day and then a gift arrives late and, before you know it, it’s been a birthday week.

Let’s not go around making a list of NO’s connected to the birthday. There are so many NO’s already every other day of the year. Your birthday is a day of YES! That’s one big reason it’s so great.

Birthday Balloon Binge

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ballonsTwitter has announced its going to help its users celebrate their birthdays. You can now share your birthday on your profile and twitter will provide the virtual balloons.

I was excited at first. Then I read Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy on celebcafe.org saying, “Twitter will do anything to twist a few more pennies from its advertisers, including using information about our birthday and who celebrates it.”

This is one more way to make a birthday a horizontal event (ahem…horizontal marketing event)! GRR.

Yet, I’m still excited about the virtual balloons.

I love balloons. I’ve said I want those instead of flowers at my funeral. But there are some negatives to consider. First, there’s the impact on the helium market (learn why there is a shortage). Then there’s the environmental litter and the danger to animals to worry about (check out the cleverly titled balloonsblow.org to learn more about the reality of letting go of balloons).

birthday

Photo credit: frankieleon / Foter / CC BY

Since I can’t bring myself to call for a ban on balloons entirely, I’m going to endorse responsible balloon usage. If you use balloons:

  • Use your own hot air. Or check out buzz feed’s cool salt and cola method!
  • Don’t let them go — pop them afterwards and put them in the trash.

If you’re entirely anti-balloon, consider these interesting observations about some advantages of working with balloons.

Cornering the Birthday Ideas Market

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I follow news about birthdays. I know, you’re not surprised. Well, recently, I encountered a press release that annoyed me. InventHelp.com was promoting the invention of a “Birthday Wizard” character concept. The brief release announced: “an inventor from Monroe Township, N.J., wants to establish a familiar character who celebrates the joy of birthdays.”  We’re told, “The aesthetic and easy-to-use BIRTHDAY WIZARD represents the spirit of children’s birthdays. It makes birthday celebrations more dynamic and exciting, as well as provides entertainment.”

The release offers no other detail about this wizard concept or how on earth this might qualify as an unique invention. The anonymous inventor is quoted as saying, “My granddaughter and I were having a conversation about birthdays, and I had the idea for my design.”

So, this grandmother submitted her design to InventHelp to advertise the concept and tell us the design is “currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers.” How much do you suppose she is paying for the privilege of having InventHelp write a vague press release offering her not particularly original design?

A quick search by yours truly turns up a BirthdayWizard.com, a strange birthday wizard youtube video, and several birthday wizard-related images. Here’s a fun one:

Or, check out this cool cake (among many wizard-themed cakes):

Birthdays have been around for centuries. I’m not saying there are not going to be new ideas around the concept. Yet, if you have any creative concept brainstorms, you might want to do a little of your own research online before paying some company to help you promote your “aesthetic and easy-to-use” design. It’s sad to me that someone trying to make birthdays more dynamic will be seeing her own money go “poof!”

#yummybday? Yes Please.

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One of the fun parts of writing about birthdays is definitely the curating of #yummybday. There are so many creative bakers out there coming up with delicious recipes to share with the world. In thanks for their mouth-watering work, this week I’m highlighting some of the ones that have made me wish I had more birthdays to bake for!

A summer birthday party would become even more special with these uber-cute Mini Ice Cream Cone Cake Pops by Endlessly Inspired.

yummy bday

Source: Endlessly Inspired

Or how about Host the Toast’s Birthday Cake Remix Brownies? These look scrumptious and festive at the same time!

yummy bday

Photo source: Host the Toast.com

For a full-on cake birthday batter experience, I’ve been wowed by The Busy Spatula’s Funfetti Cake Batter Cake.

#yummbday

Source: Busy Spatula

My husband would love these Red Velvet Brownies with Oreo Cream Cheese Mousse and Chocolate Ganache from Domestic Gothess.

#yummbday

Source: Domestic Gothess

Whereas I’m more interested in a straight-up chocolate option such as Sprinkle Bakes Chocolate Therapy Cake.

#yummybday

Source: Sprinkle Bakes

Or chocolate paired with salted caramel too — such as Sugar Hero’s Salted Caramel Chocolate Mousse.

#yummbday

Source: Sugar Hero

One more awesome option I can’t resist sharing? Cookie Batter Salted Caramel Banana Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody.

#yummybday

Source: Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

You know you want to get in the kitchen now, right? Or at the very least you want someone to ask you to taste test some of these recipes. Enjoy and check out #yummybday from @birthdaysbest while you’re at it.

Gods Have Birthdays Too.

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I am reading this fascinating book about celebrity culture and Hollywood called Gods Like Us: On Movie Stardom and Modern Fame. I’ve enjoyed reading about the history of our attentiveness (obsessiveness, really) with Hollywood stars. Perhaps this is why Nicole Kidman’s thoughts on her birthday really jumped out at me.

She turned 48 on June 20. Before that she was quoted by Tribute News saying, “I don’t really celebrate a big birthday thing. I always say I get enough attention so I don’t need any more. I just like to have my family really close and snuggle.”

Perhaps the constant presence of paparazzo (a negative I don’t envy) and being able to dress up swank and be feted on red carpets (that one I do) would make a birthday seem a little less special. Quiet time alone and with family would be a treat. Burr’s book talks about star stalking and even gives examples of people literally ripping the clothes off celebrities (such as Mary Pickford or Charlie Chaplin).

Still, it doesn’t seem that every celebrity is on the same page as Kidman. She said she was planning to spend her day backstage at hubby Keith Urban’s concert and maybe go out to dinner with him afterwards. Then there’s those that take all that money they’re making and have a massive event.

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The Richest reports a Top 10 of the craziest bashes with Justin Beiber spending $20K on a circus-themed event for him and 20 friends or Perez Hilton having a Madonna-themed party he showed up to in drag, dressed in a cone bra and corset with a blonde wig. It all makes Nicole Kidman seem more like a normal person, right?

Check out celebrity birthday bash pics at E Online!

What’s Your Birthday Feast Favorite?

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Have you ever played the car game in which you and your fellow travelers imagine what you’d select for your final supper? You can have anything, cooked perfectly, and by someone else. My menu is the same I’d request on my birthday. Although there may be variations based on my mood on a given day it’s likely going to involve champagne, tomato sauce, pasta, and a chocolate mousse so rich and thick you can stand your fork up in the ramekin.

I encountered a particularly unappetizing birthday menu feast recently. Apparently, the Greeks used to celebrate a birth feast on the fifth day after the infant was born with the following:

…Custom, sooth requires

Slices of rich cheese from the Chersoneses,

Toasted and hissing; cabbage too in oil,

Fried brown and crisp, with smothered breast of lamb,

Chaffinches, turtle-doves, rows of merry guests

Pick clean the bones of cuttlefish together.

Gnaw the delicious feet of polypi,

and drink large draughts of scarcely mingled wine.

(Athenaeus, cited from a third century A.D. anthology, by Linda Rannells Lewis).

This list of cheese, cabbage, lamb, cuttlefish, and “scarcely mingled wine” along with some birds and “polypi” (which I don’t even know how to characterize) makes my lips purse in a “not-for-me” way. Finding a picture of a cuttlefish only pressed my lips together tighter:

Birthday Cuttlefish

Photo credit: PacificKlaus / Foter / CC BY-NC

Worse still, I don’t see a dessert at this Grecian shindig! What kind of feast doesn’t offer guests a dessert? One of the great things about Birthdays are Best has been tweeting all the #yummybday recipes I find.

Care to share your best birthday menu, I’d love to know it. Or, is there a particular food that gets eaten on birthdays where you live or in your family? I want to know those too. Comment below!

Celebration of You, Redefined.

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I am firmly in the camp of those who believe your birthday is a great day to celebrate you. In fact, really, I am among those who would stretch it happily over an entire week or longer if given the opportunity.

Yet I recently read about Dr. Christiane Northrup’s advice to Oprah about celebrating birthdays differently as a means to live agelessly. She says in a clip (see below) from her discussion with Oprah for Super Soul Sunday, that she doesn’t want to see her milestone birthdays becoming millstones. “In our culture, it says you’re running out of time. You only have so much left.”

Who over the age of 40 hasn’t felt that way?

Yummy birthday cake

Photo credit: Aih. / Foter / CC BY

Northrup’s plan is to celebrate more than just surviving to one of the big-O birthdays. Instead she wants to focus on all of her accomplishments and things she is proud of from the past year. Then, she suggests, you’re celebrating your increased competence and enhanced worth.

This is a great perspective to take at a birthday – whatever age you are turning. This treats the birthday as a time for reflection and valuing our own self worth. This sounds more in line with what the Victorians thought of birthdays, as discussed in a previous blog. The only worry is that this might make things worse for those who’ve endured a tough year and are prone to more desperate thinking as a milestone birthday draws near.

Maybe Northrup’s idea needs to be tweaked further. Your birthday is a day to take a look back at the positive things that have happened — and celebrate them — but also a day to look ahead and set some realistic goals for the positive change you can bring about in the coming year.

Happy Birthday My Country!

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This coming week both my countries have a birthday. First up, I get to celebrate my home and native land on Canada Day July 1. Then, it’s time to add a splash of blue to that red and white outfit in honor of the USA and July 4th.

This makes for two big birthday parties in one week, and it’s a lot of fun. The national holiday is a perfect melding of what I love about birthdays with some patriotic pomp added in. There’s typically:

  • Cake — cakes so huge that they can feed an entire town’s worth of people who come to the event.
  • Singing — national anthems in particular in both countries, but for Canada Day I like to amp up the “CanCon” — check out Canadian Content such as Tragically Hip or Sloan or maybe the Classified rap anthem embedded below.
  • Coming together — family and friends enjoying the opportunity to party together. Youppi! (That’s French for Yippee).
Birthday Fireworks

Photo credit: maf04 / Foter / CC BY-SA

Plus, national birthdays add another element I love — fireworks. Sparklers, too. But fireworks are probably the best part. I have many a fond memory of our friends and family gathering on the cul de sac at sunset on Canada Day for our fathers to blast off the fireworks all the neighbors had pitched in for. Fireworks connect us in much the same way as singing Happy Birthday does. We join in together to “ooh,” “aah,” clap and count the number of explosions — all while having a blast with friends and family.

I hope wherever you are reading this you enjoy your next national birthday with both patriotic pride and joy of being with the ones you love.