It was a no-brainer when a friend approached me and asked what I thought about combining our sons’ fifth birthday parties. I see this as a win-win for the kids, but more so for the parents. He and his best bud from his pre-school class happen to be less than a week apart. They have the same class friends and the parents all know each other from school. So, why not combine the parties and give parents a few hours of their weekend back.
I did have a minute of guilt that it’s a milestone birthday, and maybe he shouldn’t be forced to share the spotlight – but the more I thought about it – I realized he doesn’t really know any better and just wants his friends to be there.
If you have a school-aged child, you likely have the round of birthday parties to attend, buy a gift for and spend hours at. It seems the spring is busier than other months – my son’s birthday falls in April, too. If you have thrown a birthday party then you know we all face the same to-do list each year: pick a date, secure a location, get your child to agree to a theme (or three), make and send out invitations, buy party supplies, order the cake, make goodie bags, set up for the party, pick up the cake, entertain dozens of kids and their parents, clean up, send thank you notes, repeat.
One of the benefits of a combined party is you cut your to-do list in half … that is if the co-planner is keeping up her end of the bargain which is half of everything. Luckily, we were a step ahead of the game because I had already purchased all of the decorations, goodie bag contents and invites months ago since I knew my son was not going to budge on the Star Wars theme. My partner in crime (and her son) was cool with the theme and suggested since I had done a lot already, that she would get all the food and book the venue.
Later we both agreed to book someone tall, dark and “handsome” to join the party. Sorry, fellow moms. It’s Darth Vader – he would make a special appearance at the party and do Jedi training. And while the cost was a little more than I would like to pay for a brief visit by senior Skywalker, paying half the cost is worth the excitement (and fear) in the kids’ eyes when he walks up.
Speaking of cost, the price tag that comes along with having a party at a popular venue is daunting. By the time you pay for the venue rental and include 10-15 kids, you are looking at hundreds of dollars. I learned this last year after calling the places we often frequent for other parties. While it’s a one-stop-shop at these places which is convenient and takes the guesswork out of planning, the last two years I have opted to do something else. Last year, I decided to have a pool party at our neighborhood pool which was relatively easy to plan and cost-friendly (minus the two near-drownings). The year before, I rented an inflatable slide (which my son never once went down) and put it up in the front yard, ordered pizzas and called it a day. While I thought this was a less expensive option, it actually added up to over $400. No matter what you do, by the time you add everything up – it turns into an expensive endeavor. So, splitting the cost two ways sounded even more appealing.
To each their own when it comes to planning events and parties. But, the way I see it is our little ones will likely not even remember some of their first few parties they have, and we have a million other things on our plates besides cake. If you have a birthday to plan, maybe you could toss the idea around with a friend and see like I did how much easier it is for everyone.
Either way, may the force be with you in your planning.
