Birthdays

I don't recall that birthdays were a big deal in our house. I do remember my father being impatient to give us his gift, though. I don't think I ever got my birthday present from him on the actual date of my birth. He was the same with Christmas gifts. But some of us were stubborn enough not to open them until either Christmas eve late or Christmas morning. But that's another tale.

I remember when I was 12 my dad bought me a "suit." Well, it was a skirt and blouse that matched. I have to say when I first saw it, I thought, "I'll NEVER wear that." It was gray cotton and on the gray (battleship gray I might add) fabric there were these safety pins (white) with little flowers (yellow) either pinned or in the process of being pinned -- "in the process" means the pin was open, "pinned" means the pin was closed. Well, as "luck" if you believe in that --which I don't --would have it, it was miles too big for me. (I really did thank the Lord that it didn't fit). Poor daddy, I know it was good quality clothing, too, because he did buy the best. But mom made so much fun of the material, and even asked daddy if he was "daft" to think anyone would wear it.

Well, as I got older, believe it or not, I did wear that skirt and blouse (with a yellow or white belt it looked like a shirt-waist dress). So all was not lost, and I'm sure dad was glad to see me actually wearing it and not cringing when I twirled -- full skirts twirl.

When I was 13 dad started giving me jewelry for my birthdays. REAL jewelry. I still have most of it. I did, however, lose one ring he gave me. But when I was 13 he gave me a birthstone ring, it had two small aquamarines in the twirl pattern. I love that ring. Then when I was 14 he added to my charm bracelet with a typewriter and a piano. When I was 15, he gave me a beautiful pin (sterling silver with a blue zircon). For my 16th birthday, he gave me another aquamarine ring -- emerald cut, gold setting. I wore that a long time. Then one day someone borrowed it, and lost the stone. Not being able to afford putting an aqua into it (they were very high priced at that time), I had it reset with a garnet, and gave it to my daughter.

Speaking of 16th birthday -- we had a gigantic snow storm on my 16th birthday, which meant no school. Now when I was in school, on your birthday, your friends would make you a "corsage" made of various items, and since I only remember that 16th birthday was bubble gum, and that in that particular year I had some friends who were making me a corsage, I was really looking forward to being in school on that day. But we had a snow day, and that snow day became a second, and a third, and a fourth snow day. Well, by the time we got back to school, the next week, no one recalled that I didn't get my corsage -- I assume whomever made it also ate it!

I remember that we didn't have birthday parties, except once, and it was such a disaster, I guess it was decided that no birthday parties would be held again.

I was going to be six. I was still in kindergarten (remember I went full time, not 1/2 day) and mom said I could invite four people. So I invited Marilyn, Sue, Linda, and Lyda. I didn't know when I did the inviting that Patty Parker was planning a huge birthday party (her birthday was March 17, mine, March 4). Well, when she was not included in my list, I was the only kindergarten girl she didn't invite to her party. I was so very hurt. She couldn't understand that I was only allowed 4 friends, and she didn't live that close to me to be one of my play pals.

Anyway back to my one and only birthday party. Well, mom had planned no games, so we made up our own. Acrobats -- circus acrobats. The bed was the center stage. We jumped like it was a trampoline, and broke the bed. At which time we were exiled to the table, where we ate cake, which was not very good, as I recall. Poor mom, she tried. I got a coloring book and crayons, the book, Black Beauty, and a game, and some hankies. I wasn't disappoint with the gifts, after all loot is loot. But after the cake, the girls left, and I'm sure the party was discussed with Patty, about what NOT to do at a birthday party.

If any of my brothers or sisters can recall any neat birthday celebrations, give me a clue, will you?

My husband was raised in boarding school, so he never had birthday celebrations either. So, after we married, birthdays were just birthdays. But when we had children, that HAD to change. It didn't much change, though until we had Cyndi...she had her own ideas of how a birthday should be celebrated, and she would start (from the time she was going to be three, until she left home) reminding us everyday for months that her birthday was so many days away, and this is what she wanted, and this is who she wanted to invite to her party, and this was the kind of cake she wanted, etc. Well, what you do for one child, you have to do for all children. But, in retrospect, I don't think we did celebrate birthdays with our children, except for Cyndi's mainly to quell her nagging.

I have to say that now, her own children get a party every year on their birthday, and while it's not an "invite everyone in your class" party, it always has grandparents and maybe one friend and one cousin in attendance.

Speaking of birthdays, today is Elliana's six-month birthday. Hardly seems possible she was born six months ago already. I must get over and take her picture this week.

And, I have to add -- one more birthday -- I was six when my brother Carl (remember "Diddle"?) was born. Mom went into labor shortly before Sunday school, and he was born at home. We were shuttled off to church folks' homes after church, and he was born shortly after the morning service ended. I remember the adults with whom I was with saying, that the baby must have arrived, because the shades in all the windows were raised. They were correct, we were hustled home shortly after that so see our new baby. He was so cute and had such well-defined dimples and blond curly hair -- where the blond hair came from, no one knows since mom and dad both had black hair. He did grow up to be a cute little boy and I wish I was able to talk with him more often.