12-23-01, Lisa Laird, 614 words
Lisa's Lair
By Lisa Laird
IPS Features
HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
BABY!
Wedding ceremonies, along with their immediately
following receptions, take the cake in terms of extravagant celebrations.
Whether or not the near future bride and groom are genuinely compatible
with each other is not quite as important as choosing the perfect menu, who’s
sitting next to whom, and if the bridesmaids’ gowns make them look fat.
Because we all know that it’s the clothing that decides one’s
appearance and not the collection of excess pounds attempting to hide under
frilly fabric. All the planning,
primping, and praying that the festive occasion is a glorious smash can only be
worthy of a storybook wedding. Right?
Wrong.
There’s a major competitor coming up from behind and
it wants a piece of the action. An
unlikely one, but quickly catching up, nonetheless.
The powerful band of rivals is, without a doubt,
hands-down, children’s birthday parties.
Hail keeping up with the Joneses; the old-fashioned birthday party is a
dying breed. Don’t just send in
the clowns nowadays…send in the whole darn circus.
All major credit cards accepted, I’m sure.
I can vaguely remember one or two of the parties given
for me as a kid. My most vivid
memory is getting up very early those mornings to blow up balloons before the
guests arrived. And I still
can recall the excitement I felt as the first child rang the doorbell.
The complete menu consisted of potato chips, pretzels, soda, and an ice
cream cake. That’s it; not even a
pizza. Beloved highlights included
playing musical chairs, pinning a paper tail on a paper donkey taped to the
wall, and popping balloons.
The main event of opening presents was a sight to behold
as a bunch of little faces lit up as each gift was unveiled from its wrapping.
Simple items received were appreciated, adored, and admired by all.
And the party favors were small loot bags filled with candy and plastic
trinkets. The complete party
package cost my folks less than twenty dollars; boy, how times have changed.
These days, children’s birthday parties are not only
held at fast food and family restaurants, but also at cooking facilities, indoor
play centers, and even beauty salons. They
are well structured and rigid in terms of time frames for planned activities.
Hosts and hostesses provide guidance and entertainment so that Mom and
Dad don’t have to. $200.00 and
up, “up” being the operative word, is no small price to pay for a couple of
hours of group babysitting. It’s
a taste of day camp, but not necessarily during the summer and totally over with
in the blink of an eye.
The sequence in these places is usually having fun,
picking at food, having more fun, and then picking at dessert.
Wrapped presents go home with the birthday boy or girl, as gift opening
is not allotted for. No time for an enjoyable pastime. Imagine that.
So, which of the parties do children like best?
They have a great time at the fancy, catered ones where the sky is the
limit. And they also have a blast
at the old-fashioned house parties, too. What
youngster wouldn’t want to pounce on balloons?
Kids just want to have fun playing with their friends.
The parents are the ones who fuss over arrangements; they run the shows
and want to be sure they’ll be applauded upon the grand finales.
It makes me wonder what children’s birthday parties may be like in a
few years if this trend continues to snowball.
Move over crunchy snacks, there’s a more impressive appetizer on the
horizon that won’t be too difficult to swallow.
Just a cupful of soda makes the caviar go down.
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