Birthday Traditions!
Today my younger sister turns 23 years old. (I kind of love that she was born in the year 2000 because it makes it pretty easy to keep track of how old she is.) This morning, as a family, we woke her up and gave her the presents from us. Being woken up to get gifts from Mom and Dad started when we were kids and we would have to get up for school pretty early anyways so it made the day’s start much brighter. You start the day feeling spoiled already.
Traditions like that make birthdays special. Each family has their own set, and they may even over lap. I may be biased, but I think my family has found just the right balance to make the birthday person feel celebrated and loved, without going overboard.
Obviously we start the actual day of our birthday with the gifts from immediate family. Often our furry family members will also get involved and give us lots of love in the form of snuggles and kisses. Usually this is followed with getting up and ready for the day. My older brother and I have birthday’s during the school year that would require us to be in class that day. I actually enjoyed, for the most part, having school on my birthday because that meant I could see my friends and celebrate with them. (In college my birthday would fall on one of the first few days back from spring break, so that honestly annoyed me a bit.) My sister gets a lazy morning on her birthday because she is a summer baby.
Most of the celebration comes around dinner time. Once we all make it home for the day, dinner is started. The meal is chosen by the birthday person, and so is dessert. Meals that we don’t normally have in the main rotation, things that take some time to make, are usually chosen. For several years in a row, my brother chose lasagna for his meal. Mine changes depending on my mood when I am asked what I would like. If I remember correctly, this last birthday featured pancakes with strawberries on top.
Dinner is even more of a big deal when it comes to the big family meal. The extended family on my mom’s side will gather, usually the weekend before or after the actual birthday, and we will cook a big meal that was again chosen by the birthday person. I have had homemade beef and broccoli stir fry for my family meal for several years now. (Due to an MSG allergy, I am grateful that my family goes the extra mile to make my meal so that I can enjoy it without worry.) If there is one thing my family can do well, it is cook, so these meals are always incredible and hit that craving spot.
Dessert is ever changing. My brother and I will opt for cheesecake each year. It works out well because or birthdays are almost to the day six months apart, so once I am really craving it again, it is time for us to have it again. Most of my family will have a traditional birthday cake, with the flavor tailored to them. For my sister, that would be a chocolate cake that happens to be from a family recipe. Due to the rich nature of this cake she will put her slice in a bowl and then pour milk on it. The cake breaks apart and she really savors each bite. On the other end of the spectrum, my Grandma (Mom’s Mom) loves to have lemon cake for her birthday.
Gifts from the extended family are given at the big family meal. Even if money is tight, they try to give at least something small to acknowledge the day and the person we are celebrating. There is never a greedy atmosphere. We try to find ways to celebrate that don’t revolve around gifts and things. The birthday person will feel the love and go to bed happy that night anyway.
Here is to my sister,
Today you turn 23! That is a big accomplishment. I couldn’t be prouder of how you have handled every challenge that life has thrown at you. Each day you try so hard to not let anything stand in the way of getting what you want out of life and I am amazed by your resilience. Each year I think back to being in the hospital and wearing those stickers that the nurses gave to our brother and me. (Horrible things really! They didn’t make sense! In the shape of a award ribbon but upside down?) I couldn’t wait to meet you.
Through the years we have had our fights but we always found a way to come back to each other. I hold the memories of us laughing so hard that we couldn’t breathe, but only making it harder by adding something on that made us laugh even more because it made our tangent even funnier. Moments where we were able to communicate across rooms without even saying a word to each other, just a look. I will forever treasure that connection with you.
Here is to year 23! I hope it is filled with good food, good memories, and certainly good people. Wishing you a very Happy Birthday Mon Chou Chou!
<3 Momo
