Festive Fridays: Back to Back Birthdays

I grew up in a family where all of our birthdays fell within a 3 week period. My mom, dad, brother, and I all celebrated our special days right in a row and always right as school was starting back for the year. (And for added fun, I married a man whose birthday is 5 days before mine) As you can imagine, this caused something of a financial strain on my parents but we found creative ways to have affordable fun and make everyone feel special for their birthday. If you have children whose birthdays are close, here are some fun ideas that may help you as you plan their celebrations!

Family parties – My parents didn’t always have the money for elaborate parties for everyone, so often we just had a party at home with our extended family to celebrate together. Some chips, drinks, cake, and loved ones are all you need for a happy day!

Birthday date day – Having a fun parent/child date day with lunch out, a movie, an afternoon at the mall, or enjoying a favorite activity is a great, affordable way to make your birthday child feel special. Let them make the decisions about where to go and what to do so they can truly enjoy their birthday.

Combined birthday party – When kids are close in age with close birthdays, a combined party can be a lot of fun. Let them each choose their own guests, find a creative way to combine themes, and have a special cake for each. This way, each gets their own party without the cost of two!

Family vacation – Another fun way to celebrate multiple birthdays at once is by timing your family vacation to coincide. What’s better than celebrating your birthday while traveling to a fun and exciting destination! A special birthday meal out (with the wait staff singing to everyone) is always a hit!

Alternate years – Having a bigger celebration on alternating years or only on “big” birthdays (5, 10, 13, 16) and just doing something smaller for the other child on the in-between years keeps things fair while allowing everyone a chance celebrate with their friends at their perfect birthday party.

Want more tips for making back to back birthdays special? Check out our Pinterest board!