Birthday Traditions

I love family traditions.  Traditions punctuate a holiday, bring shape to an ordinary day and create lasting memories.  Traditions look as shiny as a Christmas ornament and smell as succulent as a turkey baking.  Sometimes, traditions roar like a football stadium, at other times, they sound as quiet as a lullaby.  Traditions taste as sweet as pumpkin pie and feel as soft as green grass underfoot.

Over the years, our family birthday traditions have emerged.

First, the birthday child opens their door to a curtain of balloons.  A homemade birthday banner is hung in a prominent place.  The dinner of choice is prepared in their honor.  Here, Ella chooses a classic kid platter:  macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, pizza and carrots.  Because it's a birthday, we cook it all!  Last, but not least, we bake a  homemade cake and decorate it together.

What do you do?