Birthday Parties.

I see both arguments..but I think its nicer to have party on your actual birthday. If you wait till the weekend the moment has passed?

I generally don't bother with mine anymore (although I will this year as it's my 40th), but with our kids, their birthdays are both in March so we usually have a double party about halway between their 2 birthdays. We will still do something on the day, but the party is never on the day.

To my family, the birthday idea is all about celebration of the person. On our birthdays we get a whole day (when able) to celebrate the person where everyone else does whatever the birthday person desires. It is up to the birthday person when it is celebrated. Most of us choose the weekend ot get as much time out of it as possible.

I for one have always planned parties (birthdays or get-togethers) for the weekend. If a birthday falls during the middle of the week, I usually do a small cake and just like a nuclear family dinner. They like it because they get two celebrations that way, lol. I do think weekends are best, that way there isn't a hurry-up feel to the festivities, especially for the guests. You are also able to do more on the weekends rather than on a weeknight, play games longer, enjoy more activities, etc. Tell hubby to relax and enjoy. LOL

We do it when we can. Depending on how we are working and how eager we each are. Sometimes payday does not happen until after a birthday too. We don't invite folks, now and then we will meet them out at a restaurant. As the four of us, we just celebrate about anything just on our own. We are not the kind of people for a crowd.

I have about as many answers to this as we have parties. Our own little family always celebrates it on the day. Now in my "original" family we had birthdays on Sept. 12, Oct. 4, 15, 22, 30, 31, Nov. 2, 4 and 13th. Those would be the Fall birthdays. We would always celebrate them together. When we got older and some of those people came and went from our lives, just the four of us (Mom on the 22nd, Me on the 30th, my sister on the 31st and Dad on Nov. 2nd) would go out to a restaurant and celebrate together. This year my husband took my Dad's place at the luncheon table. Now we have Spring birthdays - March 12, 23, 31, April 9, 11, 20, 27, May 5 and 7th. We usually celebrate those at Easter (especially the April birthdays). In the case of a surprise party, like the one I had for my husband's 40th, I did it on the weekend of course so people could attend, but I also did it the weekend BEFORE his birthday so that he was totally clueless. He he he! He's clueless anyway but I did get him good! Carrying on... my 10 year old's birthday is August 6th. There are years when we go to the in inlaw's for summer vacation around that time so there would be a party for her there, and another party when I have my family pool party. Then another one if she wants to have one with friends. My 13 year old was born on Good Friday (April 9th). Her 3rd birthday also landed on Good Friday and I had a party that day. My husband's mother got on his case saying it wasn't right to "party" on that day (we are very staunch Catholics). Someone else did not attend the party because she was sticking to the fasting rule I think. A couple of years ago it was on Good Friday again and my inlaws were here. My father-in-law teased my daughter that she could not have cake on her birthday because it was Good Friday. She didn't much like that but we did celebrate her birthday on that day. Those who didn't want to partake didn't have to. This year it's on Easter Monday - no school! I always think about the day she was born and how my parents gave up going to Good Friday services to come see me in the hospital. It must have been a hard decision for them to make, but I was a single mother so they knew they had to make the one hour trip with inflatable Easter bunny in hand. LOL!

for the adults, we like to celebrate ON their birthday, when it is just the immediate family. For the kids, sometimes you have to do it on the weekend, especially if you are inviting their friends to help celebrate. If a party is involved, you most certainly have to opt for the weekend. My kids all have their birthday in April, well, WE ALL HAVE OUR BIRTHDAYS IN APRIL~ Every now and then , their birthday falls on Easter, so it really makes things hard.

Face it, in today's world of working parents and crazy schedules for a child's birthday party weekends work best. I always celebrate on the day also, but just with the immediate family and a special dinner and cupcakes or something to that effect. I just think for children it's so much easier to get their friends and family to the party on a weekend when life is a slightly less hectic.

I have never had, nor will I ever be able to have a birthday party on my actual birthday - December 25th. My friends and I always celebrate it the Friday before. Now, tomorrow (St. Patricks Day) is a friends 50th birthday and we usually get to celebrate his birthday on the day because it's a big party day, but it's great this year because it's on a Saturday. On of my closest friends and I always go out for dinner on her birthday, no matter what day. My husband and I always go out for dinner on his birthday. For my kids, we try to "celebrate" on the actual day, but they're usually too busy. When they were little, we always waited for the weekend, it was just easier.

Wow, interesting that you should ask! Today is hubby's birthday. We are electing to wait until Saturday night to celebrate though. Another couple will join us in going out to eat and then back to our home for drinks and some games! Why do this on a night when you have to get up early the next day?! We would have to 'call it a night' so much earlier if we celebrated tonight!

Our odest daughter's birthday was Jan 4th. Her 2 year old son was born on her birthday. They live a 9 hour drive away so we did not get to be with her on her birthday. She called crying a few weeks ago. She said that she never gets to have a birthday all her own now. She made a special cake for her son and did everything for him. She is ready for a mommy fix. We are going to try to go down there and visit her as soon as we can. We are going to have her a birthday party. Just us and her family but we will have her a cake and take her out to dinner. The day will be about her. I dont want he to feel that she is not special anymore just because her baby was born on her birthday. We are even going to sing happy birthday to her, just like it was really her birthday.

I think that birthdays should be celebrated on the day they fall on too ..but as work and school sometimes don't allow for that we try to have a ckae on their birthday and then they will have a small party on the weekend and invite friends and we get another cake for just the kids to enjoy...either way birthdays are special when the kids are smaller but as they get bigger they just get a cake and only on birthdays like 16 and 18 do they get any other type of party or celebration ...they can just invite a friend over to spend the night and that is good enough they don't need a party evey year ...As they get older they really don't care about having a party till their 16 and 18 birthday i found ...but some kids might want a party every year ...but thats too much for my taste ..but to each his own ...

I agree that I find the weekends best . Like you , I would prefer to have more people be able to attend . I don't believe it makes a difference what day you actually hold the birthday as it is only a day and you can celebrate on any day and it is still for the same reason . I would be hurt if someone didn't take the time to try and make it so I could attend one of the nieces and nephews parties as they would be with me if I were to do that to them . The birthday should be something that everyone can partake in and it makes it nice to have family and friends around on the day that you celebrate .

I think the party should be on the weekend (for a child) or atleast Friday night for adults. Having said that, I do think that the actual DAY should also be made special for the birthday person, the family should do something - sing, family presents, cards, etc.

we are both retired now and our family try their very best to come on the actual birthday date but if they know they won't be able to , then they come the day before that , I think its more important for children to have it on the real day if possible xx

We usually hold a birthday party (for my kids) on the weekend either before or after, depending on the plans and what is going on. It is too hard to get people together during the week. We have family that travels about 30 minutes or more to come, and everyone has busy schedules. That way we can try to make sure everyone comes who can.

For myself there are no parties, maybe just a nice dinner :) For my kids we definately celebrate as a family on the actual birthday and a party may or may not be on the actual day. It all depends on the day it falls on and the plans of the people invited to the party.

Sigh .. in all my life I have had just THREE Birthday parties ... and I am not expecting to have any more now .. I had two Birthday parties as a child but never got to go to either of them as I was too ill on the day .. and I did have a bit of a bash for my 21st .. but managed to fall out with my ex husband during the party .. Not surprisingly I positively loathe my Birthday and try and avoid folks if I can ...

For birthday parties in my family we always have the party on the day of the birthday and in some cases if the party is for one of the kids they would have a party on their birthday with family and then another birthday party with their friends on the weekend. With kids I can't see making them wait for a day that is more suitable for adults to attend unless it is the wish of the child to do so.

It depends on whose birthday it is, and how big a celebration we're having. For my daughter's birthday I always do something special for her right on the day, and then there are various parties etc. with different groups of people according to how old she is. She's turning 16 this year, so there'll have to be some extra special things planned, and I'm sure more than one celebration. Sometimes it's necessary to have the party on a weekend, so that everyone is able to come. I have a group of friends that I get together with on the occasion of each one's birthday. There are four of us in all, and we've been friends for many years. We're still waiting to celebrate for one of them, whose birthday was in January, and are finally getting together at the end of this month. For the four of us, it's not 'when' we get together, but what we do, and the pleasure of being able to spend some time with each other, as we don't get to do this very often.