i loved birthdays as a kid. loved.
and then I got older.
and it’s not that I disliked birthdays, but once I left teaching (where my March birthday was SO fun!), birthdays were kind of just another day. which wasn’t a bad thing necessarily - i had worked hard to prioritize things I love into my daily life - but it just wasn’t a celebration.
which got me thinking. I have, what? fifty more of these birthdays, maybe? i should make them special thing - growing older is a special thing.
and i want my kids to grow up and know that their mom loved her daily life, but she also loved holidays, traditions, and birthdays.
and because life is short. and i want mine peppered with joyful rituals and intentional celebrations.
so here’s my list of how I decided I want to make my birthday special, even with little ones running around.
personalized stationery
this is something that is arguably so frivolous, but it makes me so happy. personalized notecards, personalized address labels, personalized notepads, personalized gift tags, whatever - i love it all. so I’ve decided each month of the year, I put away a few dollars. then, come march, I take my little pile of cash and I use it to order a new pretty piece (or two!) of personalized stationery. not only do I enjoy receiving that beautiful package(s) in the mail around my birthday, but I also, year round, I love both using my new pieces, but also looking forward with anticipation to the next birthday. (and also, a new piece lasts me multiple years. it’s lovely.)
and also, let’s be real: it’s handy to have a set of personalized, beloved stationery. whenever I need a notepad or a notecard or an address label or a gift tag or whatever (which is surprisingly often), i truly thank myself all year long for having these on hand, ready to go. a birthday is my yearly reminder to prioritize this very specific, arguably frivolous (yet joy-inducing) way to take care of Future Haley.
I order from my sister’s shop - or I contact her with a few ideas I love to design a custom piece. she loves custom requests.
your turn: is there something you could set a few dollars aside each month to splurge on for your birthday? something that might be considered frivolous, but brings you so much joy? something that could make you smile year round?
a new blue and white piece
I’ve inherited my mom’s love for blue and white china and my sisters now do the same as well. similar to the above birthday tradition, I order a new blue and white piece (or pieces) for my birthday. it could be a new dish, a new drawer knob, a new cup, a new ginger jar, a new oven mitt, a new lamp, whatever - just a new blue and white piece I love. and not only do I look forward to this year-round, but I love spending my birthday month deciding how I want to spend it and searching high and low for it. plus, it adds to my collection in a meaningful way, as each piece not only makes me think of my mom and sisters, but also of that birthday. and I loveeee getting the birthday mail - and it’s a birthday treat I can maintain each year, even with babies hanging on me.
last year, I combined the first tradition with this second tradition and ordered personalized stationery with blue and white ginger jars. even a whole year later, I’m still utterly smitten with them.
your turn: is there something you collect and/or something a cherished loved one did that would make for a special, meaningful yearly birthday gift?
a magazine subscription. or something similar.
my birthday is the perfect time to subscribe to a magazine or two for the upcoming year, and I look forward to enjoying them all year long. this not only helps me continue to prioritize reading (and model to my kids that I love to make time for reading), but those magazines teach me so much. this year I’d love to get better at cooking, so I subscribed to a few magazines to help that goal.
this post shares my favorite food magazines and this post shares all my favorite magazines.
your turn: is there a magazine you’d love to subscribe to to enjoy in the upcoming year? (there are so many great magazine deals out there!) or, better yet, think of something you’d love to learn in the coming year - is there a magazine to support that? a class, an online course, a tv show, a book?
a special dessert
i do like to cook and I do like to bake for loved ones - but I do not enjoy making things for my own birthday. so in the weeks leading up to my birthday, I decide what birthday dessert I want and from where. as I’ve mentioned in the previous traditions, the searching itself is just as fun as the actual item. plus, this is really the only time a year I actually support a bakery - it’s always something I’d love to do, but I never get around to doing it. this birthday tradition makes it happen.
your turn: what dessert would be just so special for your birthday, homemade or store bought?
the spa and the freezer
bear with me here. when thinking about what amazing thing I’d love to do for my birthday, there are two things I want to do: I want to go to the spa with my mom and sisters. and I want an uninterrupted afternoon of freezer cooking. (pause for reaction.)
on some day near my birthday (we’re working around multiple people’s schedules here), i just want to be rubbed on and slathered with creams and be around the people i’m most comfortable with. brett watches the babies (both human and fur) and sends me off with a big ol kiss. it’s the absolute best. (and, even better, I’m prettyyy sure my sisters are about to start asking for a spa day for their birthdays as well.)
and, if time and budget (and childcare) allow, I love to go on a separate spa-ish date with Brett, even if it’s just a joint pedicure or reflexology date. the dream one day is do do a spa day together.
and then, on another day, I want to spend a few hours making some soups and casseroles and taco meat and muffins and whatever else strikes my fancy for our freezer. (here’s my list of freezer favorites.) during the year I rarely (if ever) do a marathon session like this since it usually requires an investment of both time and money that I don’t have, so this truly feels like a special treat. making a few freezer meals for Future Haley while Brett watches the babies and I listen to whatever I want while making whatever I want? now that sounds like a special birthday treat. (and Future Haley is so appreciative.) a far off dream of mine is to one year host a freezer meal party.
(here’s my list of freezer favorites.)
this year I’m hoping to do one or two of my beloved One Hour Freezer Prep sessions - aka my favorite resource to create a few dinner things for Future Haley in an hour. Here’s an affiliate link to the One Hour Freezer Prep Sessions - use Haley20 at checkout for 20% off prep sessions!
your turn: is there something on you’d unashamedly love to do for your birthday? either alone, or with a particular group of loved ones? it’s your day - do what speaks to your heart.
a [nagging] annual task
again, bear with me here. around my birthday (not the actual day!) we always change out our smoke detector batteries, replace the air filters, wipe down all fans, and get our windows professionally cleaned. again, this is not a fabulous birthday ritual, but in our minds we have associated my birthday as the time of year we always do these four nagging household tasks. the sense of satisfaction we feel when we’re done (“look at us adulting!”) can be considered a tiny birthday gift.
also? these four nagging household tasks are listed under “march” in my yearly tasks + expenses list. this list is how we remember everything.
your turn: what household task could you always do around your birthday? consider your birthday the annual reminder.
something for others
this changes year to year, but I’m going to paste another quote out of a great birthday post that inspired me, because she sums it up perfectly:
“Pick up a handful of fancy chocolate bars or copies of a favorite book or a small bouquet of flowers and take them around to some of your loved ones with a note telling them that the best way you can think of to celebrate your birthday is by celebrating the loved ones that make your life so rich. Or pay for coffee for 2 or 3 people behind you in line or donate books to your child’s school classroom or volunteer at the library or whatever will make you feel awesome on your special day.”
brainstorming how I’m going to give to others - and the actual giving to others - makes for a jewel of a birthday. i can’t wait to get my kids involved with this celebration.
your turn: what’s something you could do for others to celebrate your day?
favorite things
and this one’s easy. those day-to-day things I love? my favorite things in my daily and weekly routine? the things that make me feel my best? let’s do those. a long dog walk, a good book, a big dr. pepper, a plate of my favorite nachos, a beloved morning routine, a sunrise, a diffuser of orange essential oil, a thick moisturizer, an episode of sex and the city. while these things are some of my favorite things anyway in my day-to-day routine, they’re also perfect for birthdays.
here’s my full list of things that help me feel my best. a full list of my favorite routines and systems, if you will - a perfect list to inspire you to create your own!
your turn: what are your favorite things? let’s add them to your daily and weekly routines. and then let’s add them to your birthday.
Did you enjoy this post? I’d love if you said hi on Instagram! I share allll the innerworkings of my routine-and-tradition-loving heart there. (Along with quite a bit of dinner ideas. Woo!)
Other blogposts you may love:
Cheers to special memories and intentional traditions! Happy dreaming, y’all.
