It’s a new month and this month’s theme is all about birthday celebrations!! Style for a Happy Home turns ONE next week and what better way to celebrate than dedicating a whole month to birthdays! In this post I’m going to share another of our family traditions (I’m not sure my family would love me giving away all our traditions, but I think the more people on board with this one the better!) and it’s called the birthday candle tradition!
When a birthday rolls around, and they do quite often when you’re from an extended (and close-ish) family like mine, we tend to gather for cake and celebrating at my Grandma’s house. It’s noisy and fun and there’s always too much food and lots of time for catching up. But the most fun part is always the cake.
We sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and make more than the appropriate level of fuss and make sure that the birthday person gets to blow out the candles and make their wish. And this is where it differs a little and our sweet little tradition begins. Before the cake cutting starts, the candles are all lit again and the children (and children at heart) line up from youngest to oldest and everyone gets a turn to blow a candle out!
The challenge is that you should only blow just one candle out, and leave the rest for the others! It can be a little tricky for the little ones, but it’s great fun for everyone to have a go. The candles get re-lit until everyone who wants a chance to blow one out gets their turn and then it’s time to cut the cake and for everyone to have a piece.
I love this little tradition of ours as it brings the family together and it becomes part of the memories of the day. Everyone gets a go and there are plenty of people to cheer you along when it’s your turn. It’s also great for the little ones who struggle when it’s not their day. If you’re not a fan of everyone blowing the candles out on one cake, a cupcake with a candle for each person is great too!
It might not be for everyone, but it’s something that has certainly made my home a happier one and is a tradition that I hope to pass on for generations to come. The skill of being able to only extinguish one candle on a cake full of them is something that should always be counted as a win in my book too!
Birthdays are such special times to be spending with the ones you care about. The memories that we make together last years longer than the cake and presents ever will and there’s something to really cherish about that.
Do you have a birthday tradition in your home? What do you do to make the day extra special?