THE "FIVER" BIRTHDAY PARTY

                                   
Recently my daughter was invited to her friend's birthday party. The parents were celebrating both their daughters' birthdays and this is what the invitation said"
                        "Mis and Lis are having a fiver party!!!
                          They are saving for a big lego set .
                           So if you choose to bring a gift , please make it a $5 bill in a card".



Now this was new to me. I love to give and get birthday gifts for kids birthdays, maybe until they are 3 or maybe 4. The twinkle in their eyes when they get a beautifully wrapped gift, and waiting impatiently to unwrap it and see what's inside , is  worth capturing in a camera.
                                            But around age 5 they become rather choosy and judgmental. They expect a birthday gift on their birthdays and a return gift(favor bag) , when they attend others. That , I wanted to change , but didn't know how. I wanted to let them know , how birthday parties is all about having fun  with the kids and that fun is the gift or the return gift.
My kids have their birthdays in the same month and every time , during the birthday month , I announce "OK no gifts  and no return gifts for the party". Been there , done that a number of times. Return gift shopping was something that I loved , but after doing that a number of times , the enthusiasm wore out .
                           Then they start the yelling , NO, NO! I want gifts and I need to give return gifts too!!!!!. So when I received the above invitation , it was a party changer.
I googled "fiver party " and found all about the fiver party here.  
The party time they selected was apt for us too. It was 1:00 pm t0 3:00pm. So I my 5 year old could have an early lunch and attend the party just in time for the big" dessert" : The Birthday Cake. It was like a big fancy playdate.She served light snacks with the cake . It all looked so effortless and easy. Truly inspiring. Doing this next time!!!.