Trends come and go, but some decide to stick around for a while. Every so often, a new trend comes around in the birthday world. As the years have gone by, birthday parties have become more and more extravagant. I remember as a kid having strictly backyard parties, maybe even one at the park or the pool. Going to a place specifically designed for birthdays just didn’t exist when I was a kid. Then, a new trend popped up. Indoor play places started opening and hosting birthday parties for kiddos so you didn’t have to host it in your home. Places like Monkey Bizness came into existence and made the process of hosting parties so much easier. We have seen the trend of fancy birthday cakes come in to play as well, instead of everyone baking their cake at home in a cool barney shaped cake pan. Some trends become popular, and some fade away.
I recently heard of a new trend coming around, trying to stake its claim in the birthday world. I must say, I think I like this one. With the way things have been going, with more is more and more is better, this trend seems to be heading in the opposite direction. They call it a “fiver” birthday. Let me explain this a little more for you. On average, families will spend an average of $15-$25 on a birthday gift for a friend or classmate. This might include the gift bag, a card and then the actual gift. Now pull out your calculator, and start adding up how many kids are in your
1: This allows a lot of ease on the party guests as far as picking out a gift for a kiddo they may not know very well.
2: Very cost effective. You can have your kiddo make a personalized birthday card to put the money in to make the gift a little personal if you feel you need to.
3: In a world of clutter and excess, this idea can help eliminate the chance of receiving 15 plus extra gits and toys to add to the chaos at home, in turn, you are enabling your kiddo to pick out one gift of meaning.
Personally, living in a smaller space where every inch counts, bringing home dozens of gifts just isn’t an option for us. I personally love this idea. To give my children the opportunity to pick out one larger gift or multiple gifts that I know they will actually play with. You can also use it as opportunity to teach them about money and how to spend money wisely which is always nice. Overall, I give this trend a thumbs up.
How do you feel about it?
I understand the reasoning, but I think the basic premise is flawed: “Every child has to have a party” AND “everyone else has to go” AND “everyone has to bring a gift.” No, no, and no. In a classroom, I suggest a monthly birthday party ON SITE with cupcakes and other food treats, NO gifts. If the birthday child wants to invite friends for a small party outside of the classroom, at some other time, a party is fine, but again, NO gifts. Or THIS could be the venue for the $5 gift. My guess is that the kids, up until a certain age, aren’t asking for the party, the parents want to give the kid a party. And for some people, the party is more about status and impressing other people, and less about the child. If you want to give your child a party, that’s fine, but do it with family and non-school friends. Don’t let school become the battleground of “my party was better than your party” or “you’re not invited to MY party” or “I got better gifts than you did.” The “fiver” idea gets around the problem of party excess, but if we did away with some of the parties, the excess problem would be nipped in the bud, too.
I LOVE this idea! Most toys these days are expensive and they break or go unused within a month..