Friday, May 13, 2011

{Summer Parties} What Day is Best?



Does your child have a summer birthday?  I have one June baby and one August baby ("baby" meaning 4 and 7 years old).  While in some respects, summer birthday parties can be easier to manage than those scheduled in winter.  The ability to hold parties outdoors gives kids more room to run around, and activities are easier to plan.  Heck, running around could BE the activity!  That does not mean that it is all smooth-sailing when planning a summer party, though.

If you are like most families, summer weekends are jam-packed with vacations, family outings, and sports.  May and June are filled with graduation Open Houses, school events, and children's sports games.  The entire summer is booked with weddings, showers, summer camps, and more.  It is very difficult to get your child's best friends to all join together on a weekend to celebrate a birthday.  Popular party spots and banquet halls are normally booked up on Saturdays.  It is also hard to find an open weekend for your family to host a party when you are already obligated to attend others' events!

For the past two summers, we have held both girls' birthday parties on a Wednesday evening, usually from 6-8 p.m.  Nearly every invitee is able to come, as the middle of the week is normally free for most people.  The 6 pm start time allows parents to get home from work and collect themselves a bit before rushing off to the party.  Because of the long daylight hours in Michigan during the summer, we end up pushing bedtime back a half an hour to 8:30 pm.  The 8 pm end time doesn't really interfere with bedtime, as our girls are normally pooped by the end of the party.

Having weekday birthdays is the new tradition for our family - one that is most appreciated by all the guest's parents as well. 

When planning events for your summer babies, what day of the week do you choose?

1 comment:

  1. We have always done weekend parties because our family is out of town. But, a friends only weekday party might just be the ticket! Great idea!

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