Thursday, March 26, 2009

half a cake

So, today is my half-birthday, a day that we always used to celebrate because I just couldn't wait a whole entire year between birthdays.

I (or, when he was little, Gray) would have half a cake (bake a round cake, cut it in half, frost and stack the two halves), top it with six or seven or eight and a half candles, sing half of the birthday song, and get half a present (say, a single sock or half a chocolate bar). It was almost more fun than a real birthday, which, exciting as it was, generally ended in someone's tears.

Do/did you ever celebrate half-birthdays in your family?

46 comments:

JW Moxie said...

I've never heard of such a thing, but it sounds like it might have to become a new tradition in my family.


Happy half-birthday!

JW Moxie said...

I just realized that I have to have Kaelyn's half birthday in only four days!

Anonymous said...

We did! We had the half a cake and usually a small gift. My Dad still sometimes sends me a card. It was fun.

Happy half birthday to you!

Anonymous said...

Shouldn't this have been half a post then?

or better:

S*o*l*n*t t*i* h*v* b*e* h*l* a p*s* t*e*?

niobe said...

Chris: You are brilliant. Unfortunately, that idea didn't even cross my mind. And I'm too lazy to change it now. Maybe next year....

Lollipop Goldstein said...

We celebrate half birthdays. Plus the twins each have a floating day--a personal holiday--that pops up on the calendar unexpectedly. They never know when they'll wake up and it will be their special day. But the holiday always starts the same way.

Lollipop Goldstein said...

Oh! And happy half birthday :-)

Cassie said...

I love this idea. I think I will make this a tradition in our house.

Now I have "A Very Merry Un-Birthday" from Alice in Wonderland stuck in my head.

Meim said...

We used to celebrate half birthday's in elementary school. It was particularly special for those of us who had our birthday's in the summer. Our teacher would bring a treat and they would sing the song from Alice in Wonderland (too funny Cassie!). Guess that's why my hubby and I STILL argue over whether or not it's a "half birthday", or an "un-birthday". LOL

niobe said...

Just Meim: Mmmm... I think I would have to go with "half birthday." (not sure if that means I agree with you or your husband). My reasoning is that 364 (or 365 in a leap year) days a year are your "un-birthday," but only one is your half birthday. And maybe not even that, if, say, you were born on the 31st of a month whose corresponding half birthday month has only 30 days.

Lori Lavender Luz said...

My aunt and I celebrate our half-birthdays. With just a special phone call. I love that we have this between us.

Happy half-birthday, Niobe!

Furrow said...

No, we never did, but considering that nearly all of our birthdays are clustered around Christmas (including Zo, now, too), it's a good idea. To spread out some celebrations, you know. B is adopted, and his adoption day is in May, which is 5 months away from his birthday, and his family always celebrated that.

Kristin said...

Happy half-birthday Niobe. We never really did that but it could be fun. I might have to do it.

Anonymous said...

Both my kids have dreaded January birthdays where people are all gifted out after the holidays. Half-birthdays sound perfect for us!
allypally

Antigone said...

You never cease to prove your awesomenimityousness.

Magpie said...

I love that word of Antigone's.

We never did half birthdays - but I should have had one - my birthday is between Christmas and New Year's and therefore I always got/get shortchanged!!

Anonymous said...

My birthday is a week before Christmas, so for several years when I was a kid, I asked for my parents to give me my birthday present in June instead. It was much more fun to do that than to get all of my presents for the year within one week.

Anonymous said...

I was fortunate enough to enjoy a half-birthday on the day after my dad's actual birthday, so there was always half a cake with which to celebrate. Good thing too, since my actual birthday is in July and friends were always away on vacation and not available for celebration. It was always a big deal in our household, and I still quietly smile about it every year. I love the one sock as a gift idea! HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY!

Aunt Becky said...

We celebrate unbirthdays at my house. Randomly, we'll have a day where I make a special dinner and a cake and sing an unbirthday song.

Anonymous said...

happy 1/2 day!
I TOTALLY celebrate my 1/2 birthday and have since I was a kid. My real birthday is Christmas Eve and I NEVER get to celebrate with anyone other than my family (which is, you know, lovely and all...but)
We never did a half a cake or a half a gift- that is awesome!

Virginia said...

We never celebrated them, but my oldest sister always made a big deal out of the fact that Christmas Day was her 1/2 birthday. My half birthday would fall on February 31st, if there were such a thing. I got gypped!

Artblog said...

NOOOOO!

Hee hee hee, funny though, does it include pressies too? Lala would LOVE that :)

Life in Eden said...

I've heard of those Christmas birthday's celebrating the half-birthday instead -- but we don't really have those in our family. I love the half cake and half gift ideas, that's so cute! My son would LOVE this idea as he is super into his birthday, pretty much talks about it all year long!

Happy 1/2 Birthday Niobe!

RBandRC said...

I've never celebrated my half birthday, but I think that is a great idea! LOVE IT! Might have to borrow it to use with Lemy as she gets older. :)

Happy 1/2 Birthday!

Betty M said...

We had unbirthdays usually at the half way mark.

Kami said...

I did for awhile when I was a kid - I hated having a winter, 6 days before Christmas birthday, but it didn't feel right.

Now if we had celebrated it 1/2 way like you did, it probably would have worked.

Maggie said...

What a fun idea! Happy Half Birthday!

Anonymous said...

My brother in law is a Christmas baby. Every year he celebrates his half birthday on June 25. He gets his presents and his cake, but the cards are only for his birthday.

Amanda said...

We celebrated my half-birthday once, but only because we had a state-to-state move and missed celebrating the original. That celebration is one of my favorite birthday memories EVER.

I love your half-birthday idea, and fully intend to swipe it. :)

Monica H said...

No, but now I feel like I'm totally missing out. Today is my sister's whole birthday!

moplans said...

We haven't been celebrating half birthdays but I think we should start.

Kathy McC said...

Happy Half! Yeah, I used to celebrate half-birthdays with my friend who's birthday was two days after mine. We'd exchange cards and go out to party. Fun!

painted maypole said...

we never have, but this makes me want to. Mq's is in a week and a half (he he... half...) I just might have to do something

diana said...

Nay.... I NEED to see your haf-a-cake! Phreeeazzzee..?

Anonymous said...

Too fun! I've never celebrated a half-birthday before -- may have to start! Happy (belated) Half-Birthday...

Motel Manager said...

We never did, but I love this idea and am stealing it. Don't even try to stop me. :)

Amelie said...

Happy half-birthday, Niobe!
We never did this, but I like the idea. Every month on the (n)th I enjoy the fact that it will be my birthday in exactly so-and-so many months.

Anonymous said...

Happy half birthday! Of course it is one day late now. We don't have any half birthday traditions, but yours sound like a lot of fun.

Tash said...

good lord, the whole ones are bad enough, why double up?!

Anonymous said...

Never celebrated it though i wanted to b/c I am a winter birthday and winter birthday suck. I should have just stuck to celebrating my half bday in August

Anonymous said...

p.s. my mom said she wanted to have winter babies to make the winter more interesting. I can't have babies so I can't plan these things but I told her that it wasn't a great idea b/c you can't be outside or do anything fun in the winter in Rochester NY except be freezing!!!

charmedgirl said...

i used to as a kid in school, since my birthday is in the middle of summer. when i had kids, we celebrated their 1st half birthday, and we also did for my nephew.

i think, since we have nmore children than birthdays between them, we'll probably do it every year (haven't so far, but they wouldn't have understood until maybe this year anyway). we'd still owe them one, as i figure it.

Pretzellu said...

As a mom of five kids we have gone back and forth with the half birthday celebration. The last one, a surprise after 12 years, is born August 14, making her half birthday Valentine's Day, so we have just told her that EVERYONE celebrates your half birthday!

Hannah said...

I will now. Awesome idea.

Karin said...

Sounds fun! We have a birthday week around here. LOL Now we could add a birthday half week. :-)

Pamela T. said...

Happy belated half-birthday! Seriously. I thought I was the only one who did this. With 6/12 and 12/12 ...half a dozen or a dozen it's easy to see why...yours however would take a little more imagination to remember ;-)