Birthdays can be stressful? Oh yes! And not just that, it can get too expensive sometimes no matter how little some people try to spend for it... I'm writing this from experience because I've once had an expensive birthday.
Not expensive like the big and wealthy people might have for theirs, it was expensive because I spent more than I budgeted and had to start managing as if I never did a celebration. What did I do that was so expensive and got me stressed? I wanted to act out of character, listen to my loved ones about doing something different for my birthday... A real celebration inviting other friends.
Image is mine and designed here
That was the first and might be the last time I'll be doing such as I didn't only feel the whole stress and expenses after, I also didn't get the feeling of "Wow! What a memory to hold for a long time" or maybe I'm the weird one, I'm not sure.
I rarely talk about that day and one of those rare times is on this post, that is just how much it meant to me even though if happened to be one of the most expensive and stressful birthday for me. Can you have a second read to that? I still feel I'm weird for not finding expensive things or activities to be amazing or memorable.
Ask me about my birthdays before and after that expensive one, my response would come in with smiles, sparkling eyes and a brain reliving memories.
What made them memorable, less expensive and effortless?
The most little things that my loved ones think are just usual and won't make my day any special or different from my normal days. They forget that I don't get to do those things everyday and those things make me happy so they fit very well to make my special day.
It was a little easy to convince them in letting me have my way on my special days. Before the expensive birthdays, my special days were never done in my way and that is because I never stated how I wanted it to go but from all I have kept in my heart, they were all the simple things I wanted as my dad always try his best to let us do something different on our birthdays.
I've never gotten a birthday gift from dad (I mean, those shiny stuffs and surprises) but for making me laugh, feel good and reminding me how little and amazing I was in his hands as a little baby sometime back, it meant more for me... He does that every year and I can't express enough how that makes my day.
I am older now and on my special days when dad asks what I'd like for my birthday, I'll be like "The usual"😅 and he will go bring out our old pictures, especially my baby pictures and talk for some time with the family about the happy times in the pasts (when we were little). Well, this happens when he isn't at work and luckily for me, he's mostly at home.
Another beautiful trick I use is getting more with little
How this works is that I go out with my siblings or friends, not to spend so much as I once did but to simply take walks, explore a new place, chat and laugh over every little thing. Well, I don't get to be with my friends so often and that makes my day more special. With my siblings, it feels like a different feeling entirely as I'm mostly with them but we do things differently that day.
I'm being pampered on my special days, I don't work, I just bath, relax, eat and listen to my dad telling stories or go out for fun that I wouldn't spend much, sometimes I won't spend a dime. It never seem like much but it holds more memories for me doing all those little things than sitting in one place welcoming friends and wishers I know little or nothing about.
The stress after that is overwhelming, the wastes after too... Urghhh! I don't want that lol. So glad my loved ones respect my way of making my special days memorable and most importantly, less stressful.