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Guest Party Blogger, Ratha Nithiahnanthan, shares her son’s first birthday celebration which combines a favorite character, like Elmo, with an exciting holiday, Chinese New Year. For some first birthday party inspiration, read on:
Last year, my fellow Penangites (Penang is a state in Malaysia) and I had planned a steamboat dinner for Chinese New Year’s Eve at my house. Well, my son decided to show up earlier than expected and I spent Chinese New Year in the maternity ward instead! This year, my little bundle of joy turned one and I decided to combine the two events. This time around, I figured hot pots and steamboats were not the best idea with small children underfoot, so here’s what I did instead:
Elmo and Sesame Street theme
The bright colors of the characters went really well with Chinese New Year decorations, and it was easy to find paper goods and decorations with this popular party theme. I found everything I needed in one afternoon at Kmart.
Elmo Cake
The cake was homemade, and we used plastic Sesame Street finger puppets as cake decorations.
Homemade Yee Sangian
Shredded vegetables, a simple dressing, and smoked salmon made this easy. We tossed things high for good luck and the kids loved the fanfare.
Cake first, dinner later
With a one year old, timing is everything. Short and sweet is the key, so we had the “happy birthday and cake” part first. After that, we had dinner and the kids were off to bed at 7:30 pm and the adults continued the festivities.
Kid-friendly food
You need to have a few things that you know the kids will eat. In this case, colorful prawn crackers, fried birthday noodles, and steamed dumplings did the trick.
If your child’s birthday falls during another holiday, combining festivities is an option. The most important thing is to keep the focus on your little one so that he or she will feel special for the day.
