I dated a great guy while in graduate school - funny, smart, driven, a great two-stepper, and... with a love for shoes. My sixteen year old son loves shoes too, so while I might have thought it unusual at one point, I now realize there is a male shoe gene. My husband didn't get it.Ray, though. Ray with the purple boots. He, for sure, got the shoe gene.
The details of this stroll down memory lane are fuzzy, but the end product - the purpose for today's post - is quite clear.
I seem to remember that David and I were taking a Saturday study break and shopping at an outlet in Commerce, Georgia. He must have spotted a pair of shoes he liked, but understood that on his graduate student budget, buying those shoes would mean eating rice for the rest of the month. It was February, albeit a short month, but practicality still won out and David didn't get the shoes.
I went back the next day and got them. Valentine's Day was coming up and, though not very romantic, I knew the gift would be a... SHOE IN (couldn't resist).
Then it occurred to me. David's birthday was August 17 (today), making February 17 his half-birthday.
Pair of shoes. Valentine's Day. Half birthday... Got it.
On February 14, I filled one of the shoes with chocolate kisses, tied a mylar balloon to the laces and left it outside his apartment with a Valentine's Day card attached. Then three days later, on David's half birthday, I wrapped up the shoe box and presented him with the other HALF of his present!
Get it? Half birthday, half a present?
So today's creative idea provides us one more way to live Highlowaha's Spirit of 218 - Using everyday reasons to celebrate life's simple pleasures.
Half birthday's.
Half a cake, half a card, half a hat, half a present... with the promise of the other half to follow.
Here's the other fun thing about this. Sometimes we suck and we forget or just blatantly miss the birthday of someone important. Celebrating half birthdays is amnesty. Send a birthday present or card six months later and suddenly you've made their (half birth) day!
I missed my niece's February birthday earlier this year, so yesterday I bought her a small treat and today I will mail it... in two parts. She'll get half the present by end of this week and the other half will arrive early the following week. Same with the card I cut in half.How about you? Is there a half birthday you can celebrate? What suggestions do you have for creating half a celebration? Decorate half a room, sing half, "Happy Birthday To You," use half the number of candles?
And, what are some other fun gift ideas that could be divided up as easily as a pair of shoes?
Signing off until tomorrow...
13 comments:
I htink it would be neat to take the person to a (pre-arranged) eatery and have them order, not knowing what is going on, and have every plate come out as 1/2 of the order... and at the end 1/2 of a dessert & then tell them "Halfy Birthday"
I asked my kids. They really wanted a half balloon. We discussed multiple ways to do this with no acceptable resolution.
That's what's great about kids, Robin. They challenge conventional thinking. I love it.
I love half birthdays! Max's is this Friday, so I may have to do something silly for him. You could make a batch of cookies and cut them all in half and mail them to someone. I love Chaotic's idea of half portions at a restaurant. The same could be done at home. It would be even funnier to cut a Styrofoam plate in half and serve it on that.
Well, yesterday was my actual birthday, and I got a bunch of gift cards. But I dont want gift cards cut in half for my half birthday! That would really stink!
Things that come in pairs, that you could only give one of:
earrings
gloves
socks
shoes
Thats all I can think of right now!
Perhaps a good boss would allow for half a day off.
Sporadic Spy
Very Cute!
Since both of my kids celebrate their birthdays in July, they always lost out on a classroom celebration... so, a few times we would bring in cupcakes for their half birthdays in January. Teachers always seemed happy to oblige the summer b-day kids. I wasn't clever enough to create a whole/half birthday for them.
I always seem to miss my nephews birthday that is in March. Both of my boys and the rest of the nieces and nephews are all in the fall so Jake's half birthday is in Sept so I think I may adopt this new celebration for him. :)
I may also adopt some kind of celebration for my boys as Drew's falls on Halloween and JB's is- this year on Thanksgiving- or around the Thanksgiving holiday so it could be something fun for them.
Things to give in halves...hmmm...let me think about it today and come back. Cassie gave us a good start!
Happy Birthday Cassie!!
last year i interned for an admissions counselor, and we supervised student workers. we celebrated each of their birthdays with a card, and for everyone whose birthday was during the summer, we celebrated their half-birthday during the school year. i like this half-a-present idea, i'm gonna have to check my calendar to see whose half-birthday is coming up!
Slow out there today.
In the spirit of the day, are we shooting for half the number of commentors?
I don't like it.
Half birthday celebrations... What else? If it's a family memeber, maybe you can get a photo from a year when they were half the age of the one you are celebrating.
What about a half-birthday party where everyone comes in half birthday suit and half birthday outfit?
O.k. getting desperate here. Someone else jump in.
okay I'm going to veto the half birthday suit idea!
Hmmmmm...half a box of markers/crayons/etc...?
Half a sundae to split with a loved one?
Walgreens has a deal for 25 pics for 25 cents. Use the coupon code PENNY. Here is a link for all the details!
http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/2009/08/walgreens-25-cents-for-25-prints-monday.html
Hello, HLA Land!!!
I love celebrating half-birthdays! Every year, I try to convince my parents that we should celebrate it (along with my actual birthday, too).
My junior year of college, a close friend of mine enlisted the help of some friends and filled my bedroom up with balloons and had a banner that said "Happy 1/2 Birthday, Katie". She did it because I was going to be studying abroad during my actual birthday. It was one of the greatest 1/2 birthdays ever!
As for ideas of how to celebrate... I like the half a gift idea. Like giving a picture frame without the picture and then giving it to them later.
I taught a friend today how to pipe and flood cookies the way that Claudia taught me last summer. I thought it might be fun to give someone half of the supplies they needed to do it on their own, and tell them they can get the rest of them when they come for a personal lesson with me. A possible bonding experience for friends, but a good practical gift to give a friend.
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