When my children were little we spent many hours celebrating being a family. And every year their birthdays were all consuming but wonderful little landmarks of our lives together. For weeks we would plot guest lists and the themes, building the perfect cake. Planning presents that would make their hearts sing. They were one and two and barely old enough to remember, but I remember every last detail. Every present bought, special invitation, and each special guest that shared their day and held them close.
Sometimes I bought their cakes, but very often I tried to bake something special just for them. I still remember easily Payton’s first birthday which was a fish theme. And her second birthday, a day I celebrated even more than the first birthday with a grand Caillou cake and tricycle and invitations that screamed Two. She loved that tricycle from Grandma.
Life takes energy. Enbridge knows that. Enbridge recently surveyed Canadians regarding their feelings about birthdays. And a funny thing happened…have you ever wondered if all the effort is worth it? If anyone cares to recall the birthday party they had when they turned 5 or 8 or 12 or 28? Well, according to the Enbridge survey Canadians do care.
The Enbridge survey indicated Canadians overwhelmingly agree (80%) that with life getting more complicated, it’s even more important to celebrate life’s simple moments, like a birthday. The most important thing about birthdays is spending it with family according to 87 % of respondents. 82% of Canadians agree that they feel special when someone puts a lot of energy into celebrating their birthday.
Isn’t that a lovely thing? Feeling special?
[tweetthis]91 % of Canadians think it’s important to celebrate birthdays. How about you? #birthdayscount[/tweetthis]
This is why. I celebrate birthdays with my kids, because life is short. Because someone asked me what special birthday I remember from my childhood and this is it.
[tweetthis]Do you have a special birthday memory? #birthdayscount[/tweetthis]
I remember my Mom building a backyard birthday party for me when I was about seven years old. Surrounded by my best friends we played pin the tail on the donkey and wore birthday hats and shared cake inside our kitchen and it was one of my happiest childhood memories. Two years ago my Mom passed away suddenly, but these are the times I remember and the memories I still hold close. Life takes energy and so do birthdays.
Birthdays…are a little bit of magic…just like life.
Disclosure: I am part of the PTPA Brand Ambassador Program with Enbridge and I received Compensation as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.