The January Birthday

After the whirlwind of past holiday festivities, I used to look forward to January as a time of relaxation. I envisioned free weekends and a quiet, wide-open schedule. All that changed three years ago with the early arrival of my son. Now, I have back-to-back party months.

I'm a mother, so I feel the guilt of not being as prepared or excited for another full house. I'm hyper-sensitive not to shortchange his impending celebration. And it's not that I don't love to party and entertain, I do. But I'm tired after a December crammed full of four weeks of parties and a head-spinning social calendar. Now approaching my son's third birthday this January, I'm again slogging through the post-holiday haze to ramp up the excitement for another party.

Throwing a winter birthday party presents two major problems: since January weather can be unpredictable, I feel the need to plan for an indoor party (which means space considerations); and, a tight budget is in order after the financial hemorrhaging that often accompanies Christmas.

LOCATION

Depending on the allocation of your birthday party budget, you can easily plan for a party at one of the great spots in our area. Jumpin' Jack and Jill in Sumner and provide wide-open spaces to burn off that cooped-up winter energy. Prices start at $150. A great cost-saver is to plan a weekday party and utilize the drop-in schedules for prices as little as $4 per kid. Both locations offer tables for snacks.

If you plan to keep it simple, nothing beats the convenience of staying at home. The difficulty lies in keeping the kids busy and the house in order.

CREATIVITY

It's easy to choose a party theme based on ideas brought to you by Disney, Pixar and Nickelodeon, but if you want to keep it low-cost, low-key and classic, you'll need to get a little more creative.

Hardly anything is beyond branding these days, but you can still run with a theme once the "Toy Story" invites have been sent. Instead of buying jacked-up cups, napkins and plates that shout Woody and Buzz, opt for classic colors in order to clip costs.  Check out Enumclaw-based Party Pail Inc., which offers all the parts and pieces for any theme you can imagine.

Stickers can fancy up plain brown lunch bags for your treat sacks. Candy and a craft can be enough for kids to enjoy taking home. And don't forget that holiday candy you just snagged at 75 percent off.

FOOD

Too often, people roll out a buffet-style party for the preschool set. This beefs up costs considerably. Aside from goldfish, pretzels and a juice box, little else is necessary as long as you plan your party time right. I've found that the most successful party times are 10 a.m. to noon and 3 to 5 p.m.  Those schedules accommodate nap time and allows for kids to enjoy a snack and cupcake without upsetting their standard meals. 

So I have decided (perhaps forced by my post-holiday budget) that we'll be staying in and having a traditional third birthday. My son chose "Toy Story" as his theme, but aside from invites and stickers, I'm trying to keep the rest generic. He's interested in doing an art project, which is great for all age ranges and easy to accommodate. I love scouting out ideas at Ben Franklin and the dollar bins at Target. Making party hats with foam stickers is a fun, busy craft that minimizes mess and cost.

Since classic toys are such a vital part of "Toy Story," we'll use the toys we have in house, such as a Slinky, army men, an Etch-a-Sketch and a red wagon (to hold the gifts). I'll make a cake to look like Lego's and we'll decorate with our own toys and a few streamers and balloons in the essential colors – which never go out of style and build a party on their own for less than $10.  I swear by Safeway Floral for long-lasting latex balloons at only a dollar each.

As long as I show the effort and encourage my son's involvement and decisions, he'll never know about my exhaustion. And that's how it should be.