How my mom taught me the importance of birthdays
My family takes birthdays very seriously, and as an adult, I have kept that tradition. For us, birthdays mean bringing our family and friends together. More often than not, my grandma would travel to help my Mom put up a party, having family travel for your birthday just enhances the experience.
Birthday planning in my family used to start whenever we went to Brazil. We had to pick out themes very early on. Going to Brazil was part of the strategy, that is where we got most of the supplies. I remember waking up at my Grandma’s house, and she and my mom would be nowhere to be found (for the record, they had left us with a responsible adult). A few minutes before lunch they would arrive with Santa-size bags filled with birthday decor, presents, small toys and so many more random things I didn’t know existed. But that morning you knew your birthday was coming even though it was probably 6 months away.
The street they used to go to in São Paulo was called Rua 25 de Março, “25” for the locals. I wasn't allowed to go as a kid because it was chaos. They had to leave at 6 am and take multiple methods of transportation and unfortunately, it wasn't the safest. Looking back I’m massively impressed and grateful that my mom and grandma would do this for us. My Mom absolutely loves it though. She would get back with so much energy and excitement. Just thinking about it now brings a smile to my face. I lucked out on the family department in life. I couldn’t have asked for a more committed and loving environment to have grown up in.
That was just the beginning of all the planning. As a fellow traveler, you might ask, “okay you have massive amounts of stuff to bring back from Brazil, “what do you do?” To that I say, we had to strategize our packing. My mom can confirm, but I think she only brought 2 shirts, a pair of shorts and 3 pairs of underwear for a 3 weeks stay. Luggage was to bring stuff back. The birthday decor they had purchased was just the start! Chocolate, coconut candy, chocolate sprinkles, and different types of candy. Those were all things we needed to bring back from Brazil to have a proper party, in our books. In Chile, the quality and price weren’t the same.
After that massive shopping spree for supplies for 3 kids’ birthdays, you would think it was all done. But no, back in Chile my mom would go to a candy warehouse and buy all our favourites in bulk so we could add them to our piñata and party favours. Food, cake and drinks were just the very last step, just a grocery trip away.
My sisters and I had the same obsession with birthdays. It didn’t matter who it was for, we would help set up. Prepping the party favours and filling up the piñata was my favourite weeknight activity before the big day.
The night before the party, my mom would stay until way too late to finish up the cake and brigadeiros. This has now become a tradition. Brigadeiros taste better if you rush making them the night before (I have heard). As a kid, you would wake up and be amazed by all the things done while you were asleep. It took a whole team.
Birthdays were a big part of my childhood and they have become a big part of my adulthood too. I love bringing people together and sharing food. Birthdays are an excuse to do just that. It makes so much sense that cakes are the centre of any birthday. A dessert meant to be cut and shared.
I don't know why my Mom decided to throw us such big celebrations but I can say for a fact that I loved every second of the ones I can remember. I felt so important and loved. My friends were as excited as me for my birthday. Looking back my memories are mostly of the things my mom did, the themes I picked, and the struggles and efforts she went threw to find a venue, make a cake and pull all the pieces together. We created so many memories through those experiences.
I hope I can pass on the enthusiasm and love for birthdays that my mom instilled in me. I love finding ways to surprise and spoil my friends and family in theirs. And if you are not big on birthdays, maybe just get a cake and share it since that is the whole point of celebrating. Gathering people around food. For me, I will keep celebrating excessively the people around me, just like my Mom did to us.
Thank you to my Mom, Dad, Vovó Carmen, Caro, Cami and all my family & friends for the memories!
You are very lucky, my trilliza..... loved your pictures!! xxxxxx