World 9-11-19

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAY PLANNER | THE WORLD
Birthday Party Pointers to Make Kids, Parents Happy
Childhood is filled with many mem
orable moments. mong the more
memorable are childrens birthday
parties. uring their childrens
formative years, parents may wrestle with
ideas, themes, etiuette, and more as they
plan birthday parties to remember. osting
birthday parties that touch on all the right
notes can be easier if parents follow a hand
ful of strategies that many parents have been
employing for years.
• Involve your child. Chances are your son or daughter has
been plotting out ideas for his or her party since last year’s
festivities ended. Ask questions about what he or she would
like to do this year. Seek your child’s input on the guest list
and preferred theme. Playing an active roll in party planning
can make kids even more excited about their birthday parties.
• Focus on fun and making your child feel special. Some
parents feel birthday parties must be expensive and allencompassing
bashes. But many children simply want parties
that allow them to participate in an activity they enjoy, eat
sweets and share the experience with their closest friends.
Recognizing this can help parents keep their workloads and
budgets in check.
• Trim the guest list. Parents should not feel the need to invite
every acquaintance to their children’s birthday parties. Parents
understandably don’t want to exclude or offend anyone
by leaving them off the guest list. However, try to limit the
guests to around 10, including the guest of honor. This makes
the entire party more manageable.
• Keep it quiet. Make sure your child avoids bragging about
the party at school or at extracurricular activities. Doing so
many offend those classmates who are not on the guest list.
Send invites directly to homes rather than distributing them
at school so that no one feels excluded.
Horoscopes continued from previous page
kindness on your part could take on special meaning this
week. Also, look for signs of upcoming changes in both your
personal and professional relationships.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Many of the
tougher communication barriers between you and others in
the workplace or at home could begin breaking down this
week. Expect some surprises to emerge.
CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Your “tough
love” attitude toward someone you care for could be misunderstood.
Try to be less judgmental and show more consideration
in the way you relate to that person.
AQUARIUS ( January 20 to February 18) An unexpected
workplace challenge could be daunting. But take what you
know (and you know more than you realize) and apply it to
the problem, and you should see positive results.
PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Recent relationship
changes for both single and paired Pisces continue to influence
much of your week. Keep your focus on developing the
positive aspects as you move along.
BORN THIS WEEK: You set your goals with assurance
and influence others to follow suit. You
would be an excellent philosopher and teacher.
(c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
• Develop backup plans. There’s no accounting for the
weather, illness, venue cancellations, or food flops. Always
have a plan B (and, ideally, a plan C and plan D) so that the
kids can stay entertained.
• Encourage drop-and-go. Hosting young children can be
stressful. And when parents attend the party as well, entertaining
duties expand to an entirely different level. Recruit
another helper or two and be sure parents know you are comfortable
with them not staying for the party. They may even
appreciate your looking after their children for a few hours.
• • •
• Plan for additional guests. Part of planning for the unexpected
includes being able to accommodate a few extra children.
You never know when a sibling will have to tag along
or a last-minute invite pops up, so keep some extra snacks
and favors on hand just in case.
• Open gifts after guests leave. Opening gifts is time-consuming,
and young children may not be adept at filtering
their comments. No one should go home feeling their gift
was not appreciated.
Planning for a Fun, Successful Celebration
Celebrations are a large part of people’s lives. Many people
commemorate key moments — from birthdays to anniversaries
to graduations — with parties. While celebrations
may seem like a fine idea, there’s no denying that throwing a
party where everyone has fun requires a lot of work.
When planning a party, hosts must consider a number
of factors, including their budgets. While guests are a key
ingredient to fun, successful parties, hosts can take the following
steps to further increase their chances of throwing a
bash to remember.
• Start planning early. A party-planning checklist can help
hosts stay organized and ensure that even the smallest detail
isn’t forgotten. Writing ideas down on paper and having
a tangible checklist can make it much easier to organize a
party.
• Pick a theme for cohesion. Party themes need not include
something over the top, such as costumes. The right theme
can be as simple as choosing a color scheme or uniting element
that connects all of the components of the party. Once
you have a theme in mind, you can start compiling all of the
details and supplies, which can make shopping easier and
more efficient.
• Create a festive atmosphere. Think about the ways you can
enliven the atmosphere to make it more inviting for guests.
Appeal to guests’ senses by employing lighting, sound and
scents. One easy way to set the tone for the party is to have
a well-thought-out playlist that’s timed to coordinate with
the elements of your party. Keep music low at the start of the
party and during the meal to facilitate conversation. As the
party progresses, increase the volume of the music and select
music with an upbeat tempo.
• Create a guest book. Give guests the opportunity to share
their sentiments no matter the event. Place a guest book
where guests can easily see it, and encourage them to jot
down a few words for the guest(s) of honor. This can serve
as a nice memento in the years to come.
• Offer a self-serve bar. A self-serve bar cuts down on the
work hosts must do. Be sure to keep an eye on guests’ alcohol
consumption, and have a plan in place to help guests who
might overindulge. Keep the contact information for local
taxi companies handy just in case a guest needs a ride home.
BIRTHDAY PARTIES
planner
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September 11, 2019 The WORLD page 17