INTO A CELEBRATION

1. Start with a quirky little holiday.

A great secret to adding some confetti to a regular day is to look at quirky holiday calendar. (National Today is my favorite!)  I love all those whimsical, goofy holidays because they are great, low-stress inspiration for ways to add a little confetti to an otherwise normal day.

And since there is practically one for every day of the year, you can find some that suit any age, interest, lifestyle and tastebud!

So browse the quirky holidays for this month and pick out one or two you can start with.

You don’t have to start with this step, obviously, but if you are in need of some motivation, this is a great place to find some!

2. Turn on some music.

Music is a guaranteed way to add a confetti atmosphere to any occasion, meal or goofball holiday.

I love music and love to make my own playlists. If you are a music lover as well (or someone at your house is), and you have time, then by all means, make your own!

But sometimes there just isn’t time or we think of it too late. Not a problem!  Most music services these days have hundreds of ready-made playlists for literally everything you can think of. (I even have a few you can borrow.)

• • • • Olympics? Check.
      • Valentines Day x 1,000,000? Check.
      • President’s Day? Yes, siree.
      • Taco Tuesday? Yepyepyep.

And if you don’t need a specific playlist there are so many genres and moods to choose from just to have a dance party while you make dinner.

Best part: you don’t need any fancy equipment, just your phone! So there are zero excuses not to get your party started with a convenient playlist.

3. Eat some food. 

The food holidays are the most fun! And they can help you figure out everyone’s least favorite question: What’s for dinner?!

Try a new recipe or restaurant. Let the kids fix something. Pick up takeout on your way home from work. Shake up a cocktail!

And don’t be afraid to think outside the box a little. The Confetti Police aren’t going to bust in, sirens wailing and arrest you for  doing it wrong!

Don’t have Asian food for National Chopsticks day? Try eating a regular meal with chopsticks.  No time to make homemade pizza for National Pizza Day? Watch Mystic Pizza and get takeout.

Don’t get overwhelmed.  If you can’t do homemade, buy it at the store.  (Or plan ahead and order from Goldbelly  if you are in the mood to splurge!)  Improvise and simplify, for goodness sake. You’re a smart cookie.

4. Do something.

Sometimes the activity is cooking or eating the meal. And that’s perfect. But sometimes the food isn’t the highlight. Or there is the time or opportunity to add a little something else to the confetti agenda.

• • • • Watch a movie
      • Read a book
      • Play a game
      • Make a puzzle
      • Learn some trivia
      • Tell jokes
      • Have a dance party
      • Make a craft
      • Do a timed activity

Have someone read trivia or tell jokes while you fix dinner. (The hubs loves to read me Dad jokes while I cook. What? It’s our thing. Don’t hate.)

Is it National Wildlife Day? Have everyone look up facts about their favorite animal to share over dinner. Or draw a picture.

National Organize Your Home Day? Set a timer for ten minutes and see who can collect the most things to get rid of. The winner gets to choose desert.

Adding an activity to your celebration adds an extra bit of fun and makes it seem more like an actual occasion.

5. Look for an Act of Kindness you can do.

Most holidays, even the random quirky ones, will lend themselves to an idea for an act of kindness.  And what better way to enjoy a little celebration than to make someone else’s life a little better?  This can be a different kind of way to add an activity to your celebration.

Library Lovers Day? Leave happy notes in library books.

National Dress Day? Donate some clothes to a homeless or domestic violence shelter.

Floral Design Day? Buy some grocery store flowers and arrange them to give a neighbor.

It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Sometimes the smallest acts of kindness are the best ones.

6. Decorate something.

Maybe this means using a colorful tablecloth, fancy or paper. Or some fun napkins. Maybe it is a wreath on the door.  Use a themed dishtowel.  Go to Home Goods and get the wooden sign if that makes you happy.

And if you like DIY decorations, well, obviously there’s Pinterest. 

If you enjoy adding decorations and can do it without getting stressed out, then go for it!    BUT. (And this is important, y’all.)

If trying to figure out how to decorate gives you (or your budget) hives, then find a cute, free printable (or get your kids to draw a picture), put it out on the counter and call it done.

7. Add a little magic.

Regardless of how much or little you decorate, this is the one step that you shouldn’t skip. Adding a little magic is like waving your wand over the occasion and adding some pixie dust to the whole thing.

You don’t need to do everything. Pick one or two ideas. (And if you can re-use them next week, all the better!)

• • • Get some sprinkles (you can put these things on SO much, y’all).
    • Light some candles: birthday, battery powered tealights, tapers.
    • Arrange some flowers.
    • Put on a party hat.
    • Light some sparklers.
    • Blow up some balloons.
    • Turn on the bubble machine.
    • My favorite: Get some novelty twinkle lights.

Seriously, who doesn’t love fairy lights? And oh my gosh, there are SOO many to choose from! (You can even get a simple, LED string for less than $4.) They make everything seem more magical.

Do whatever is simplest or makes the most sense for each opportunity. But don’t forget to add a little magic.

8. Choose the date that works.

Don’t get hung up on the actual date.  For y-e-a-r-s we didn’t celebrate Christmas on December 25th because the kids didn’t come to us until after Christmas Day. And you know what I learned? The holiday is when you say it is.

So you didn’t celebrate National Pizza Day on Tuesday. Do it Wednesday. Or Friday.  Valentine’s Day can’t be on February 14th? Do it the 16th. 

Loosen up a little about the ‘when’. It’s still goign to be fun, I promise!

9. Don’t forget to enjoy it.

Often times we start off excited about whatever celebration we are planning. Then we turn it into work by either making it too complicated or getting hung up on insisting it turn out a certain way.

Or we don’t even bother because we think an idea we came up with at the last minute won’t be ‘enough’ of a celebration to matter.

Stop striving so hard and remember that the whole point is to actually celebrate. How something comes together is much less important than the enjoyment you and your people get from what actually happens. Let go a little and just look for ways to enjoy more.

A word about celebrating without kids around…

Yes, kids give us an excuse (and some extra motivation) to be silly and have fun. But they aren’t required!

You don’t have to celebrate with kids (or anyone else, for that matter) to add some confetti to your own life. Get the meal. Make the cocktail. Pick up a book. Turn on the music. Watch a film. Do an act of kindness. And by all means get the fairy lights! Your celebrations might be more low-key (or not), but they will still add a richness and enjoyment to your life that you shouldn’t neglect.

Music + Eats + Activity + Decoration + Magic = CELEBRATION!

There is your formula! Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy! It might take you a few times to get the hang of it, but the most important thing to remember is this: IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE HARD. Stop trying to make it complicated. Look for the  simpler way. And don’t forget the whole point is to add more joy to your life and the lives of those you love.