How to Have the Perfect Birthday

Birthdays, Mother’s Day, anniversaries, Valentines Day….there’s a whole host of special events to totally disappoint you all throughout the year. The trick I’ve discovered, is to take the bull by the horns and plan these Hallmark occasions yourself.

If you let friends or God forbid your husband plan your special day, then you might feel disappointed when things aren’t up to snuff. When you plan it yourself you can cancel plans without looking like schmuck, and have no one else to blame when things go pear shaped. Let me tell ya, this makes for a much happier household.

Here are my tips for having a stellar day.

• Book it off. Why work on your birthday? Suck it up, use a vacation day and take the day off.  Stay at home moms would do well to hire a sitter or enlist their partner for diaper duty all day.
• Start the day off right. By this I mean a proper breakfast. I go for champers and OJ and chocolate croissants.

• Buy your own presents. Sometimes I go out on my actual birthday for a spot of shopping, other times it’s purchased well in advance. Whatever the case, I always love what I buy.
• Accept gifts graciously. Beware: you may be presented with Safeway flowers and that’s OK! This is why you bought your own presents – so these little inadequacies won’t bug.

Drink what you like. Screw friends who laugh at you for loving rosé. This is your day and you can make them drink it too!

Eat all your favourite foods. You can never go wrong with a nice beer can chicken and homemade chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches in my books. Better yet, make a reservation at your favourite restaurant. Yes, it would be nice if your spouse did this, but if you want everything to be just so, it’s best you make the call yourself.

• Sort your own cake. That’s right, either bake it yourself or call up a really expensive bakery and get the exact confection you desire.
• Stretch out the birthday celebrations to a few days – a week if possible. Sometimes you can’t fit in all you want to do in one day, which is what makes a birthday weekend ideal.
• Surround yourself with those you love, avoid those who annoy, and you can’t help but have an amazing day.

What do you usually do on your birthday?