samuel's birthday is coming up

Samuel will be celebrating his first birthday next week, and that means stretching our budget to allow for the extra expense. We've been racking our heads for gifts, but we're faced with the same dilemma that parents who have kids of the same sex probably face.

Samuel has inherited so many clothes, so many toys, and so many shoes that it's quite a challenge to come up with something he hasn't got. At one year, kids don't really know what birthday means, that comes way later when they realize birthday is coupled with presents. So, for Samuel's birthday, we've settled on getting him a great big cake that we can share with all our guests.

Back in the Philippines, a birthday isn't a real birthday unless the table is groaning with food and there's a huge birthday cake on the table. And if it's a kiddy's birthday and folks are determined to spend, there's this theory about the presence of a monstrous bee or one of his cohorts being a sure guarantee of a successful kiddy feast.

Over here, folks are quite "nuchter" (in other words, no bees or cohorts at Samuel's first birthday). Most birthdays are celebrated with coffee, tea, cake and cookies. Anything else is optional. I suppose it's my background though...I won't feel I've celebrated his birthday until I've done a little extra. So I am making mini-lumpias, and egg things to serve along with chips and slices of cucumber and carrots and some cherry tomatoes (yup...we are going the healthy route).

A break down of typical birthdays over here:

1. serve cake with coffee or tea
2. serve cookies or bonbons with second cup of coffee or tea
3. serve juices, softdrinks with finger foods
4. chips with refills

In between, there's a lot of talking and chattering going on. The hostess/host of the birthday runs continually between living room and kitchen as refills are needed.

When I was fresh from the PH, I noticed that not asking for the second cup of coffee or tea results in the host or hostess skipping me over for cookies or bonbons. As I grow more acquainted with the culture I think I understand why guests take that 2nd cup.

My theory is this...if you really want to be polite, you have to stay about an hour or so. If you don't know anyone at the party, the best way to camouflage this is to take tiny sips from your cup of tea while listening in politely to the two ladies on your left who seem to have known each other since forever--and nodding as if you understand everything they're talking about. By the time you've consumed your second cup of tea, your polite hour and a half has gone by. You can safely refuse the offered glass of softdrink, stand up with some prefabricated excuse and leave without offending your host/hostess the tiniest bit.

I'm going out on a limb here . This is actually the secret to how I've managed to get through birthdays and parties where I didn't know a single soul except the person who invited me. I've developed a new technique though...aside from the sipping my tea, I bring the baby/toddler with me(lol).