Personalized Napkins – Birthday Party

So there I was, at my friend Paul’s birthday party. Big banner proclaiming “Happy 8^th Birthday, Paul!”. Noisemakers. Shiny, pointy hats with elastic chin straps. Brightly colored plates and goody bags adorned with cartoon characters. Liquor.

Did I mention I was thirty-two at the time?

Come to think of it, so was Paul.

This spectacle of childhood regression is easily explained by the fact that Paul is a Leap Year Baby, born on February 29^th, a day that appears on the calendar only once every four years. So Paul, creative individual as he was, decided to treat his own birthday like the chronological rarity it was.

Essentially, Paul wouldn’t bother celebrating in the three years between his “real” birthday. Rather, he’d estimate how much money he’d spend doing so and saved that amount in a special account. So when that fourth year and February 29^th rolled around, he had enough cash to throw a fantastic party. Considering these days Paul’s a surgeon, saving three years’ worth of birth celebration funds is no small chunk of change.

The parties were themed like a kid’s party, of course, but with an “older” twist. Gourmet pizza was catered in from a fancy Italian place. There was a piñata filled with French candies. Even the place settings were pretty posh; personalized napkins and everything. The paper plates were little disks of canvas, hand-illustrated by one of his artist friends, usually little caricatures of the guests. Even the aforementioned liquor was wine, explained as “grape juice, although a little on the older side”.

“You know, Paul,” I said to my friend, as the celebration wound down. “I gotta hand it to you…maybe we’d all appreciate life more if we made our birthdays as special as you make yours. We’re all getting older, after all.”

Paul grinned. “Speak for yourself, buddy. I’m only eight!”