Birthday celebrations have gotten out of hand ― and they cost too much

Whew. Got through another annual birthday month, or a trip around the sun, as they say. I love presents and cake, but I am uncomfortable with the birthday song. So don’t even try to sing it to me.

Why do we celebrate birthdays? It’s always been a mystery to me.

The birthday is said to be a marker of our existence, according to research. The day is supposed to be a delightful tradition. A celebration of life.

Birthday celebrations came about in the late 18th century and, over time, the idea of a party to celebrate became a necessary function.

While birthday celebrations have become more popular, the events have gotten out of hand ― and they cost too much. The internet says a birthday is an annual tradition, and we tend to hold it special in our hearts. Oh, brother.

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Birthdays once were very low key and featured a simple home-baked cake, paper cups filled with Kool-Aid and funky hats for all. While that may be, I don’t remember a birthday party for me in our home like that at all. There weren’t any grander blow-outs for me either.

Nowadays, parents spend hundreds of dollars on presents, a highly decorated multi-layer bakery cake, give-away goodies, and it all takes place at an event venue booked a year in advance to make the celebration the best ever.

I once had my daughter’s birthday party in a kid’s space pizza place that offered slide ramps that dropped off into piles of color bouncie balls. The kids climbed into or jumped at the balls, grabbing and spreading them everywhere. Who thought that would be fun?

One child got stuck in the middle of the pile of balls, and his mother was unable to climb over the protective sides of the pit to get to him. He was rescued, however, only to jump in again.

My parents once had a hot dog birthday party for my brother at home. Things got way out of control because the sweet little boys started pulling hot dogs out of the buns and throwing them at one another. And that’s fun?

I never had a home birthday party. Instead, the family took us out for cake or ice cream. More often than not, there was a birthday song ― a special whimsical rendition created by the restaurant staff with clapping hands and other nonsense.

I do, however, remember a party in the park on a freezing April day. Everyone wore coats and heavy protective winter gear much like we see in the movie "A Christmas Story."

For my eighth birthday, I celebrated at my aunt’s home. When we sat down at breakfast, there were eight silver dollars circling my plate. I was rich.

When a kid turns 16, the big deal now is to go to the tag agency and take a driver’s test. Then, the new driver is allowed to drive the car home. I had the measles on my 16th birthday, which fell on a Friday. I couldn’t take the driver’s test until the following Monday. That was an awfully long wait for me.

Birthdays have become more memorable for me, as an adult. One birthday, my Washington, D.C., friends ordered a cake prepared at the Watergate bakery. At the time, the Watergate political scandal was something to talk about. So, I felt like the cake was a big deal, as well.

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Birthdays as an adult also can be forgettable. Once the family was traveling on my birthday to check out universities for my daughter. It was pretty much a downer of a day discussing which school was better than the other.

Obviously, no one knew it was my birthday. No cake? No song? Finally, I shouted out, “today is my birthday. Thank you very much!”

Let’s face it. At my age, birthdays often are not celebrated, and that’s cool. Oh wait, let’s rethink this statement. If you forget my birthday, it’s OK. Just make sure I get a chocolate cake all my own, and we’ll call it even.

Andrea Chancellor has more than 20 years in newspaper and magazine journalism, and 20 years in corporate public relations.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Birthday celebrations have gotten out of hand ― and they cost too much