Children bring cupcakes or snacks into their elementary school class to celebrate their birthday all the time. It’s common occurence there. Yet an adult bringing a cake into work for their own birthday seems strange?

Tah - 21 October 2012 10:14 PM

Children bring cupcakes or snacks into their elementary school class to celebrate their birthday all the time. It’s common occurence there. Yet an adult bringing a cake into work for their own birthday seems strange?

Even THAT is strange to me Tah!  I’ve never heard of that one either! None of my nephews, nieces, brother or sisters, cousins, etc. have ever mentioned that to me either.  I think I will ask around because I am now even more curious!  Most interesting!

I don’t know how common it really is, but it does help being in a small office.  I would hate having to cater for a large number of people - I have enough trouble with eight.  I suppose that it also starts to be problematic when you get people with various dietry requirements or allergies.  Again, I do have that problem in our office, as one of the ladies is a coeliac sufferer, and it’s a bit difficult trying to find gluten-free cakes at times.

Both of you should reply to the Face Book thread that I put on this morning to find out all the traditions!!!  I’m even finding my own siblings have some things different from me (but then I was basically separated and not in touch with them for decades).  In the end, I can only remember three celebrations my parents did for me when I was in early elementary school and one in Korea where I invited two friends to have a sleep over and birthday party with me.  That was basically it until I came to this forum. 

I do remember when I was 6 or 7 a teacher I had did something interesting and I remember waiting in great anticipation when my own birthday came:  Just before we were released for the day she would have us all be very quiet with eyes front.  She reached into a special drawer in her desk and pulled out colored chalk (such were very unusual and new at the time).  Very slowly she would begin to write ‘Happy Birthday’ on the blackboard she had just cleaned in all the different colors.  Everyone was VERY quiet waiting to see whose name would follow and then we would ALL clap and sing while she pulled a single cupcake out, stuck a single candle into it, lit it and carried it to that ‘special’ person.  I had waited months….forever…to have that special event for myself.  It meant everything and only happened that one time.