Celebrating Birthdays on the Farm

By Ralphine Major

ralphine3@yahoo.com

It seemed like the best time of year for a birthday. While many of my childhood friends’ birthdays came during warm, summer months, mine was between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. That was perfect since the holidays meant extra days off from school. Recently, I was thinking of the many ways generations celebrated birthdays then and the new and different ways birthdays are celebrated now.

During my years growing up, there were no fast-food restaurants to serve as the setting for parties. Birthday celebrations on our dairy farm were simple—but they were made special. They always called for a home-baked, two-layer birthday cake decorated with tasty icing and candles. A favorite home-cooked meal was prepared, and the grandparents were usually invited. Generally, presents followed. My seventh birthday was extra special since it also included a party for my friends in our home. I do not exactly recall many of the events during my early years, but our mother managed to capture those special occasions on black and white film with her Kodak camera. Seeing the picture included here took me back to one of those special times.

Words of Faith: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 (KJV).