If you’d rather listen to this essay in a browser or as a podcast, click the audio voiceover (“listen to post”) above. Read this if you need instructions on how to listen to episodes on your podcast app.
If you’re reading this in your inbox, you can find a shareable, web-friendly version at ashleighellskells.substack.com, where all my other essays and podcasts live. You can request to follow me on Facebook here and Instagram here, and I’m happy to hear from you at aellsworthkeller@gmail.com.
August is my birthday month (shout out to all us kids who never got celebrated in school!), and I’m still recovering from the busyness of my summer schedule. So this month I’ve got one more photo essay; this time, it’s documentation of celebrations of birthdays past.
The time of my life for my own birthday parties may be over, but I’m happy to pass the torch to my daughter, who shares August with me, but thankfully not my astrological sign, whatever that means for our relationship dynamics (I’m a Leo, she’s a Virgo). She’s having a small party at the Cat Cafe this year, which still takes plenty of party-planning energy. So that’s good enough for me.
I’ve collected pictures of my early birthdays, and while this is by no means a comprehensive representation (I distinctly remember multiple McDonald’s parties, at least one Putt-Putt one, and definitely Showbiz Pizza), I hope that these remind you of some of the fun times of your own parties; let me know if you find yourself in any of the pictures!
Reflection Questions:
* What was your favorite childhood birthday party and why?
* What is a birthday gift that had a big impact on you, now or then?
Richland County, South Carolina is on the land of the Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East) and Congaree nations.
Home is a Changeling is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
