Holiday-Birthday Mom Solidarity

The weekend before Christmas weekend, I took the kids to a brewery in our neighborhood to see The Muppet’s Christmas Carol movie. The brewery, which is in an old fire station, was offering a free showing of the movie, plus free cupcakes, hot chocolate and a craft for the kids. We walked over, well Chica Marie and I walked, Love Bug had a piggy back ride on mommy. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I had been to the brewery before, with my boyfriend, and it was very nice, but not very full. When we got there, it was packed. Now, it’s not that big, but still there weren’t any seats at the big long tables. A woman waved me over, stating her and her partner would be leaving and we could have their seats. So, I got the little ones settled and a kind old lady brought them cupcakes and hot chocolate. She showed me where the craft was and the movie started. We were having a nice time, the kids more interested in coloring and sticking stickers on their construction paper Christmas trees than watching the movie. Still, it was nice. There was a couple with a little boy sitting across from us and we exchanged some comments. The mom had blue hair, leading to comments and questions from Chica Marie, who has a low tolerance for “different.” At one point, the mom had a soft pretzel, which she didn’t realize was two large soft pretzels, so she shared some with a delighted Chica Marie and Love Bug.

 

As we chatted and shared, we discovered their little boy is about 6 months older than Love Bug and his birthday is the day after Chica Marie’s birthday. As mom’s to kids with birthday’s so close to Christmas, we commiserated about how hard it was to have a party for the kids because literally no one can come due to the holidays. Everyone’s schedule gets busy and it’s a real shame for the kiddos. Then, in holiday-birthday mom solidarity, the mom handed me a napkin with their home address and her phone number, begging  asking us to attend her little guys birthday party the Saturday before Christmas.

 

I decided it was nice to have more family friends and so on the rainy, dreary Saturday, we followed the napkin directions and ended up at the fourth birthday party of a child we didn’t really know. And you know what? We ended up having a lot of fun. It turns out, the birthday boy also had a love of trains, so Love Bug was in his element. There were a few tense moments between the boys because neither one was interested in sharing, but I think they parted on good terms. The theme for the party was unicorns and rainbows and there was a LOT of candy, which pleased Chica Marie. She also had a blast with the party gift she was bestowed, which was farting slime, yippee. It was a little cramped in their house, but everyone was really welcoming and we were kind of celebrities, since we showed up in a situation where many people might not have bothered. I did text the mom that same day because we were coming late due to the kiddos taking later naps. I’m hoping she will someday respond and we can develop a friendship. Fingers crossed!