One of my favorite hobbies is party planning! If I could easily transition to another career, I think it would be event planner. I just get so much joy out of the process. When I initially found out that our middle child was due in December, I was crushed that he would never have a “fair” birthday with the proximity to Christmas. I quickly changed my attitude after speaking with my now 96-year-old grandmother whose birthday is December 15th! She told me of her joy of having her birthday so close to the Holidays as everything was already festive by nature and family members were more likely to be together. I decided that we were not only going to embrace this birthday, but convince our child that he was the luckiest to have such a special birthday during a special time of year!

Theme

Leading up to his first birthday party, I knew we were in need of a strong theme that could carry out this excitement! Enter…The Polar Express! One of our older son’s favorite movies and such a classic for the Holiday’s. We have stuck with the same theme every year and tweaked little things to make each party unique. All that matters is that the Birthday Boy is happy, and thus far he has loved every second of it! The best part is seeing all of the children arrive in their Christmas Pajamas!

Invitations

Every year has been a little different, but centers around the premise of the book (and movie) with a ticket to board The Polar Express. This year’s invitation came from Pristine Print Co on Etsy.

Décor

I was fortunate to find a great Etsy shop that sold printable signage with all of the Polar Express quotes from the movies as well as darling Hot Cocoa Station signage. Confetti Momma Party (also on Etsy) made these darling snowflake cups for the hot cocoa which added a fun and whimsical element. Also, one of the most adored items that we include every year are the “Walking” Reindeer Balloons available on Amazon.

Food

As the party typically takes place in the morning, the food centers around breakfast treats. Cinnamon rolls, egg sandwiches, fruit cups and of course the infamous Hot Cocoa station complete with marshmallows, whip cream and sprinkles. Even though it is a morning party, I insist on having a Birthday Cake and have an incredible bakery that does everything gluten and dairy free. It is always delicious and such a strong piece of decor with a different take on the theme every year.

Favors

This year we made a “trip” to Santa’s workshop and his elves helped each child paint and assemble a Melissa and Doug Train which they could take home with them. Santa also made a special appearance and gave each child a Silver Bell from his sleigh and told them “ that only those that believe hear the bell.” Santa also signed copies of The Polar Express book for each family and everyone received a picture with Santa in their darling pajamas. In year’s past the favors consisted of a cookie or cake pop, but seeing as though this party was four days before Christmas and there were already a lot of sweet treats being consumed, we veered away from the dessert favor.