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Alfresco Birthday Party? Think Picnic
Ideas!
Think about this....
".... a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors, ideally,
taking place in a beautiful landscape."
(wikipedia.org, 2007)
Wouldn't you like that type of thing for a birthday party?
food - friends - pleasure - beautiful landscape
Think Picnic. Think amazing birthday.
What?
Too much time to do it? Not sure where to start? Don't want to make a
fuss...
The BEST short term answer to all these dilemmas??
Think picnic.
Let's explore 7 refreshingly simple ways to make a Birthday Party sing using
Picnic Ideas...
Think....With the Crowd OR Completely On Your Own
(LOCATION)
Think about it... a picnic can be held just about anywhere. Once safety is
considered and any permissions from local authorities etc, the world is
pretty much your oyster. Find a green oasis in a smoggy city; visit a
favorite beach; discover a spot using your GPS and say: "meet me here"; a
lounge room floor by the fire when it's cold out.
The choice is unlimited but can be guided by the person you are honoring. It
might be a reference they made to a location they grew up in or somewhere
they'd like to visit. Just have your radar out and think:
is it safe?
do I have to ask permission?
will it have impact ?
Think....Plan Plan Plan or Wing it. (PLANNING)
You may be limited to what you can do given time, resources. That shouldn't
be a problem. Here is where you think about you and what you
need to make this happen. If you find the tension building call in some help
or let some "planning" go. If you focus on making a BIG statement with a few
simple but BOLD actions then it's more manageable and enjoyable for all.
Image your birthday person getting concerned because you are not enjoying
their birthday due to worrying "what's next".
Forget it! Go loose and relaxed. Save time by using stuff from home, catered
food served up with fancy crockery, have a pizza delivered, get your friends
to "appear " out of the woods...as long as its clear and simple everyone can
remember what's going on.
Think....To Tell Or Not To Tell (PROMOTION)
How are you with surprises? You can do this for any age group and in many
different ways. Choose early and make sure everyone knows to zip it. The
surprise can be intensified by sending them on a treasure hunt to pick up
pieces of a map to reveal the location, or sending things in the mail to
alert them that something is up. Using a picnic opens up a whole bag of ways
to build excitement and anticipation. Use your imagination.
Think...What about the public? (PRIVACY)
A private gathering for a romantic couple or a street party for a
neighborhood? You must consider the consequences for others. If you have
your picnic on a public space and there are other groups around doing the
same, great! But if the ground gets used for football at 3pm and you are
cutting the cake, world's may collide. Check where the highest need is -
just our tribe or on view for others - and adjust your planning to allow for
it.
Think...Weather me timbers! Rain ho!! (CONTINGENCY)
Come prepared but don't let it dominate your thinking. The preparedness
kicks in when there is a change and subtle suggestions turn the focus from
say, inclement weather and "no sun, no fun", to "we're all in this together,
yay!" The focus of the leader (read organiser, read YOU) is what will see
you through. Have a plan B and mobilise people to help carry stuff if you
need to make a dash for it. Be considerate of peoples needs and watch for
signs of discomfort (esp. young kids or the elderly).
Think...Food? (FOOD)
Remember the guest of honor. It's their birthday and showering them with
things they like might be ideal. Of course, you can dress up a Big Mac with
napkins and silver service to make it "special" and you can go completely nuts with a caterer. The choices with food are endless.
If you are into DIY...condense everything as much as possible and put it into one bag that is easy to maneuver. The wheelie bags you see at airports and discount
stores are a great choice. You can pick them up for $30 stuff them full and
wheel them anywhere. Remember to safe-guard against food spoiling and damage
en route.
Sharing the load is a good way to go, task others up to help and
even consider a caterer. The good old picnic hamper is still alive and well
these days. Your options are endless. Remember: keep it simple.
Think...Activity? (FUN)
Again...Keep it simple... how about some good old fashion games: Hide and
Seek; I Spy; Cloud watching. They can be age appropriate and location
appropriate. Have a couple of tried and true things in your kit: a Frisbee,
a soccer ball, bat and ball maybe. How about a piñata? Or croquet? You could
make the location linked to the activity: picnic on the side of the fairway
in a public golf course. Hit a short 9 holes and picnic after! Hike to the
top of a mountain and pull out chocolate and champagne. Doing the unexpected
can work wonders.
Think Picnic.
Using a picnic for a birthday celebration is AMAZING. The more you look at
picnic ideas the more possibilities jump out. A lot of web info about picnic
ideas focuses on the "stuff" you can buy, but a careful look will lead you
to one conclusion: purchasing stuff doesn't equal a heart-felt or memorable
celebration.
Loving picnic ideas? Go have a chat to an expert picnic-er. The Queen of
picnic ideas is Emily from
www.The-Picnic-Site.com
. She offers a dedicated picnic resource to "expand your ideas about
alfresco eating and let you really enjoy hosting such gatherings, because,
whatever the occasion, a picnic makes the event much more memorable."
Did she say memorable? Isn't that what we're after?
Try a picnic for your next birthday event. Think about the value of the
gesture, the simplicity of the idea, the freshness of the great outdoors...
Picnic ideas are a winner.
Oh....and by the way:
THINK PICNIC!
What do you think?
Neal Lohse © 2007
Best-Birthday-Party-Idea.com
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