I recently celebrated seven birthdays with my extended family over Labor Day weekend, and a thought struck me as the birthday people were opening their presents: that it wasn’t as “exciting” to celebrate ones birthday when past the age of 21(with the few exceptions of 30,50, 70 etc.). Why is it that as we age celebrating ones birthday isn’t met with the same joy and pomp? As a child some of the fondest memories are of cake, candles, presents, singing, all these objects are key signifiers of one’s childhood, but as we get older those same memories are not expounded by more My Little Pony or Transformer themed birthday parties but by birthday wishes expressed over the phone or a card in the mail.
I think we stop celebrating birthdays so extensively as we move past the age 21 because birthdays are social constructions, the workings of the influence of Hallmark cards and the act of getting together being more important than the fact that you just aged a year,to emphasize personal growth; once 21 hits, that personal growth is not superseded by ones parents. It’s the age of “adulthood” and we are cutting the cord that links parents to children and thus passing the invisible boundary of blue frosted cupcakes and SpongeBob shaped piñatas into the stereotypical redundancy of the adult world.
I think that holidays like Christmas and Halloween also fall under the category of "social constructions" with birthdays. Both these holidays involve so much built-up excitement and importance when you are a child that it is strange to think about how that has changed once you've reached the point of "adulthood". I thought it was interesting how you connected the importance of birthdays to one's parents. I believe your theory is correct. For most the celebration and thrill behind Christmas ends once your parents tell you santa doesn't exist and celebrating Halloween isn't as much fun once your parents say "you're to old to trick r treat". Like you said, things like Hallmark cards were the reason why as children these holidays were so important. Once you reach adulthood everything just becomes more serious. It makes me miss childhood.
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