On Friday my DS14 (Dear Son, aged 14) went to a birthday party/sleepover at a classmate’s house. All the boys from his class – that would be twelve of them – were invited, as is the general rule here for birthdays. You invite the entire class (boys plus girls). Or all the boys. Or all the girls. No picking and choosing individuals, no leaving people out. Which is a great idea! But can be quite the logistical conundrum with around 25 kids in a class… So often two or three kids will hold a joint party – holding it in the biggest home – and the parents split the costs. Hats off to those brave Danish parents in DS14’s class who open their hearts and their home and invite all sixteen (count ’em!) girls for an overnighter! 😛
But I digress!
DS14 packed the gift for the Birthday Boy (a ‘goodie basket’ he made himself containing sweets, soda and crisps). Oh, yes, forgot to mention that there’s also a general rule of how much to spend on birthday presents – absolutely essential with those 25 birthdays a year. Or make that 50, or more, if you have two or three kids. Eek! We, the parents, decide the amount at the beginning of term and it’s currently DKR 30-50 per gift (UK £3.10-5.25, US $5-8.50).
But back to Friday and DS14 who was champing at the bit, ready with the gift, his sleeping bag/mattress and toothbrush (ha ha, as if he was actually intending to use it!). So off we tootled in the car.
We checked the address before we left (DS14 hadn’t been to this particular house before, as it’s a completely new class), got to the street and slowed down, peering out the car window for the right house number. But – hey ho – there was no need to worry… Because X marks the spot!
Yep, when you see the Danish flag stuck in the ground, you know a party is never far away 🙂
Just don’t confuse the large party flags (above) with those itty, bitty, cocktail-stick-size ones (below). Those teeny red and white pennants are – as I hope you will remember – a warning to pedestrians of upcoming dog poop! (Join the protest…stick a (Danish) flag in it!)
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Diane 🙂