Child's (age 6-12) Birthday party focusing on parade My daughter has a mid-December birthday.  I learned a long time ago that I had to make her birthday a very unique day or it would get "lost in the Holiday shuffle". So I checked my city's special events and found Fun Walks (no more than 3 miles!) on 2 of the 4 December weekends, a Kids concert downtown and I got lucky, a giant parade!  So I scheduled her birthday around the parade (but this would have worked as well around a Fun Walk or the kids concert). I have the kids bring a blanket and a folding chair, meet at my house. I take them to the site in a rented van(s) if I can't recruit enough parents to help out.  I take hot chocolate and water with us. I plan fun things for them to do while we wait for the parade:   confetti eggs for them to smash on each other; empty rolls from wrapping paper for them to joust with; bubbles and wands for each guest, 1-2 kickballs.   Just as the parade comes by our vantage point, I hand out cotton candy. When the event is over (parade, concert, Fun Walk) I transport them to a kid-friendly restaurant for lunch and birthday cake. I supply decks of cards/pick up sticks/checkers for them to play while we wait for lunch. When we can reserve a private room, we do skits. When lunch is over, the cake has been eaten and my daughter is finished opening her gifts, each child picks out a party favor from a group of age-appropriate Christmas things I have purchased for cents on the dollar at after-Christmas sales the preceding year (note:  don't purchase anything with candy, as candy does not last a full year at room temp).   I keep Christmas out of the theme except for the party favors at the end. The party favors are inexpensive and very timely when they leave her party..... they take them home and have their own Holiday momento.   Because December weather can be iffy, I usually have a backup plan just in case it's sleeting..... many of the YMCAs have Family Swim on Saturdays and many of the museums would love a group of well-behaved kids on a rainy cold December Saturday (and many have party rooms you can reserve).  I have been doing the "parade party" for 5 years now for my daughter. Years ago, I would love to have changed the theme, but my daughter and her friends absolutely beg to go back and back and back to the parade because they have so much fun together.   By what some of the other parents have spent on parties, this is a relatively inexpensive party, requires a bit of pre-planning.  But the parents are thrilled to not have to fight the crowds themselves and to have a full morning of Holiday shopping without their child tagging along.   An old fashioned theme, but the kids absolutely love it and start nagging my daughter each Fall to ensure we are "going to the parade this year".   I wonder if I'll be doing this when they're in college!