Passover is coming and as usual, I’m both excited and nervous about it. Excited because Passover is one of my favorite holidays of the year. Nervous because it falls on me to set the overall message and presentation of the celebration.

When is Passover 2009? Dates of Jewish Holidays – Pesach Date

In 2009 Passover begins at sundown on Wednesday April 8 and ends at nightfall on Thursday April 16 in the Diaspora (Wednesday April 15 in Israel).

Because we are not Jewish, we weren’t raised with any concept of Passover. Nor do we have years of family tradition surrounding it to adhere to. Instead, we’ve kind of made it up as we went along. You could maybe identify “seasons” to our Passover celebration.

For instance when the kids were small, it definitely took on a character of being geared around them specifically. Then there were several years where we celebrated it with our whole Sunday School/youth group class. (Those were more like an exercise in controlled chaos.)

Last year I pretty much threw out most of what we’d done in the past and drew upon elements and traditions that I’d only just learned about. So this year I’ve yet to decide whether this year too is to be an upheaval, whether to return to past traditions, or whether to build on what was started last year.

Each year I try to take stock of where the family is at in every facet and then go to God with it to determine what needs to be emphasized that year. Its an awesome and humbling responsibility to undertake. Particularly if you try ti get real honest with where the family is at at that specific point in time.

For me Passover is as much about the preparation as it is about the celebration itself. But maybe that’s exactly how it should be. I nervously await where this year’s might go.

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A child’s 1st birthday is a joyous occasion, which lives in the memories of the proud parents forever. However, the majority of kids won’t remember anything about this fine day, but do enjoy looking at the birthday photos later on.

Here’s one way to make this special 1st birthday occasion into a stylish memento. Instead of putting these pictures into a photo album along with all the others, buy a special photo album dedicated to this first year of life, culminating in the 1st birthday party. This also makes a terrific gift idea to present to the parents.

So what goes into this keepsake photo album? Most parents takes hundreds of pictures of their children in the first year. Begin your commemorative 1st birthday party photo album with all of the pictures you’ve taken since birth ” consider the size of the photo album which will accommodate the number of pictures! Try to arrange them in sequence, which is easy if you’ve dated them on the back. The 1st birthday party photos go at the end.

If you’re wielding the camera, look sharp! These photos can be treasures! Two photos of our daughter’s 1st birthday has given us all plenty of laughter over the years. We seated her in her high chair, birthday hat and all, placing the birthday cake in front of her. We captured her look of shock and delight on film as she viewed this chocolate concoction. She promptly embraced the cake ” with her face and hands! Following a sampling, she sat up to show her chocolate covered face, smiling as big as you please. Lucky we’d already sung ‘Happy Birthday‘ blown out and removed the candle before she got to the cake! These pictures are the standouts of that 1st birthday party!

Keep a log of all the gifts and gift givers and include this information along with a photo of each gift. As kids get older, particularly around the age of seven or eight, they seem to enjoy knowing who attended their 1st birthday party and were thoughtful enough to give them a gift.

Don’t throw that wrapping paper and ribbon away! Cut small squares of each wrapping and a bit of ribbon, giving each a place in your 1st birthday party album. When you think how much styles, designs and materials change over a 20 year period, these little pieces of ‘antiquity’ will provide a peek back in time when your child’s all grown up.

Last, but not least, is the birthday outfit. This is usually very special and doesn’t get worn out. While it won’t fit in your photo album, this is an outfit you’ll want to save. Sure, you’ll have photos, but there’s nothing like the real article. You might want to wrap it in gift paper and use double-sided tape to attach it to the front or back of the album cover.

Now you’ve got a stylish 1st birthday party memento that can make a beautiful 21st birthday party gift. Think of the pleasure your grandchildren will derive from this lovely ‘antique’.

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