My daughter just had her birthday party last weekend. Like every year I threw a traditional American birthday party for my little angel. Some of you may ask "what is an "American" birthday party?" The answer to the question is simple. I had a theme for the party, this year it was a princess party. I organized games, made party favors and made the cake and decorated it along with the entire place myself. There were happy birthday banners, balloons, streamers and centerpieces. I sent out American birthday invitations (thank you dollar tree!) to 17 of my daughter's classmates and dressed my daughter up in her pink and white party dress.


So why is this a big deal? Well after having thrown 4 birthday parties for my daughter in Italy I have started to notice some differences... (as usual, I am constantly comparing my old life to my new one). The first difference is that only one of the moms called to RSVP (other than my two good friends of course). This makes planning the party a bit difficult especially for the food! I was frantic about how much food to order and prepare! Last year I had ordered tonnes of food and only six kids showed up. This year I was lucky and there was plenty of food and plenty of kids showed up.

Another difference is that in America kids are usually dropped off for the party at a certain time and then picked back up at a specific time, but as I found this year, not only do the kids that are invited come but so do their moms, dads and siblings! We actually had a family of 5 show up! This definitely makes food planning difficult.

Now I always consider my daughter to be Italian American since she is half and half, but in reality she is more 75% Italian since this is her home for about that much of the year and only 25% American. In fact the next  difference is that there aren't usually games organized at birthday parties, so even though I tried to get some games going (pin the crown on the princess and musical chairs) the kids were much happier to just run around like crazy outside and climb all over the play house than to play my silly games. They just didn't see the point!

One thing that I always do is present time.  In Italy kids usually open their gifts as their guests arrive.  This is totally different for me and I have never like it.  I love having all of the kids sit around and watch present opening.  It also gives me the ability to get organized and be able to take video and pictures of my little one opening her presents take note of who gave her what so I can send out thank you cards (yet another thing that isn't done here!)

Two things I did organize that the kids did enjoy (and the mothers noted as being "very American") were the crafts table and the party favors. The crafts table idea was given to me by my Dutch friend who usually has a coloring table at her daughters party. I had gone to the Dollar Tree in America during one of my visits and got lots of foam visors and bags with the sticky foam shapes. It was cheap and the kids loved it! Same thing with the party favors, I stocked up at the same store with Princess note pads, rings pens and crowns (all 4 for a dollar) and then put in some Kinder chocolates  that I had bought here.

At the end of the party one of the Italian moms made a comment to another after having received the party favor bag "ah ma questa e' una cosa che fanno loro" (this is something that they do). Now being foreign the locals sort of clump you into two groups: American (or any English speaking country) and Western European or "Extracommunitari". Apparently they think that our group (American, Kiwi, Dutch and French) all do the same things and that we are more or less the same! Now I have been to their birthday parties and I am the only one that has ever done party favors, so really it is "una cosa mia" (it's MY thing), and my Dutch friend even said "why do they always say that it is our thing, I am Dutch, you are American, we aren't the same!". I sometimes feel like I am ALWAYS comparing America to Italy, but I suppose it is because it is always  being made apparent to me by the locals in everything that I do. And you know what? I am proud that I am different, but sometimes it makes making Italy feel like home a bit more difficult.