After much deliberation, Petra decided that she wanted to have a manekineko (luck cat) theme for her twelfth birthday party. I loved this choice because it combined so many things she loves—cats, Japanese food and culture, chibi (roundly cute) art. She planned much of it herself.
For food, Petra made banana/chocolate skewers that (sort of) looked like cats with little chocolate chip ears. I made onigiri (rice balls), filled with tuna and mango (not together). We put out random Japanese packaged snacks as well. I didn’t get a picture of it, but JC set up an incredible ramen bar for the kids to prepare their own bowls of ramen with all kinds of topping options, which was a huge hit.
For the cake, Petra said she just wanted a cheesecake, requesting a box of randomly assorted slices from the grocery store. Easy peasey.
The decorations were simple and fun. I ordered a bunch of lanterns (these all say “ramen,” a nod to Ramen Akaneko, a manga and anime series about cats that run a ramen restaurant), a bunting with manekineko on them, and a curtain with some cats doing a demon-haunted dance. Petra pulled out her several manekineko statues, including a generic LEGO one, a wooden one, and a couple solar powered ones, and we added some “luck cat” fabric.
For party favors, which doubled as decor, I got a couple different kinds of manekineko figures, some really cute bracelets, and kitty cat chopstick holders.
The best piece of the decor was a giant manekineko that Petra drew herself—free hand. I had made some suggestions about maybe making a small sketch and using a grid to make it bigger, but she said, “What if I just draw it?”
I was completely blown away by what she created. I loved it so much that I had it laminated after the party was over and hung it up by our stairs.
Petra also planned all the activities. I was…skeptical about them. I mean, the age range of the party-goers was eleven to nearly seventeen. These games sounded a bit young.
I shouldn’t have doubted her. Everyone participated with incredible enthusiasm.
The first game was inspired by the “eating donuts off a string” game we had at Silas’ Lord of the Rings party. Petra and JC made giant “cat toys” out of bamboo poles, yarn, jingly bells…and donuts. And then JC and I had to suspend these off the balcony for the teenagers to bat at with their “paws” until they managed to free a donut.
The other activity was “musical boxes.” Like musical chairs, but to not be out, you had to sit in a box (like a cat might do). If you broke your box, you were out. We used the Michirineko March as the music. They played this game for at least forty-five minutes.
When I plan activities for these parties, it’s kind of a toss-up whether anyone will want to do them. When Petra is running the show, however, everyone plays right along.
Other than that, the activity was hanging out, loving on friends, and having a grand time. I love all these kids, and I’m so lucky we have them in our lives.
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