Birthday magic to start the year

Happy New Year! Hard to believe we are already into the new month and new year, 2025. Lucky me, I have a January birthday, too! By this time, people are reaching the end of a busy holiday season. We've finished Christmas, New Years and are now getting the kids ready to head back to school. It can be hard to muster up the energy for another celebration. Thankfully, we filled the weekend with fun, made memories and threw in a bit of magic, too.

This year, my birthday fell on Saturday. We began the afternoon in the most elegant way possible - with a reservation for Afternoon Tea at High Tea GR. I thought it would be the ideal way to combine celebration and cherished family time.

The website indicates that children are welcome; they simply asked that they remain seated. I'm so pleased at how both children handled themselves. Amar and I opted for the full tea experience, while the children enjoyed the Fairy Tea. The winter menu featured the classic cucumber and dill, a favorite for tea sandwiches. All of the sandwiches were delicious. The scone complete with clotted cream and strawberry preserves was perfection. Finally, the dessert selection included a Victorian sponge, and an orange spiced Madeline. I selected English Breakfast tea and it was the ideal way to warm up on a snowy January day. We had a truly fantastic experience, and I highly recommend High Tea GR to anyone seeking an elegant and memorable way to spend an afternoon.

Afternoon tea complete, we headed downtown to visit the Grand Rapids Public Museum. We always enjoy an afternoon at the Public Museum, where children under 17 who are Kent County residents enter free. Both children had a great time engaging in the volunteer led activity stations, where they got to make snowflakes and popsicle stick snowmen. There were other interactive activity stations where children had a chance to build and play sprinkled throughout the museum. I loved the Fashion + Nature exhibit in particular. We learned about the connection between elements of nature and what we see as fashion today. The children also loved the Color Exhibit and engaging with how colors relate to feelings. Visit the Museum's website to learn about the current and seasonal exhibits.

Our day concluded with a visit to Frederick Meijer Gardens for Enlighten, the mesmerizing light show. We arrived just in time to catch the magic, as it was the final night of the season on January 4, 2025. The dazzling lights transformed the gardens into a winter wonderland, leaving us in awe and making it a perfect way to wrap up the day. It officially marked the end of the holiday season as it was the last day for the train display, too. At the start of this post, I hinted to magic. There was something special about roaming around the tree display and witnessing the train without the crowds and packed rooms, since the holidays have concluded. We got to enjoy it peacefully, and quietly.

My birthday was full of small moments, of wonder and exploration. But most importantly of all, it was the people I love most.