How to Throw a Citrus-Themed Birthday Party

Our daughter, Cecilia, was born on Cinco de Mayo, so every year, we have a Mexican-style feast to celebrate her birthday. This year, for her 4th birthday, we decided to take it a step farther and throw a citrus-themed party for her. Here’s a glimpse into the decorations, menu, and festivities!

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Citrus-Themed Party Decorations

Lighting

Lighting can go a long way towards setting the mood and tone of any occasion. We were lucky enough to buy our home with a big deck and attached pergola already in place. I knew from the start that I wanted lighting for the pergola, and my wonderful husband, Peter, made it happen.

We (and by “we,” I mean Peter) selected these particular lights because they were shatter-proof and had great reviews on being outdoors through wind, rain, and snow through multiple years/seasons. They were also reasonably priced at $40/100 feet.

Sourcing:

We purchased these LED Outdoor String Lights on Amazon. We also purchased a dimmer for the lights and fencing staples to attach them to the pergola.

Streamers

I love the color and novelty that streamers provide, but I’ve struggled to find a way to keep them from looking junky or amateur.

I’ve found a compromise that seems to work by building a circular pattern around a central fan or light fixture. I also twist the streamers gently to add to the visual interest. Our son calls it a “giant jellyfish” and loves helping us put them up 🙂

Sourcing:

Instead of buying only a few colors for each birthday party/theme, I purchased this 24-pack of streamers in every color on Amazon so I could mix/match myself.

Balloon Garland

Balloons are a massive hit in our house. They are fun for most kids, but they seem to add an extra sensory element of pure joy for Cecilia. She loves running into them, feeling them bounce everywhere, and screaming, “Balloon party! Balloon party!”

I’ve never done a balloon garland before, but I decided to attempt it for Cecilia’s birthday this year. It was time-consuming, but otherwise a lot easier than I imagined it would be. Here’s a quick breakdown:

Step 1: Blow up balloons.

Step 2: Stretch balloon tape between two chairs.

Step 3: Attach balloons, alternating colors and sizes.

Step 4: Tie garland into place with string or ribbon.

Step 5: Ask the birthday girl to dance in front of finished garland.

Sourcing:

I purchased a balloon garland kit on Amazon that came with multiple sizes and colors of balloons, balloon tape, balloon string/ribbon, and 3 foil lemon balloons.

Happy Birthday Citrus Sign

We have a Happy Birthday sign that we put up indoors whenever it’s the birthday of a member of the household, but I wanted another one for the deck since this party would be indoor/outdoor.

Sourcing:

This sign came with a citrus garland, several foil citrus balloons, lemon-themed regular balloons, and cupcake toppers (which we didn’t end up using).

Kraft Paper-Wrapped Picnic Tables

I absolutely love eating and entertaining outdoors, even in suboptimal weather. Peter and I deliberated over what kind of table and chairs to get for our deck within a tight budget for weeks. Because we have 3 kids and Peter’s family currently has 17 grandchildren, we decided to go with the most kid-friendly option, which was picnic tables.

I knew I wanted a lot of seating and the ability to customize centerpieces according to the occasion. So we compromised by buying two of the highest-rated, most utilitarian picnic tables and also purchased brown Kraft paper to wrap the tables instead of trying to make tablecloths work.

It ended up working out beautifully as a win-win-win for staying in-budget, offering a lot of seating/eating space, and still being aesthetically pleasing.

Sourcing:

We purchased 2 Lifetime, 6-foot long, folding picnic tables from Amazon. They are pretty indestructible, super-weatherproof, and portable. We figured they were a good investment, with multiple long-term uses. We also bought brown Kraft paper and brown Kraft tape, both of which have many uses aside from entertaining.

Citrus-Themed Centerpiece

Nothing beats the natural beauty of fresh produce and fresh flowers. This simple centerpiece is made from flowers from our yard, lanterns I’ve had for years, and an abundance of beautiful, fresh citrus fruit.

Flowers

The morning of the party, I cut pink azaleas, white and yellow irises, and white and purple lilacs from shrubs and bulbs that were growing in our yard. Fresh flowers add so much beauty to an event and the smell of lilacs permeated the entire deck. I simply placed each bouquet in filtered water in a tall mason jar.

Lanterns

I absolutely love candlelight but it’s tough to navigate open flames around little ones with any degree of safety. These lanterns offer a pretty compromise with LED-lit, wax-coated, artificial candles placed inside.

Fresh Citrus

Nothing appeals to the human mind and palate like fresh and abundant variety of natural food. There is so much beauty in multiple colors, textures, and sizes of fruit and vegetables. I chose citrus for Cecilia’s birthday in part because of its multiple sensory elements: sour, sweet, and tangy taste, fragrant and uplifting smells, and pebbled, ridged, dry, wet, and sticky textures. I included grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges, clementines, and tangelos in this centerpiece.

Kraft-Paper Message/Activity

Having an activity or requesting participation from your guests can always add a nice touch to celebrations or events. It’s even nicer when the activity is kid-friendly. For Cece’s party, I simply wrote, “Squeeze the day! Leave birthday wishes or a message for Cecilia!” and left dry erase markers out for our guests to use.

Sourcing:

To make this centerpiece, I used Brown Kraft Paper, Brown Kraft Tape, and dry erase markers. I purchased fresh citrus from the grocery store, and harvested fresh flowers from our yard, then placed them in 24-ounce mason jars. I bought my lanterns and candles at Michaels years ago, but these lanterns and artificial candles are similar.

Kid-Friendly Touches

As a parent, it’s already tough to bring your kids to someone else’s home. I try to help parents feel more comfortable bringing their kids into my home by adding kid-friendly touches. It also helps the kids know they are welcome and likely to have fun!

Window Gel-Clings

These are one of my favorite ways to incorporate kids into holiday and special occasion decorating. For older kids who are learning to spell, they can design where to place the picture gels and challenge themselves to spell correctly with the letter gels. As a bonus, the gels are reusable; simply stick them back onto the plastic they came in and store in a ziploc bag. If they get dirty, rinse them in warm water and gently pat dry.

Outdoor-Play Wagon

For outdoor parties, help kids know they are welcome by loading up a wagon or tub with outdoor sports items and activities. For Cece’s party, I placed footballs, tennis rackets, badminton birdies, a frisbee, a lightweight ball, sidewalk chalk, and bubbles into a wagon.

Indoor Coloring Zone

Simple paper and crayons can provide a world of fun and creativity for both children and adults. We took 5 minutes and placed packing paper and mason jars full of crayons on our homeschooling craft table as a quiet invitation for some festive and therapeutic coloring time!

Mermaid Fabric

My sister and brother-in-law made our kids this mermaid fabric display as a Christmas gift last year. It adds a fun and creative element to our homeschooling classroom, and it’s an easy way to add festive messages to the environment.

Sourcing:

We bought these “Happy Birthday” window gel-clings on Amazon. My sister and brother-in-law made our mermaid fabric board out of this turquoise/lavender fabric and a 2′ x 3′ bulletin board. We had the outdoor play items in the wagon and the crayons and packing paper on hand, but here is a list of alternatives on Amazon:

• Radio Flyer Classic Wagon
• Classic Football
• Kickball/Dodgeball
• Badminton Set
• Sidewalk Chalk
• White Kraft Paper
• Bubbles
• Frisbees
• Crayons

Citrus-Themed Party Menu

Mexican is far-and-away my favorite style of food as the flavors of cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, red onion, and (of course) citrus all feel like summer, sunlight, and intense flavor to me. Designing this menu was delightful as I was able to make some of my very favorite dishes!

The most wonderful part of Mexican-style food is also the most labor-intensive part of it: all of the fresh, abundant, and simple, real-food ingredients. Here’s a glimpse into our pre-party fridge and pantry:

Main Course: Blood Orange Pork Carnitas

This delicious dish relies heavily on the beautiful acids of citrus to break down the tough muscle in pork shoulder. I used grapefruit, blood orange, lemon, and lime zest and juice, along with onions, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and paprika to create this slow-cooked, melt-in-your-mouth, tender pork. We love it so much that we regularly make it for dinner and serve it with avocado and red sauerkraut. For my full recipe, click here!

Main Course: Petrale Sole, Avocado, and Mango Ceviche

My father spent his summers growing up in Peru so we’ve been making ceviche for years. Peruvians serve it with red onion, cilantro, and sweet potato, but for the Mexican version, I like to serve it with diced avocado, mango, and cilantro. I always use freshly squeezed lemon juice from real lemons and let the fresh juice “cook” the fish anywhere from 5-20 hours.

This version is a little more labor intensive with cutting the mango, and the avocado needs to be diced immediately before serving. Despite this, there’s a delightful contrast between the creaminess of the avocado, the tropical tanginess of the mango, and the sour citrus of the fish. For my full recipe, click here!

Main Course: Grilled Shrimp, Flank Steak, and Chicken with Citrus Butter

Fajitas are my favorite Mexican-style food, and I like having a variety of animal protein in my fajitas. For the party, we marinated shrimp, steak, and chicken with citrus and fajita spices, then grilled all three types of protein and served them with citrus butter.

Flavored butters are super easy to make and add a gourmet touch to most meals. Plus, it’s butter, so it’s hard to go wrong. To make this citrus butter, I zested a grapefruit, a blood orange, a lemon, and a lime, then added a little of each type of citrus juice with some salt. A little pat of citrus butter on freshly grilled shrimp, steak, or chicken is absolutely scrumptious. For my citrus butter recipe, click here!

Sides: Caramelized Peppers and Onions, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Cilantro Microgreens, and Grilled Pineapple with Cinnamon Butter

For sides, we served tri-color bell peppers sautéed on high-heat with red onions until both were soft, brown, and caramelized. We made Pico de Gallo and guacamole the morning of the party, with fresh garlic, jalapeno, and extra lime.

Peter grew a tray of cilantro microgreens for exclusive use at the party, so we harvested and served them freshly cut in a large abalone shell. Finally, we cut fresh pineapple into rounds, brushed them with cinnamon butter, and grilled them. They were a massive hit with all the kids!

Dessert: Sprouted Spelt Shortcakes, Chocolate Cream Cake, Fresh Strawberries, and Whipped Cream

Strawberry shortcake has been one of my favorite desserts since I was a little girl, and strawberries are Cece’s favorite berry, so I wanted to incorporate strawberry shortcake into her birthday this year. The challenge was to make a healthier type of shortcake, which I managed by using cultured sour cream and sprouted spelt flour. See my full recipe here!

Cece also loves chocolate, so I decided on a variation of the traditional Mexican tres leches (three-milk) cake by making my favorite flourless chocolate torte recipe, poking holes in it, and dousing it with heavy cream the night before the party. The results were delicious!

Beverages: Grapefruit Margaritas, Strawberry-Lemon Kombucha, and Mexican Hot Chocolate

We placed the bar outside to filter party traffic out of the kitchen, so it was a bit of a challenge to keep the margaritas, kombucha, and Mexican beer cool in the sunlight. But we had enough ice, so the outdoor bar ended up being a relaxing and refreshing place for conversation.

I made grapefruit margaritas with a quart of freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice, a pint of freshly-squeezed lime juice, a bottle of silver tequila, a bottle of Cointreau, and two bottles of sparkling water. We served the margaritas with mineral salt on my Himalayan salt platter with fresh wedges of lime. They were delicious!

I made the Mexican hot chocolate with whole milk, butter, raw cacao powder, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and a dash of cayenne pepper. We brewed the kombucha with nettle and hibiscus tea a week ahead of time, then did a secondary fermentation with fresh strawberries and lemon juice the day before the party.

Sourcing:

I’ve owned the tablecloth, beverage dispensers, and the Himalayan salt platter for years, so many of the pictured items have been discontinued. However, there are some beautiful alternatives readily available on Amazon:

• Lemon Tablecloth
• Himalayan Salt Platter and Tray
• Galvanized Beverage Tub with Stand
• Insulated Stainless Steel Beverage Dispenser
• Beehive Beverage Dispenser
• Mason Jar Beverage Dispenser
• Beverage Dispenser Stand
• Mason Jars with Handles
• Tabletop Mini Chalkboard Signs
• Mini Chalkboard Hanging Sign
• Liquid Chalk Markers

Citrus-Themed Party Festivities

Birthday Morning Hike

Cece’s 4th birthday was Friday, May 5, and the party was scheduled for Saturday the 6th. I wanted to make sure we did something fun during her actual birthday, so I signed us up for a nature society homeschooling hike at a local park on Friday morning. We ate a quick and delicious breakfast of overnight crockpot oats, heavy cream, and fresh berries and then headed for the woods.

Cece had a fabulous time listening to the birds, exploring acorns, and hearing her big brother explain all of the creatures he captured in the marsh. In the middle of the woods, she giggled and said, “We’re going on a bear hunt; we’re going to catch a BIG one; what a beautiful day! I’m not scared!”

Afternoon Storytime

Since Cece was an infant, I have been reading to her every day. Books remain her favorite activity, and she frequently reads them from memory or makes up stories and proclaims them loudly to whoever is in the room. When we got home from her birthday hike, she and I sat down in the rocking chair on the deck with all of her birthday decorations and read Nancy Tillman’s On the Night You Were Born.

This book does a beautiful job celebrating the unique identity of each child. It describes how each human person has never existed before and never will exist again and tells how all of nature joined in rejoicing on the night that child was born.

Opening Presents

Cece struggles when too much attention, focus, or pressure to do something is placed on her, so we wanted to space out her present-opening. We opened a few gifts when we got home from the hike and saved her big birthday present for right before dinner.

Because her sight is limited, Cecilia has always been intensely aware of and sensitive to sound. She loves music, sound books, and stories that are read aloud to her. At her grandparents’ house, she always plinks delicately at their piano in acute delight. We deliberated for some time on which digital piano to choose for Cece, since we knew it would be a fixture in our homeschooling classroom and used by our other children as well.

After reading many reviews, we selected the Donner DEP-20 Beginner Digital Piano with the full 88, weighted keys. Out of all the Donner products, it seemed to offer the most range, accuracy, tone, and quality for its price. We also purchased this duet piano bench to go with it. My whole family contributed to help us buy this digital piano for Cecilia, and she has been in love with it from the first moment she discovered it.

We placed it beneath a plastic, citrus-themed tablecloth that came with the citrus birthday signs and let her pull off the tablecloth to discover the piano inside. She then sat with Dad and explored the keys, the digital settings and options, and played at her piano for over an hour.

Here’s a quick look at the other gifts we purchased for Cece’s 4th birthday:

• Eric Carle’s From Head to Toe
• Sandra Boynton’s Birthday Monsters
• Rosie Greening’s Never Touch a Tiger!
• Dinosaur Sound Book with Dino Toys (for big brother to teach her about dinosaurs!)
• Kinetic Sand

Birthday Wishes

In the past, when I have thrown smaller birthday parties for my other children, I have watched them become overwhelmed by all the stimulation and excitement and totally melt down. I was worried about how Cece would cope with all the festivities, especially since she is so routine-oriented and has trouble adjusting to change or too many new things too fast.

I was overjoyed to watch her go with the flow and enjoy all of her birthday activities. I think it helped that she was hearing and participating in party preparations for the week leading up to her party. We also had conversations with her before bed letting her know her birthday was coming and which family members and friends were coming to celebrate with us. We additionally gave her some quiet time in her room for several hours prior to guests arriving. Finally, we kept her bedtime to its normal hour and went through eating, bathing, reading, and prayers like we do every night.

All of these things contributed to her having a fabulous time during her party. She listened to her older cousins play beautiful music on her piano and played on the trampoline with her younger cousins. She ate all of her favorite foods and danced to some of her favorite songs. She sang the “Happy Birthday” song with everyone and kept giggling and exclaiming, “chocolate cake!”

We wanted to throw a big birthday party for Cecilia this year because she has had very quiet birthdays for all of her life. It was important for us to put so much time, energy, and coordination into this event because we want to give Cecilia as many experiences as we can that are as normal as possible.

Our birthday wish for Cecilia was for her to have a wonderful day with the people in the world that she loves most who have all gathered together to show her how overjoyed they are that she was born.

This year, our birthday wish came true.

Share Your Story!

How have you celebrated birthdays for your children? Have you ever thought of doing a citrus-themed party? Leave a comment and share your story below!