Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Our Cupcake Custom

Welcome to the December Carnival of Natural Parenting: Let's Talk Traditions
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama.

Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

It's a funny thing, starting a family with someone and getting to decide how you'll live your life together. Establishing family traditions is part of this. Sometimes, as I'm finding with Christmas traditions, one has to be more intentional about choosing what to celebrate and how to do so. Other times, as with cupcakes in my little family, traditions choose you.

I've always loved cupcakes. There's just something extra-special about having an individually-wrapped cake that's just for me. They're easier to bake than larger cakes, too—and if one gets a little messed up, that one gets a little extra icing. I hadn't intended for the cupcake to be a significant part of celebrations in my family, but that's how it turned out.

Our wedding cakes
Solidifying the cupcake as the indicator of festivities was my decision to serve cupcakes at our wedding in lieu of a traditional wedding cake. It originated as a way to save money on a fancy cake, and also a way to serve all our favorite flavors of cake at once (I believe we ended up with five different kinds). Some family friends of ours generously gifted us their baking skills—and the resulting mounds of cupcakes—as our wedding gift.

Ever since that day, we've had cupcakes for birthdays and special occasions, holidays and Tuesdays. When I was having a hard day last week, Jaymz brought the most beautiful little chocolate cupcake home for me, and it was even gluten-free!

I enjoy celebrating our half-birthdays with a small gift and a cupcake, which is something I started a while ago in an effort to have that many more excuses to celebrate. I still like this tradition, especially because it's a more private type of celebration, one that most people will forget, and the kind that isn't announced on Facebook for all to see. This cozy, intimate celebration is the kind of vibe I want to have in our Christmas traditions.

When it comes to holiday traditions, we're still in the planning stages. Since Daniel is too young to remember this Christmas, we're taking this holiday season (and probably next year's, too) to feel out what kinds of rituals and traditions fit our family's style and values.

I love hearing about other peoples' favorite traditions, and I've already got a few great ideas for rituals we'll adopt this year and in the future. Now you know, my favorite way to celebrate is with a delicious and beautiful little cupcake.

What's your favorite way to mark a special occasion?



Carnival of Natural Parenting -- Hobo Mama and Code Name: MamaVisit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

11 comments:

  1. I LOVE cupcakes!! Check out my yummy chocolate cupcake recipe. x
    http://thequeenofpuddings.blogspot.com/2010/12/chocolate-cherry-cupcakes.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this! One of my friends made a cupcake wedding cake (just a collection of colorful cupcakes) and it was SO awesome! What a neat tradition!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mm, sounds tasty!

    I'd have to say my favorite way to mark a special occasion is by a special event -- going out to dinner, on a picnic, on a date. My favorite birthday recently, my "present" was being taken to the ballet by my then-fiance. It was so fun, plus I knew it was a sacrifice for him. ;) I remember these events so much more than physical gifts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Aw, MAN . . . now I really want a CUPCAKE! My pregnant belly is going to have to settle for a muffin though. At least I have one of those on hand. After reading your post, I was just drooling over all those delicious little cakes at your wedding! Yum!

    I love your leanings toward traditions that are "cozy and intimate" - the half-birthday is a great idea that I might just have to adopt!

    And not really on the subject of your post, but my best friend in the world is also a big fan of cupcakes (as a matter of fact, her SO and I actually call her "cupcake" as a pet name) AND she just found out she has a gluten allergy. What a small world!

    ReplyDelete
  5. YUM! I've seen cupcake wedding cakes before - but yours is really awesome. I love that you had 5 different flavors! We had a 3 layer cake with 3 different flavors, because I couldn't just choose one.
    What a sweet (in both senses) tradition!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love that you use cupcakes to celebrate a major holiday or a Tuesday! So fun. And a small celebration for half-birthdays - that's awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mmm…cupcakes. What a sweet idea to carry through from your wedding into everyday life. I love the idea of celebrating half-birthdays with a cupcake. That's perfect!

    We do eat a lot of cupcakes around here, too, whenever we pass my favorite cupcake place. ;) Because that's cause for celebration!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Cupcakes are one of my favorite things too. Whenever there is a need for a small celebration we bring out the small, yet beautiful cupcakes.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your wedding cakes are absolutely gorgeous! And... cupcakes every Tuesday as well as on special occasions? That sounds like a great tradition to me!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Cool! It's fun when the bride and groom incorporate their personalities in the wedding. I love cupcakes for their customization. There are so many ways to decorate, let alone differing flavors (last year I made pink lemonade cupcakes). Have fun celebrating with cupcakes! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. A beautiful purse or handbag from Coach Outlet Online can last for many years, and represent a great overall value.
    There are Michael Kors Bags Outlet in a large number of shopping malls located throughout the country.
    Cheap Michael Kors Bags is a great way to determine which models best suit your needs.
    Official Coach Factory Outlet Online all strive to provide comfort and convenience for their owners and the seams are double-stitched for maximum durability.
    Michael Kors Factory Store, has one of the most popular handbag and accessory lines on the market today.
    Coach Handbags Wholesale says a lady is classy, elegant and sophisticated.
    Coach Store Near Me trends come and go, but a Coach stands the test of time.
    The official Michael Kors Handbags On Sale Outlet regularly posts various handbags being offered for sale.
    Compare your Coach Bags On Sale Outlet to the logo provided on the website to make sure it is similar.
    All Michael Kors Outlet Online Store have serial numbers.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your comment! I love hearing from you.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...