The Movie Star Party

Like my class reunion, it was a sore spot for a while. Something I looked forward to, but didn't know for sure if I'd be able to do it. So of course it was nice to do it!

"It" was The Movie Star Party. I saw this idea in a magazine long ago, when I was looking for ideas for my son's first birthday. Back then I thought it was such a cute idea, and I looked forward to hopefully someday having a daughter and throwing this party.

Six months after my daughter was born I had my head cut open and received a grim prognosis. This went on the "wish I may, wish I might" list, with the hope that I might be here when she was old enough for this kind of a party.

Today we did it!

Guests were invited to the premiere of Emma -- Age Four. We met them at the curb, where they donned boas, tiaras, top hats, and sunglasses before heading up the red carpet to our front door. My mom was Nana Barrett, interviewing these young celebrities. My dad was the Grandpa-parazzi and my husband and son were the press photographers.

Inside, the guests autographed a large gold star and pressed their hands into air-dryable clay before heading upstairs for a screening of some Wallace and Gromit short films (complete with hot dogs, popcorn, and candy).

They came back downstairs for the awards ceremony. We opened with a reading of Jamie Lee Curtis' book, When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old's Memoir of Her Youth. Emma opened her presents and then each child received an "Emma" award. (Emma won hers for Best Actress in a Birthday Drama.)

We had two cakes: one had Emma's name in a star, and the other was frosted and topped with a sugar cookie handprint.

We sent the child celebrities home with a gift bag, complete with cell phone-shaped bottles of bubbles.


It was super-fun! I (literally) live for this kind of stuff!