I don't know about since Covid-19, but I can testify that I was in a couple Dave and Buster's, in Biloxi Mississippi and Florida (USA), just a couple years ago.
We still have Dave and Buster’s in Texas. They’re fun. It’s Chuck E. Cheese with better food, better drinks, better games, and most importantly, not a gaggle of screaming or crying children. I think after a certain hour, only people 21+ are allowed in so it’s much more fun.
My family and I were taught "it's the thought that counts and to just be thankful someone got you something" so I never really looked or felt disappointed with my birthday gifts.
I went by a Chuck E. Cheese that had a sign out front " Open for take out" Sad and funny at the same time. No one has ever desired Chuck E. Cheese pizza on purpose.
Chuck E Cheese pizza is the food you eat while your kids are arcading. (Yes, that's a verb now, I've made it one, deal with it.) My local CEC had one pirate-themed arcade game that was so fun we continued to go there even into my teen years just for that game... then they removed it and it became like every other Child Snot Trap in existence.
Lol, the one thing that always took me out of the original series was how much the uniforms look like pyjamas... ...though I guess I'm one to talk, having to wear scrubs all day...
I wish we opened gifts in private too, I've had the worst reactions to receiving gifts ever since I was a toddler, my excitement is suppressed by my awkward shyness lol. Happy birthday Laurence!!! 🥳
Where I live, there's a YMCA centre that does rollerskating. That was every child's party from age 7-10. It was great fun. Big room with a load of kids in rollerskates, then junk food.
Happy Birthday Laurence! Love the channel, as a lifelong resident of the US I find your perspective on things here extremely interesting and love learning about how it differs from the UK. That cat is adorable, BTW! 🐈⬛
Decades ago it was a tradition in America for kids to dress up as if they were going to church for birthday parties . Games included pin the tail on the donkey and knocking pinatas full of candy blindfolded
Sweet 16 is traditionally a female thing it was the colonial version of the Spanish Quinceañera,or coming of age. 18 is our legal adult age and voting rights. 21 is the drinking age.
US born and raised and I remember playing "Pass the Parcel" as a child, though I believe it was called something else. Seems like it may have made its way to the US somehow, though maybe it never became popular. "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" was popular in the US decades ago, but it's long since fallen from trend.
As an introvert I LOVE the idea of NOT opening the presents in front of everyone. Christmas, birthdays, etc, I'm always so stressed out when everyone in the room is eagerly leaning in, grinning manically at me, waiting for me to open the gift, and then immediately demanding my feelings about it, sometimes before I've even had a chance to register what it is. Oh and you have to hold it up for everyone, like immediately, before you've even had a chance to absorb what you've been given. Just, you know, give me the time to process without the entire room breathing down my neck ok!
Just try being the guest of honor at a wedding shower or baby shower. It's that awkwardness x1000. You just have to walk in thinking, "No matter what, I'm going to fake like I like it and I'm so happy and grateful, and there'll be time to process and de-stress later."
Yeah, there's kind of good and bad sides to each. It is strange for some receivers and probably leaves some of the kids giving gifts open to feeling pressure about being judged or seen as financially disadvantaged. It makes giving a performance and leads to gift anxiety beforehand. On the other hand, it's nice for kids to learn to be generous in the same way adults mostly are to them and navigate the rewards and challenges of that process with their peers and to understand that others care about their approval. I remember feeling brilliant at one birthday party. I opened two identical Barbie dolls each from a different kid and handled the situation with the glee that I had "twins". I did indeed keep and enjoy the dolls that way, but I also remember being proud that my fast thinking and understanding of my affirming role probably saved the kids some disappointment.
As a Brit this is the first time I've ever heard of presents not being opened in front of the giver. Don't think he's got this one right.... sorry to disappoint!
I started to notice things for children in the UK are very different when I found a forum online where British parents were being blatantly hostile to the point of their words reading as if they are apoplectic about the idea of American parents celebrating very many things, especially accomplishments, or at least what are considered accomplishments in the US, related to children other than birthdays. If that sentence is too convoluted, I'll reword it later. The whole "opening your birthday presents in front of other kids" thing is also given a second layer in the American South, especially. it's used as a lesson of how not to give your honest reaction when you absolutely hate something you get. You're told that it's about learning to be gracious and polite when you're upset, but it's really just a lesson in lying and hiding it.
And no child ever left a party without a little party bag! Mini Marathon (now Snickers) piece of birthday cake wrapped in Kitchen Roll. And that Plastic parachute guy 🪂..throw him in the air and watch him gracefully descend to earth!
Oh man I loved plastic parachute guy. Id always grab as many as I could throughout the year so when we played toy soldiers I had a strong number of paratroopers.
Where I worked in Chicago back in the 60's, 70's and 80's the birthday person brought in sweet rolls or cakes for break. The office would get 1 card and everyone would sign the card and attach a rolled up, very tight, 1 dollar bill or make a fancy shape (cat, dog, fan shape, etc.) out of 1 dollar bills. Chicago in the past had some wonderful neighborhood bakeries. The office I worked in had many people per floor, over 100 and birthdays were a big deal. Same with holidays, every one MADE a favorite food they were experts at making. Polish pastries and cookies, Lithuanian foods, Italian foods and cookies, Mexican foods, African-American foods, Whatever ethnic group a person claimed we brought in that type of food from main course to desert. WONDERFUL CULINARY EXPERIENCE. I miss those days. It was FUN to go to work. People were very nice and I made many friends.
I've never had anyone bring a cake to work for their birthday anywhere I worked. But last year -- wait, no, 2019, I've totally removed 2020 from my memory -- I had a coworker buy me an Amazon Echo for my birthday. I was like, "No, no, that's way too expensive, I can't accept this," but he insisted. To be fair, I helped hire him, so I guess there was some semblance of gratitude mixed into the birthday wishes. I don't have the heart to tell him that I don't ever use the Echo 😂
I kept expecting the Pimm's and Kahlua to feature in the narrative. Then I realized that the only thing they were doing there was buttressing the host before he gets back to punishing the bottles once again post haste.
We had a bottle of pimms when William and Kate got married and it’s been our favorite ever since! And if I could never open another gift in front of the giver I’d be thrilled.
The kitty came out to say hi, and is so sweet! I love the differences we all have, especially around celebrations! I got drunk on my birthday too...2020 right? Happy Birthday!!!
I was at home recovering from throat surgery and subsequent complications on my sweet 16, lol. But my friends came over and we had ice cream, so not all bad. I was never planning on having a big party anyway. I wasn't big on big parties, and my dad forced the big party on me for my bat-mitzvah at 13, so they weren't going to pay for it again even if I'd actually wanted it.
It was snowing that day, so my sleep over sweet 16 which my parents only allowed by having us ALL out in the RV instead of trashing the house and driving them crazy, so it was cold as the furnace in that darn one never would start easy or stay running. Anyways you can fit 8 girls on a RV queen bed. I'm not sure why we didn't blow ourselves up but it was the mid 90's and my mother liked those stupid "if you like (insert expensive perfume) you'll love (cheap ass brand in the stripy gold spray cans)" anyways we spent time lighting the spray on fire. few prank calls to 800's numbers. I know we had taco's for dinner, and cake. somewhere one of us lost a fork to the Silver service set...I still haven't bought the 90 dollar fork. I have no idea what I got for my birthday, other then a lot of fun and a snowfall of about 5 inches.
I’ve never known a kids party in the UK that was fancy dress, and pin the tail on the donkey has been a party game for generations, in the UK, anyway Happy Birthday hope you have had a good one!
Happy birthday, Lawrence! I love your channel... I'm an American from California and I teach English in Ukraine and often recommend your channel to my students here.
Not forgetting the third child's birthday party venue from the 80’s/90’s a Harvesters chain family pub. Those one's with the wood chip play area and huge fibreglass tree swing and slide playhouse with a weird face you could crawl inside. Some of them opened an indoor jungle gym and ball pit style outbuilding in the mid-2000’s to modernize. You would take over a loooong table in the conservatory and have a meal (while often the dads congregated at in the bar area. Then after dessert which was usually huge ice cream sundaes, the kids would go run around the playground while all the adults drank and caught up with each other.
Laurence you forgot to say with pass the parcel that it is played with music. So an adult plays the music then randomly stops it then the child unwraps the pass the parcel. Then restarts the music then randomly stops it. It’s ends when you get to the end and nothing to un rap.
Canadian here. We did birthday bumps too. I hated getting them because my birthday is Valentines Day so my bumps were usually done in a snowbank. Now for those of you not familiar with Canada in February my think those would soft gentle bumps into fluffy snow. Not a chance. By February the snow has now turned into hard ice filled banks from hell hard enough to stop a truck. Yeah. So I avoided my friends as much as possible and try to get home before they could do any damage to me. Good times ❤️
Just discovered your show, and I love, love, love it - American here who lived in the UK for 14 years. I moved my Englishman husband over to the US, and your show cracks us up. After having to cancel our annual visit to GB ...(stupid Covid)... your show has become a real sweet treat. Thank you, cheers, and stay safe. - Z not zed.
I remember at a relatively young age, (around 5), that I was expected to show joy and appreciation over each and every gift regardless of how I actually felt about it. It was seen, (at least in the 1960's in New England), as a way of teaching kids how to be gracious. I wish we had a more private gift opening like the UK. I must say though the whole "let's teach our young how to mask emotions" seems more British than American.
Even in the US, with kids parties, opening gifts at the party is happening less and less. Mostly because these places you can rent for parties are expensive and no one wants to waste time opening gifts when they can be laser tagging or go-carting or whatever kids do these days
Happy Belated Birthday! When you get my age you may want to invest in those silver fireproof coveralls. All those candles can put off more heat than an incinerator.
Did you get to choose your cake, or was it a surprise? My sister's ordered her cake and we'll have that at my mom's, which we would do, anyway. No dinner out, stupid pandemic. So sweet of you to share birthday time with us. Happy Birthday, L.
In the region of the US I'm from, piñata is a popular game. You hang a colorful papier-mâché sculpture from a tree, blindfold someone; they hit it, and if it breaks, candy falls out and everybody scrambles to pick up the most.
True story: my sister bought one of these once for her kid's party. She thought it was pre-filled with candy. It was not. I did not try even a little to hide my laughter when it did break and disappointment fell out. (I guess it was heavy even empty? IDK.)
Happy Birthday, Lawrence! My birtday was Monday, the 16th! I have enjoyed our videos and content for several months of this 20 year long pandemic.... Perhaps when we come out of hiding, I will venutre south from Wisconsin and we can share a glass and toast to our having travelled around the sun once more! I hope you had a good birthday! Cheers!
Happy birthday Laurence. Chuck E Cheese was great in the 80's and early 90's when I was a kid. My local one had a ball pit, tunnel maze, skee ball, slides, and the normal arcade. Went there a couple times around late 90's with my step nephews and it was still nice. I think the decline happened sometime in the early 2000's. I don't know why they thought it would be a good idea to get rid of the play area and just have the arcade. Sweet 16 birthdays are only big in the South I think.
Growing up, 60 years ago, we starting celebrating our birthdays a whole week before, with mom fixing our favorite foods that week. I carried that tradition for my kids. Having twin boys being the first, they always had some kind of battle with each picking teams. My daughter, mainly great adventures with her BFF. I knew BFF’s mom since Junior High, the girls met when they were 2. They keep the same traditions with my 8 grandchildren. Oh, I almost forgot, the most important thing, Happy Birthday, I do so love watching Lost in the Pond.
HAppy belated birthday Laurence! If you think adult birthdays are with no joy, just put yourself in my shoes. My birthday is on Dec. 20. 5 days before Christmas. Your presents are 'forgotten, and instead it's just the one at Christmas with an add on happy birthday. Also, forget about parties, its either the week before when people are busy getting ready for Christmas, or its the following week, when people are tired from Christmas and its New Years prep time, and no presents once again cause everyone already spent or will spend their money on Christmas.
You kind of touched on this with Chuck E. Cheese, but in America we often go to a big activity destination for kids parties. Laser Tag was a big popular one, especially with boys. Mini Golf or Bowling was another. Also when it comes to opening gifts, i feel like American Media over emphasizes opening gifts in front of guests. Going to big parties would rarely have a gift opening portion. Opening gifts in front of guests was more so in a smaller intimate occasions. Family birthdays or an individual giving a gift.
Most parties are at play places and you only have the space for a limited time so opening presents just takes time away from the activity. Also, people are so generous when it comes to gift giving that there are just too many to open that the little ones just don't have the attention span. Finally, as Laurence mentioned it makes friends jealous watching them open toy after toy.
Happy Birthday Laurence! I think many of us are having actual lock down birthdays this year. Looks like you're celebrating 🍾 wisely. Even Kafka made an appearance!
Happy Birthday!! 🎂🎉 I love Rick Steve!! At Christmas here in the US our family plays "Saran Wrap Ball" with small fun presents throughout the saran wrap & a bigger one last. You use dice & the person before you gets to keep tearing off saran wrap to get a gift until you roll DOUBLES, then it's your turn to tear saran wrap off. Fun game, and similar to the "Pass The Parcel" but with way more gifts. Gifts like money, chapstick, candy bars, lottery tickets, socks, and things that hopefully don't knock anyone's teeth out.
Your shirts in the two different vignettes look like the original Star Trek and and TNG. But Happy Birthday, Laurence! May you have many happy returns (not of gifts, because that would be de classe' but of more birthdays, you know, longer life).
Yup. I was one of them. And so were my friends. I spent many a day there as a kid in the 80s and it was always a birthday for one of my friends. Once I grew up, I realized the only reason our parents agreed to go was because they served alcohol in order to make it tolerable for the adults. Lol.
Have a happy and healthy birthday. The last and only birthday party I attended was memorable only because we played "hot potato ", a game similar to musical chairs, but with a potato. I clearly remember that in this case the potato was rotten and smelly so that I, at least, didn't want to touch it.
I like the British custom of waiting until guests leave to open the gifts. Some kids* are terrible at masking their feelings, and a young gift-giver can be pretty devastated when the birthday boy or girl clearly telegraphs disgust with a thoughtfully chosen present. (*Note: Some adults aren't much better.)
Actually, there are many families who celebrate the 15th birthday as coming of age. This is in families that are Latino. I am only familiar with the quincenra parties that my Mexican friends have invited me to so I can't speak about other Latino groups. I do know that I would rather be invited to a quincenra than 95% of the gringo (non-latino) parties I have been to. It is especially true if an Abuela is in charge of the kitchen!
In Paraguay and Argentina a girl's 15th Party is also a huge deal. Huge fancy parties with guests young, old, familiar and unknown. But not usually with the Abuela's cooking involved. That would totally make it better!
My childhood best friend was from Bogota, Colombia and she had an amazing quinceniera...I was the only white girl that was a part of this over the top 'ceremony', it was quite a memorable experience considering i couldn't/wouldn't dance, didn't speak or understand the language. BUT I had an amazing time and 40+ years later I still remember how lovely n meaningful it meant. Sidenote: My "Sweet Sixteen" was a bummer compared to that. Lol
Happy Belated Birthday! An Australian point of view we have the following. - pass the parcel - pin the tale on the donkey - we had the pizza hut and MacDonalds parties as well - we do the punching. It always hurt. - 18 is our coming of age - opening presents is very mixed.
Observation: I’m in Canada and while my own childhood had parties where the birthday kid would open up gifts in front of the guests, my own kids have gone to parties where mostly the gifts are opened after everyone has left. Cultural shift? Perhaps.
There used to be an old stand-up comedian and sitcom star named Bob Newhart whose trademark comedy was him talking on the phone to an imaginary person. That's what some of your conversations with off camera characters reminds me of. Newhart's still alive, but at 91, I imagine he's probably retired by now. Anyway, Happy birthday Laurence.
We have something similar to pass the parcel. During Christmas we wrap up stocking stuffers in layers of saran wrap and each person is given 30 seconds to unwrap. You get whatever gifts you successfully unwrap in your turn.
Happy birthday 🎂 young man! 💓 here's a recipe mixed drink for your birthday. Kahlua and Amerreto on the rocks with a small amount of cream and a little regular milk mixed makes a "Toasted Almond" One of my favorite cocktails 🍸
I despise Chuck E. Cheese. My DH was just saying we ought to have a Pim's cup this weekend. 9 extended family members have birthdays this month, including my dad, husband and daughter. I hope you enjoyed your day regardless of lockdown.
As a kid I always had total crap 💩 parties and by parties, I mean 2. After the second, I told me mum I never wanted another and she obliged. I don’t recall what happened at the 1st, but at the second; I was in the third grade so about 8 years old and Amity Barr purposely threw the big rubber ball into my face as soon as my mom turned her back on us. I cried of course because it hurt. My mum then spanked me in front of my classmates😳 (they certainly weren’t my friends), told me I was embarrassing HER and I was sent to my room to ponder my actions and woeful lack of decorum. 👎🏽👎🏽👎🏽 No food, no cake, no presents. I remember being relieved when they left.
Happy birthday, Laurence! Also, I'm very sorry I didn't listen to anything you said while the cat was on screen, but lookit dat blu snurgly kitteh!! Erm, thanks for the fun video, I hope you don't have a clanging hangover afterwards
There is a "grown up" version of Chuck E. Cheese--it's called Dave and Busters :)
Or Gameworks or Main Event or basically any place calling itself a Barcade
Are Dave & Busters still going? The last one here in England closed at least 15 years ago.
I don't know about since Covid-19, but I can testify that I was in a couple Dave and Buster's, in Biloxi Mississippi and Florida (USA), just a couple years ago.
Dave and Busters in Shelby Township, Michigan
We still have Dave and Buster’s in Texas. They’re fun. It’s Chuck E. Cheese with better food, better drinks, better games, and most importantly, not a gaggle of screaming or crying children. I think after a certain hour, only people 21+ are allowed in so it’s much more fun.
My family and I were taught "it's the thought that counts and to just be thankful someone got you something" so I never really looked or felt disappointed with my birthday gifts.
Mid December birthday here, and with MI winters, scheduling birthday parties was asking for it
@john wallace that is what kids were taught years ago
Same
@@LindaC616 sigh. I know.
I was ecstatic if I got a cake, presents were a bonus. There were years the day passed without anyone noticing and the world did not stop spinning.
I went by a Chuck E. Cheese that had a sign out front " Open for take out"
Sad and funny at the same time. No one has ever desired Chuck E. Cheese pizza on purpose.
Haha! So true!
Sells pretty good on DoorDash
Chuck E Cheese pizza is the food you eat while your kids are arcading. (Yes, that's a verb now, I've made it one, deal with it.) My local CEC had one pirate-themed arcade game that was so fun we continued to go there even into my teen years just for that game... then they removed it and it became like every other Child Snot Trap in existence.
Worst pizza ever.
@@jamesfetherston1190 Little Caesar's: Am I a joke to you?
Happy Birthday, Laurence! I see you’ve dressed up as Captain Kirk for your special day! 😉
Colonel Mustard! #cluedo
Or any TNG goldshirt.
Lol, the one thing that always took me out of the original series was how much the uniforms look like pyjamas...
...though I guess I'm one to talk, having to wear scrubs all day...
Omg you are on point!!! Yes!
Lol I just noticed that lol
Laurence: “...this way it doesn’t turn into a competition.”
Cat: “Time to make this video a competition.”
Now I'm waiting for the cat. LOL
I wish we opened gifts in private too, I've had the worst reactions to receiving gifts ever since I was a toddler, my excitement is suppressed by my awkward shyness lol. Happy birthday Laurence!!! 🥳
Where I live, there's a YMCA centre that does rollerskating. That was every child's party from age 7-10. It was great fun. Big room with a load of kids in rollerskates, then junk food.
"There comes a time when someone must stop being a child and become a human." - I'm embarrassed to admit how long I laughed at that line.
Happy Birthday Laurence! Love the channel, as a lifelong resident of the US I find your perspective on things here extremely interesting and love learning about how it differs from the UK. That cat is adorable, BTW! 🐈⬛
I’m glad you finally received the calendar I sent you. The Bar Maids of Britain.
Decades ago it was a tradition in America for kids to dress up as if they were going to church for birthday parties .
Games included pin the tail on the donkey and knocking pinatas full of candy blindfolded
It was like that in England too. Put on your "party dress" ( frilly, floral, church-like)!
When I was a kid, pinatas were unknown. (Yes. I am that old.) We played musical chairs and PTD.
@@saintmichael1779 I was a kid in the mid 60s to early 70s and that's win pirates started being used .Particularly in California I guess
I love the magically appearing can of beverage at 3:13! And it disappears again at 3:33!
the disappearance and reappearance of the orange coffee mug: call Scotland Yard !!!
Sweet 16 is traditionally a female thing it was the colonial version of the Spanish Quinceañera,or coming of age. 18 is our legal adult age and voting rights. 21 is the drinking age.
It was just like any other birthday for me and I'm a girl. The only big thing is that you an learn to drive.
Yeah, as raven jade said: being old enough to drive is the big thing for your 16th birthday in most of the US.
Well, to be fair, by world standards, ate you really a full adult at 18 if you cannot purchase alcohol for another three years?
@@ravenjade2553 It's always been more of a thing in the South. I'm on the West Coast, and while I do know of it, it's not a thing here at all.
Now that’s just mean. Every boy should be able to look forward to his sweet 16. 😉
In my day we held our Birthday Parties at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour. The big show involved an enormous ice cream sundae called the zoo. Good times.
Yes!! Or eating the Pig's Trough by yourself and getting a ribbon, giggle!
US born and raised and I remember playing "Pass the Parcel" as a child, though I believe it was called something else. Seems like it may have made its way to the US somehow, though maybe it never became popular. "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" was popular in the US decades ago, but it's long since fallen from trend.
As a young child soft play party's were what every one had
As an introvert I LOVE the idea of NOT opening the presents in front of everyone. Christmas, birthdays, etc, I'm always so stressed out when everyone in the room is eagerly leaning in, grinning manically at me, waiting for me to open the gift, and then immediately demanding my feelings about it, sometimes before I've even had a chance to register what it is. Oh and you have to hold it up for everyone, like immediately, before you've even had a chance to absorb what you've been given. Just, you know, give me the time to process without the entire room breathing down my neck ok!
Just try being the guest of honor at a wedding shower or baby shower. It's that awkwardness x1000. You just have to walk in thinking, "No matter what, I'm going to fake like I like it and I'm so happy and grateful, and there'll be time to process and de-stress later."
I'm so onboard with what your saying 👍🏻. I'm an introvert, also, and have social anxiety mega bad.
Yeah, there's kind of good and bad sides to each. It is strange for some receivers and probably leaves some of the kids giving gifts open to feeling pressure about being judged or seen as financially disadvantaged. It makes giving a performance and leads to gift anxiety beforehand. On the other hand, it's nice for kids to learn to be generous in the same way adults mostly are to them and navigate the rewards and challenges of that process with their peers and to understand that others care about their approval. I remember feeling brilliant at one birthday party. I opened two identical Barbie dolls each from a different kid and handled the situation with the glee that I had "twins". I did indeed keep and enjoy the dolls that way, but I also remember being proud that my fast thinking and understanding of my affirming role probably saved the kids some disappointment.
@@myragroenewegen5426 that was brilliant
As a Brit this is the first time I've ever heard of presents not being opened in front of the giver. Don't think he's got this one right.... sorry to disappoint!
I started to notice things for children in the UK are very different when I found a forum online where British parents were being blatantly hostile to the point of their words reading as if they are apoplectic about the idea of American parents celebrating very many things, especially accomplishments, or at least what are considered accomplishments in the US, related to children other than birthdays. If that sentence is too convoluted, I'll reword it later. The whole "opening your birthday presents in front of other kids" thing is also given a second layer in the American South, especially. it's used as a lesson of how not to give your honest reaction when you absolutely hate something you get. You're told that it's about learning to be gracious and polite when you're upset, but it's really just a lesson in lying and hiding it.
And no child ever left a party without a little party bag! Mini Marathon (now Snickers) piece of birthday cake wrapped in Kitchen Roll. And that Plastic parachute guy 🪂..throw him in the air and watch him gracefully descend to earth!
Oh man I loved plastic parachute guy. Id always grab as many as I could throughout the year so when we played toy soldiers I had a strong number of paratroopers.
The jointed plastic snakes were pretty popular in my group.
*throw him in the general direction of the ceiling fan
@@funnyusername8635 YES! The plastic parachute soldier guy was a classic, as were the jointed snakes! Oh, the nostalgia...
@@TheRepublicOfJohn 😳
Adults in the UK are expected to bring a cake to work for their coworkers to enjoy whilst in the US it's the other way round.
Where I worked in Chicago back in the 60's, 70's and 80's the birthday person brought in sweet rolls or cakes for break. The office would get 1 card and everyone would sign the card and attach a rolled up, very tight, 1 dollar bill or make a fancy shape (cat, dog, fan shape, etc.) out of 1 dollar bills. Chicago in the past had some wonderful neighborhood bakeries. The office I worked in had many people per floor, over 100 and birthdays were a big deal.
Same with holidays, every one MADE a favorite food they were experts at making. Polish pastries and cookies, Lithuanian foods, Italian foods and cookies, Mexican foods, African-American foods, Whatever ethnic group a person claimed we brought in that type of food from main course to desert. WONDERFUL CULINARY EXPERIENCE. I miss those days. It was FUN to go to work. People were very nice and I made many friends.
I never knew
Only if you have exceptionally nice coworkers lol
I've never had anyone bring a cake to work for their birthday anywhere I worked. But last year -- wait, no, 2019, I've totally removed 2020 from my memory -- I had a coworker buy me an Amazon Echo for my birthday. I was like, "No, no, that's way too expensive, I can't accept this," but he insisted. To be fair, I helped hire him, so I guess there was some semblance of gratitude mixed into the birthday wishes. I don't have the heart to tell him that I don't ever use the Echo 😂
@@IceMetalPunk I feel you on this one. Maybe re-gift the echo - he probably did too.
I got so engrossed in your video I was surprised when it came to the end. I thought it was just a commercial and then it stopped. WAAAAAAAAA
I kept expecting the Pimm's and Kahlua to feature in the narrative. Then I realized that the only thing they were doing there was buttressing the host before he gets back to punishing the bottles once again post haste.
Okay, then it wasn’t just me.
We had a bottle of pimms when William and Kate got married and it’s been our favorite ever since!
And if I could never open another gift in front of the giver I’d be thrilled.
Pimm's cup. Try that cocktail. Freaking delicious!
Happy birthday!
And wow! Love the cat habitat in the background. Kafka's a lucky boy
"Cat habitat in the background."
What. You mean Lawrence? 🙃
The kitty came out to say hi, and is so sweet! I love the differences we all have, especially around celebrations! I got drunk on my birthday too...2020 right? Happy Birthday!!!
Good old Sweet Sixteen; home alone, baking my own cake, and then the cat eating that cake. Such wonderful memories.
My sweet 16 was spent packing up my grandma's house. We stopped for a minute to eat some cookies but that was about it 😭😭
For my 16th, my boyfriend gave me 16 roses, and 16 different birthday cards.
I spent my 16th birthday working at a Sonic Drive-In cos the supervisor said I'd be fired if I didn't come in that day :)
I was at home recovering from throat surgery and subsequent complications on my sweet 16, lol. But my friends came over and we had ice cream, so not all bad. I was never planning on having a big party anyway. I wasn't big on big parties, and my dad forced the big party on me for my bat-mitzvah at 13, so they weren't going to pay for it again even if I'd actually wanted it.
It was snowing that day, so my sleep over sweet 16 which my parents only allowed by having us ALL out in the RV instead of trashing the house and driving them crazy, so it was cold as the furnace in that darn one never would start easy or stay running. Anyways you can fit 8 girls on a RV queen bed. I'm not sure why we didn't blow ourselves up but it was the mid 90's and my mother liked those stupid "if you like (insert expensive perfume) you'll love (cheap ass brand in the stripy gold spray cans)" anyways we spent time lighting the spray on fire. few prank calls to 800's numbers. I know we had taco's for dinner, and cake. somewhere one of us lost a fork to the Silver service set...I still haven't bought the 90 dollar fork. I have no idea what I got for my birthday, other then a lot of fun and a snowfall of about 5 inches.
I’ve never known a kids party in the UK that was fancy dress, and pin the tail on the donkey has been a party game for generations, in the UK, anyway Happy Birthday hope you have had a good one!
Happy birthday, Lawrence! I love your channel... I'm an American from California and I teach English in Ukraine and often recommend your channel to my students here.
Oi Happy Birthday! Here's to many more, and many more Lost in the Pond's!
Not forgetting the third child's birthday party venue from the 80’s/90’s a Harvesters chain family pub.
Those one's with the wood chip play area and huge fibreglass tree swing and slide playhouse with a weird face you could crawl inside. Some of them opened an indoor jungle gym and ball pit style outbuilding in the mid-2000’s to modernize.
You would take over a loooong table in the conservatory and have a meal (while often the dads congregated at in the bar area. Then after dessert which was usually huge ice cream sundaes, the kids would go run around the playground while all the adults drank and caught up with each other.
Laurence you forgot to say with pass the parcel that it is played with music. So an adult plays the music then randomly stops it then the child unwraps the pass the parcel. Then restarts the music then randomly stops it. It’s ends when you get to the end and nothing to un rap.
Now it's starting to sound like 'musical chairs'...something that is played in Canada.
@@l.5832 We have musical chairs too (UK)
Canadian here. We did birthday bumps too. I hated getting them because my birthday is Valentines Day so my bumps were usually done in a snowbank. Now for those of you not familiar with Canada in February my think those would soft gentle bumps into fluffy snow. Not a chance. By February the snow has now turned into hard ice filled banks from hell hard enough to stop a truck. Yeah. So I avoided my friends as much as possible and try to get home before they could do any damage to me. Good times ❤️
His full name is Charles Entertainment Cheese.
Upchucky Cheese :-)
Loud, obnoxious, upchucky cheese!
I did not know that!! 🤓
YES, another Defunctland viewer!
Just discovered your show, and I love, love, love it - American here who lived in the UK for 14 years. I moved my Englishman husband over to the US, and your show cracks us up. After having to cancel our annual visit to GB ...(stupid Covid)... your show has become a real sweet treat. Thank you, cheers, and stay safe. - Z not zed.
Happy birthday, mate! Here's to many, many more!!
Well Happy Birthday. You are one of the best things in this crazy world because I don't have to listen to anything about the craziness. Bless you!🎂
Happy birthday, Lawrence!! I *love* Lost in the Pond.
Every time I hear about Chucky's, it's about some fight between parents where everybody gets arrested.
It's a horrendous place. They always look filthy and noisy and horrible.
I remember at a relatively young age, (around 5), that I was expected to show joy and appreciation over each and every gift regardless of how I actually felt about it. It was seen, (at least in the 1960's in New England), as a way of teaching kids how to be gracious. I wish we had a more private gift opening like the UK. I must say though the whole "let's teach our young how to mask emotions" seems more British than American.
Idk seems like good training for other disappointments that will likely be encountered in school and work.
Happy Birthday, Laurence!
Even in the US, with kids parties, opening gifts at the party is happening less and less. Mostly because these places you can rent for parties are expensive and no one wants to waste time opening gifts when they can be laser tagging or go-carting or whatever kids do these days
Happy Belated Birthday! When you get my age you may want to invest in those silver fireproof coveralls. All those candles can put off more heat than an incinerator.
Happy Birthday and remember getting older beats the alternative lol
So true!
I dunno. I wouldn't mind getting younger; take a few decades off would be nice. ;)
Nah, I'm good to get younger for the next 5 years, then go back to getting older for 5 years; rinse and repeat.
I wish I could've given two likes for the Kahlúa alone! (Amazing stuff!) Happy birthday, Laurence!
*Beer from 2017*
"Why haven't we chucked these yet?"
Why haven't you downed them yet?
Did you get to choose your cake, or was it a surprise? My sister's ordered her cake and we'll have that at my mom's, which we would do, anyway. No dinner out, stupid pandemic. So sweet of you to share birthday time with us. Happy Birthday, L.
In the region of the US I'm from, piñata is a popular game. You hang a colorful papier-mâché sculpture from a tree, blindfold someone; they hit it, and if it breaks, candy falls out and everybody scrambles to pick up the most.
True story: my sister bought one of these once for her kid's party. She thought it was pre-filled with candy. It was not.
I did not try even a little to hide my laughter when it did break and disappointment fell out.
(I guess it was heavy even empty? IDK.)
Happy Birthday, Lawrence! My birtday was Monday, the 16th! I have enjoyed our videos and content for several months of this 20 year long pandemic.... Perhaps when we come out of hiding, I will venutre south from Wisconsin and we can share a glass and toast to our having travelled around the sun once more! I hope you had a good birthday! Cheers!
Happy birthday Laurence. Chuck E Cheese was great in the 80's and early 90's when I was a kid. My local one had a ball pit,
tunnel maze, skee ball, slides, and the normal arcade. Went there a couple times around late 90's with my step nephews and it was still nice.
I think the decline happened sometime in the early 2000's. I don't know why they thought it would be a good idea to get
rid of the play area and just have the arcade. Sweet 16 birthdays are only big in the South I think.
We have them in the N.E. too, 🤷🏼.
Growing up, 60 years ago, we starting celebrating our birthdays a whole week before, with mom fixing our favorite foods that week. I carried that tradition for my kids. Having twin boys being the first, they always had some kind of battle with each picking teams. My daughter, mainly great adventures with her BFF. I knew BFF’s mom since Junior High, the girls met when they were 2. They keep the same traditions with my 8 grandchildren. Oh, I almost forgot, the most important thing, Happy Birthday, I do so love watching Lost in the Pond.
Also, Chuck E. Cheese is its own level of hell.
HAppy belated birthday Laurence!
If you think adult birthdays are with no joy, just put yourself in my shoes. My birthday is on Dec. 20. 5 days before Christmas. Your presents are 'forgotten, and instead it's just the one at Christmas with an add on happy birthday. Also, forget about parties, its either the week before when people are busy getting ready for Christmas, or its the following week, when people are tired from Christmas and its New Years prep time, and no presents once again cause everyone already spent or will spend their money on Christmas.
Buon compleanno! Celebrated my birthday yesterday in quarantine. Profoundly forgettable. Superannuated beer is sounding better by the moment.
Happy Birthday, Laurence!!! Here's to many more!
I turned 51 yesterday, happy birthday 🎊🎈
You kind of touched on this with Chuck E. Cheese, but in America we often go to a big activity destination for kids parties. Laser Tag was a big popular one, especially with boys. Mini Golf or Bowling was another.
Also when it comes to opening gifts, i feel like American Media over emphasizes opening gifts in front of guests. Going to big parties would rarely have a gift opening portion. Opening gifts in front of guests was more so in a smaller intimate occasions. Family birthdays or an individual giving a gift.
I remember going to ice skating and roller skating rinks for my birthday parties when I was a kid. The rest of the times, we just had a party at home.
@@LoyaFrostwind yes. Definitely went to a few ice skating parties.
In Canada we have started not opening gifts in front of friends at children’s parties.
Most parties are at play places and you only have the space for a limited time so opening presents just takes time away from the activity. Also, people are so generous when it comes to gift giving that there are just too many to open that the little ones just don't have the attention span. Finally, as Laurence mentioned it makes friends jealous watching them open toy after toy.
What!?!?
I can see how that might be a good idea.
Happy birthday Laurence you're not getting older you're getting better.
Happy Birthday, Mate! My birthday's in a couple of weeks, so I'll take notes.
Early happy birthday!
Happy Birthday Laurence!
I think many of us are having actual lock down birthdays this year. Looks like you're celebrating 🍾 wisely. Even Kafka made an appearance!
Look at that cat tree.
Happy Birthday!! 🎂🎉 I love Rick Steve!!
At Christmas here in the US our family plays "Saran Wrap Ball" with small fun presents throughout the saran wrap & a bigger one last. You use dice & the person before you gets to keep tearing off saran wrap to get a gift until you roll DOUBLES, then it's your turn to tear saran wrap off. Fun game, and similar to the "Pass The Parcel" but with way more gifts. Gifts like money, chapstick, candy bars, lottery tickets, socks, and things that hopefully don't knock anyone's teeth out.
We’ve always done Birthday spankings for every year, and “a pinch to grow an inch” 😃
.....and a “sock to grow a block”!
Happy Birthday, Laurence!! Thank You for all the videos
I'm getting nostalgia for pass the parcel, oh god I completely forgot about it.
Your shirts in the two different vignettes look like the original Star Trek and and TNG. But Happy Birthday, Laurence! May you have many happy returns (not of gifts, because that would be de classe' but of more birthdays, you know, longer life).
I don't know anyone who had a sweet 16 party. We're not that boujee I guess. Also, love your couch.
Happy Birthday! I love your videos! You're tongue in cheekiness is awesome.
I hope you had a great birthday! 🎂 🎈
The only reason I know about “Pass the Parcel” is because it was on Peppa Pig 🤦🏻♀️
Happy Birthday Lawrence! 🥂🎊🎉🎂🎁 I hope you enjoy many more!
Having lived in the UK for 5 years, one thing I've found pretty weird is how huge 21st birthdays are here, I've been to one bigger than some weddings!
When I was a kid, in the 1960s, everyone dressed up for Birthday Parties. Sunday School Clothes.
Many happy and healthy returns of the day! Cheers!
I love how this is posted on my birthday! this should be a sign I should just subscribe to your channel.
Oh my goodness! Happy Birthday, man!! 😁 Hope you had a great day! Xx from Chicago
In the '80s, every kid wanted a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.
Yup. I was one of them. And so were my friends. I spent many a day there as a kid in the 80s and it was always a birthday for one of my friends. Once I grew up, I realized the only reason our parents agreed to go was because they served alcohol in order to make it tolerable for the adults. Lol.
I went to some myselfand took my own children when I became a mom
Have a happy and healthy birthday. The last and only birthday party I attended was memorable only because we played "hot potato ", a game similar to musical chairs, but with a potato. I clearly remember that in this case the potato was rotten and smelly so that I, at least, didn't want to touch it.
Don't go to a chuckie cheese. Creepy animatronics and the carpet always smells like thrown up pizza.
I like the British custom of waiting until guests leave to open the gifts. Some kids* are terrible at masking their feelings, and a young gift-giver can be pretty devastated when the birthday boy or girl clearly telegraphs disgust with a thoughtfully chosen present. (*Note: Some adults aren't much better.)
"Except for the missing toenails."
Uh. Wat. HAH!
Happy Happy Birthday!!!
Actually, there are many families who celebrate the 15th birthday as coming of age. This is in families that are Latino. I am only familiar with the quincenra parties that my Mexican friends have invited me to so I can't speak about other Latino groups. I do know that I would rather be invited to a quincenra than 95% of the gringo (non-latino) parties I have been to. It is especially true if an Abuela is in charge of the kitchen!
Also for 50, there is a special deal.(A fact I dug up on my Puerto Rican born, friend's 50th).
Yes, though I think it might be a bigger deal in México than some of the other Spanish speaking countries.
In Paraguay and Argentina a girl's 15th Party is also a huge deal. Huge fancy parties with guests young, old, familiar and unknown. But not usually with the Abuela's cooking involved. That would totally make it better!
@@ar.ardilla cool, good to know! I teach Spanish, and Paraguay is one of those neglected countries....
My childhood best friend was from Bogota, Colombia and she had an amazing quinceniera...I was the only white girl that was a part of this over the top 'ceremony', it was quite a memorable experience considering i couldn't/wouldn't dance, didn't speak or understand the language. BUT I had an amazing time and 40+ years later I still remember how lovely n meaningful it meant.
Sidenote: My "Sweet Sixteen" was a bummer compared to that. Lol
Happy Birthday Laurence! And many more to come😊❤🍾🎂
Well happy birthday Laurence! But I hate to tell you the mask you got this year it’s not quite the same as the superheroes in the past LOL
Happy Belated Birthday!
An Australian point of view we have the following.
- pass the parcel
- pin the tale on the donkey
- we had the pizza hut and MacDonalds parties as well
- we do the punching. It always hurt.
- 18 is our coming of age
- opening presents is very mixed.
Observation: I’m in Canada and while my own childhood had parties where the birthday kid would open up gifts in front of the guests, my own kids have gone to parties where mostly the gifts are opened after everyone has left. Cultural shift? Perhaps.
There used to be an old stand-up comedian and sitcom star named Bob Newhart whose trademark comedy was him talking on the phone to an imaginary person. That's what some of your conversations with off camera characters reminds me of. Newhart's still alive, but at 91, I imagine he's probably retired by now. Anyway, Happy birthday Laurence.
We did the spanking thing. One swat for each year of age, followed by "A pinch to grow an inch".
We have something similar to pass the parcel. During Christmas we wrap up stocking stuffers in layers of saran wrap and each person is given 30 seconds to unwrap. You get whatever gifts you successfully unwrap in your turn.
"I WANTED ORKO!"
So did I Laurence, so did I.
Happy birthday 🎂 young man! 💓 here's a recipe mixed drink for your birthday. Kahlua and Amerreto on the rocks with a small amount of cream and a little regular milk mixed makes a "Toasted Almond"
One of my favorite cocktails 🍸
Chucky cheese sucks, you weren't missing anything...Hope you have a happy birthday!
Showbiz Pizza was better but a local chain always beat them all. Enchanted Castle in Lombard IL always did great birthday parties
@@nilus2k I loved Showbiz Pizza as a kid.
@@nilus2k I remember Enchanted Caste. I used to live in Naperville and Lisle.
In the 80s it was actually good. Once they started with the mass produced pizzas and lame "learning" games it went downhill :/
@@nilus2k I loved showbiz pizza....I so agree
Hey, my birthday was yesterday! Happy belated Birthday, Laurence.
@5:05 Now I want Laurence to discover Five Nights At Freddy's...
I despise Chuck E. Cheese. My DH was just saying we ought to have a Pim's cup this weekend. 9 extended family members have birthdays this month, including my dad, husband and daughter. I hope you enjoyed your day regardless of lockdown.
First time getting this notif in a while and glad to be here early
Ps. HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Thank you for all the belly laughs! You made my day🤣
As a kid I always had total crap 💩 parties and by parties, I mean 2. After the second, I told me mum I never wanted another and she obliged. I don’t recall what happened at the 1st, but at the second; I was in the third grade so about 8 years old and Amity Barr purposely threw the big rubber ball into my face as soon as my mom turned her back on us. I cried of course because it hurt. My mum then spanked me in front of my classmates😳 (they certainly weren’t my friends), told me I was embarrassing HER and I was sent to my room to ponder my actions and woeful lack of decorum. 👎🏽👎🏽👎🏽 No food, no cake, no presents. I remember being relieved when they left.
That is so sad. I’m so sorry that you went through that.
💔 I wish that there was a “care” button on TH-cam!
I'm so sorry. I hope you're able to treat yourself now, because you are worth it.
Happy birthday, Laurence! Also, I'm very sorry I didn't listen to anything you said while the cat was on screen, but lookit dat blu snurgly kitteh!! Erm, thanks for the fun video, I hope you don't have a clanging hangover afterwards
OK, who else here misses Lawrence's comments about subscribing by hitting his "stupid little face"?