Celebrating a 21st Birthday Party at Home

Hey friends! It’s great to be back linking up with Holly and Sarah to share a little about our weekend. Sam, our youngest, celebrated his birthday (which was actually two weeks ago) with a party. Not going to lie, I’m so glad it’s over because party planning is way outside my comfort zone. But the good news is that Sam and his friends had a great time, and my house survived the event! Woohoo!

A couple of months ago, Sam asked if he could have his 21st birthday party at our house. That’s a reasonable request, except our house, although very comfortable and one I truly love, is more of a cozy, compact space than an entertainer’s home. We tossed around the idea of having it at a pub or a restaurant. But he was keen to celebrate at home with his friends.

When we rattled off a list of things we’d have to do to get it all organised, he said, “Mum, don’t worry, it’ll be fine. We’ll just order pizzas and have some music.” Bless his positive, easy-breezy attitude. You and I both know that was never going to be all we needed to pull off a 21st!

We were all busy with work, study, and everything in between, and Sam’s relaxed approach was a bit contagious. That is, until last Monday, when I started to panic! I thought, “Oh my gosh, we have only a few days until the Friday night event!” We all kicked things into high gear, ordering things off Amazon, shopping for snacks and drinks, preordering the pizzas for delivery, and organising the decorations.

We hired a few bar tables and stools, and got an LED party light that pulses with the music. The boombox we wanted was unavailable. But luckily, my boss was able to lend us hers–phew! Then it was just a bit of furniture reshuffling, and I thought back to my post on entertaining in small spaces. I stopped panicking, pushed through, and it all came together.

I stayed away that night to give them some space to enjoy themselves and celebrate. My husband was at work until 3 am, but our oldest son came over and helped keep things running smoothly. When I got home, I was super impressed with how all the rubbish was bundled up into garbage bags. And apart from the sticky floors, Sam and his friends had done such a great job cleaning up. It was clear they’d had fun, and I couldn’t believe how well they’d looked after everything.

To be honest, I was expecting a total frat-house kind of mess like the ones I’ve seen in movies, so this was a very pleasant surprise. I’ve met most of Sam’s friends and always thought they were good eggs, and their party clean-up effort confirmed it big time! I was also happy to find that the only thing they ended up using from the “just in case” kit I left was the mozzie repellent.

On top of the party being a big success, Sam got completely spoiled with presents, which none of us were expecting. He got money, Chanel cologne, and nine of his friends even chipped in for a ticket to Bali. So now he’s off to Bali with them for a week at the end of January 2026, gulp. I’m sure they’ll have a wonderful time, but I’m already looking forward to their safe return.

Happy Monday, friends, and thanks so much for stopping by!