The Room Where it Happened: Harlan's 8th Birthday Party

For the past six months, Harlan has had a little bit of an obsession with the Broadway show, Hamilton. MacKay and I were lucky enough to see it in April. Much like MacKay, Harlan has always has an interest in people, especially historical figures. Many of the books in her collection are biographies. If you ask her about a historical figure, chances are she’s read something about them and can tell you a fun fact about that person. Her desire to learn more about Alexander Hamilton came after asking us about the show. We began playing the soundtrack in the house and she went to the library to get a biography on Alexander Hamilton. Not only did she read up on him, but she read hours of information about the process of the Broadway show and the people it took to make it happen.

When it came to choosing a theme for her birthday party, it didn’t take long for her to decide what she wanted. Although none of her friends were well versed in Hamilton, that didn’t bother Harlan. She was going to take this party as a chance to introduce them to Alexander Hamilton and his life story.

Harlan did most of the party preparation. She gave me details on what she wanted and I had to make it happen.

The very first idea she had was to have a sign hanging so that when her guests walked in, they were walking into the room where it happened. That was her special way of welcoming her friends into the party. I downloaded these letters and was able to make the banner just the way she wanted.

Her second request was $10 bills that she could pass out to her friends. I found these realistic bills on Amazon and ordered them. Her friends had a lot of fun playing with the money.

Her next request was the food. She’s learned over the years that she’s not a fan of cake, so she asked for a cookie cake. Thankfully, those are super easy to make and was done in about an hour the morning of the party.

To make, I simply rolled cookie dough on a round baking pan and baked until done. Once cooled, I put white icing on the cake and then sprayed with edible gold mist. The Hamilton logo on top was done with sugar paper and cut out after I printed out the logo on a regular piece of paper. I was really pleased with the outcome and how simple it was to make.

For the rest of the food, I went with a simple star and red, white, and blue theme. I ordered the cookies from a local nut-free bakery (so that Macks could enjoy) and the rest was done the morning of the party.

I lucked out with the decor for the party because most of it I had leftover from Harlan’s Star Wars party last year. I bought the piñata and gold backdrop from the local party store and I hand-drew the Hamilton logo on a piece of black poster. I also used these glass bottles that I made years ago for the straws and forks. I think I’ve used them for nearly every party we’ve had. (Here’s the super easy DIY)

To keep the kids entertained, Harlan and I came up with a few ideas. We had a piñata last year and the kids loved it, so we decided to do it again this year. We also had the kids decorate cupcakes and cut out paper dolls. And of course no birthday party with a broadway show as the theme is not complete without some karaoke. Har, Avery, and Macks had the best time showing off their singing skills to the Hamilton soundtrack.