Seventh Birthday: A Harry Potter Experience

We threw Troy an epic birthday party today. It’s been four weeks in the planning and the making, but it was all worth it. He wanted a Harry Potter-themes birthday, which I found a lot of people had done, so there was plenty of ideas on Pinterest. But I might have gotten a little ambitious, because I wanted to do it all!

My mom has come up several times to help bring my vision to life. My wife and Troy have been tasked with several items as well. And I’ve spent every free moment on weekdays and weekends working on decorations and games. And it finally all came together today.

For a change, we actually had a pretty good turnout of girls and boys, and a mix of people in his current class and former classmates. The only issue I had was some people waited very late to RSVP, some backed out on the day, and some RSVPed and never showed up. It was very hard to plan games that involved teams (the four Hogwarts houses) with a constant ebb and flow of people. Not to mention those that came but then left early. In the end, we didn’t have enough people to play the games, so we had to recruit some less-than-enthusiastic adults to participate, who honestly were looking forward to socializing while we babysat their kids.

My mom and I DIYed most of the decorations, and we pulled in things from all of the books and movies. We had luggage by the front door complete with trunks, suitcases, and brooms. We had the Hogwarts banners, representing all of the houses lining the stairs. We had Cornish pixies in jars backlit by flickering candles. We had the flying keys and the floating candles. We had Hogwarts acceptance letters flying out of the fireplace. We had Aragog’s spiders marching into the Forbidden Forest. We had an owlery. Port key passageways to the Ministry of Magic via the downstairs toilet. We had Myrtle in a bubble bath. We even had a floor to ceiling Whomping Willow! In fact, we had so much stuff that some of it didn’t even make it out, such as the Marauder Map footprints.

For the food, I found a lot of great ideas on how to turn ordinary food into Harry Potter-themed dishes simply with a little imagination and a sign. Bugles become Raven Claws, cheese puffs become Huffle Puffs, mini marshmallows become unicorn poop, green gummy worms become Gillyweed, gold chocolate eggs become dragon eggs, Hershey kisses become Dementors’ kisses, Pocky sticks become mini wands, Ferraro chocolates become Golden Snitches, and gold chocolate coins become Gringotts goblin gold.

But the pièce de résistance was the mandrakes in a blanket! Like a pig in a blanket with sausages and crescent rolls, but made to look like little mandrakes with sprigs of spinach coming out of their heads for leaves. Which my mom and Troy pulled off to perfection.

To start the party all of the kids had to be sorted into a house. We had found a cool idea where you put an ice cream cone on the top of a cookie to look like a mini sorting hat. And inside the ice cream cone were red, blue, yellow, or green M&Ms to represent the different Hogwarts houses. The kids randomly pick a cone, open it, and their house is revealed. We then tied a ribbon with the same color around their wrist, so they’d remember their selection.

After the sorting, we herded the kids upstairs where we had a photo op booth set up. Everyone got a picture and then the games began. The games were organized into series of challenges where the kids would compete on teams to win points for their house, similar to The Hogwarts House Cup.

The first game was called House Sorting. Each team had a bowl of red, blue, yellow, and green M&Ms all mixed together. They were tasked with sorting each color into a separate bowl. The first team to finish was awarded four points, the second three, etc. I was concerned that the kids might take a while on this game, mainly because I feel the difficulty increases with more people trying to grab the same M&Ms from a bowl. But I was pleasantly surprised to see them complete it fairly quickly and to see them work together, taking turns to grab M&Ms from the bowl to sort.

The second game was called Free Dobby Sock Toss. As people familiar with Harry Potter know, a house elf who is enslaved to a master can only be freed by receiving an article of clothing. Dobby gets freed from the Malfoy family when Harry Potter tricks Lucious Malfoy into giving Dobby a sock. So, we made a board with a hole in it, where the kids would take turns tossing socks of their house colors through the hole. Dobby was looking on hopefully from a whiteboard nearby. We originally had this set up for each kid to toss three socks, but we ended up giving them extra turns when drama ensued. Some of the kids were brought to tears when their sock repeatedly missed the mark.

The third game was called Quidditch Pong. Quidditch is of course the sport of choice in the wizard world. It’s a game where two teams square off to get a ball through one of three hoops. It’s traditionally played on broom sticks, but we felt that might be a bit tough in our small game room. So, we set up three hoops on a table and had the kids attempt to throw ping pong balls of their house colors through the hoops and into some red Solo cups. Not every ball actually went through the hoops before landing in the cups, but we counted it anyway. And lots of the balls hit the hoops and bounced off. Some of the kids who were crying at the sock toss game found success at the Quidditch game, so there was that. The only downside is that the kids who were not playing went into unmanaged chaos, running around and wrestling, and it was hard to get them reengaged again.

The fourth game was called The Book Puzzle. I had made copies of the cover of the first Harry Potter book, The Sorcerer’s Stone, and I cut them into puzzles. The kids were tasked with putting the jumbled pieces back together again to resemble the book cover once again. Amazingly, they did a really good job on this game too. Some of the teams had adults helping out, but those teams actually did worse than the all kids teams!

The fifth and final game was called the Horcrux Treasure Hunt. You-Know-Who is back, and evil has once again entered the world! Professor Dumbledore has asked the teams to help get rid of the evil wizard Voldemort once and for all. But to do that, they had to first find all of his Horcruxes.

We hid seven items all over the house, and the kids had to work together as a team to find them. Each of the teams was given a list of the items, which had their names and a picture of what they looked like. They were also given a clue that told them where to find the first item and the person who had it. Attached to each item was another clue that led them to the next item until they’d eventually found all seven. The teams would then race back to the starting point to turn in their lists.

The kids had the most fun with this game by far. To find the items, they had to decode the clues and try to remember where they’d seen the things described, such as the pixies in the jars or Myrtle in the bathtub. Each team was given a different clue to start, so teams weren’t piggybacking off each other. It also meant that teams were running chaotically all over the house at the same time!

Overall, the party was a huge success. The only downside was that most of the guests had never seen or read Harry Potter, so they were unfamiliar with most of the references. I think they would have enjoyed it more if they had known the story. Without the context, things just looked like random decorations.

Haole!

Me: “Troy, why did you roll the sleeves up on your shirt? It kind of defeats the purpose of a long-sleeved shirt.”
Troy: “So, I don’t burn up, bruh!”
Me: “Well, it’s going to be cold outside today, haole! So, you’re going to want those sleeves!”
Troy: “Dude, not cool.”
Me: “Bruh…”

Sweeney Troy

Troy: “Dada, will you play donut shop with me?”
Me: “Sure. What kind of donuts do you have?”
Troy: “What kind of donuts do you want, and I’ll make them?”
Me: “I want donuts that spell out ‘3 WOLF.’”
Troy: “Okay, let’s see. There’s a 3, and we have a W, an O, another O, and a F.”
Me: “I didn’t say ‘WOOF’ like what a dog says, I said ‘WOLF’ like my people.”
Troy: “You’re not a werewolf! Fine, ‘WOOLF.’”
Me: “Whatever, I can always eat the extra ‘O,’ but I’m not paying for it.”
Troy [throwing my ‘donuts’ on the floor]: “Here are your donuts.”
Me [grabbing the donuts and starting to leave the shop]: “What the heck, man! Why’d you throw my donuts on the floor?! I’m not paying for those!”
Troy [coming up behind me and stabbing me with his Wolverine claw, then rifling through my pockets]: “Yes, you will! Now, give me ALL of your money!”
Me [as a different customer]: “Hello, I had a phone-in order. Oh my, is that blood on the floor?”
Troy: “Yeah, don’t worry about it. What did you want your donuts to say again?”
Me [stepping over the ‘blood’ on the floor]: “U R A ST4.”
Troy: “Do you mean ‘STAR’?”
Me: “No, I mean ‘STA.’ We’re from Boston.”
Troy [throwing my ‘donuts’ on the floor]: “Okay, here you go.”
Me: “Why did you throw them on the floor?! Couldn’t you have put them on the counter?! I’m not paying for those. I’m going next door.”
Troy [coming up behind me and stabbing me with his Wolverine claw, then rifling through my pockets]: “Yes, you will! Now, give me all of your money!”
Me [as a different customer]: “Hi, I want some donuts. Oh my gosh, is that a dead body?”
Troy: “Yeah, he wouldn’t pay for his donuts.”
Me [turning to leave]: “That’s disgusting. I think I’ll just go next door.”
Troy [coming up behind me and stabbing me with his Wolverine claw, then rifling through my pockets]: “No, you won’t! Now, give me all of your money!”
Me [as a different customer]: “What is going on in here?!”
Troy: “I’m just waiting for someone to clean up these bodies. What can I do for you?”
Me [backing out of the door]: “I’m good man. I’m in the wrong place. I meant to go next door.”
Troy [tackling me to the floor and stabbing me with his Wolverine claw, then rifling through my pockets]: “Too late! Give me all of your money!”
Me [in my normal voice]: “Dude, this is no way to run a donut shop, man. You can’t kill all of your customers. Then, who will buy your donuts?”
Troy: “Yes, I can! I want all of their money!”
Me: “Geesh, man. You’re like Sweeney Troy, the Demon Donut Shop Owner from Fleet Street up in here!”

Why Was Jesus Born a Man?

Troy: “Why was Jesus born a man instead of a woman?”
Me: “That’s a very interesting and insightful question, Troy. At the time that Jesus was born, it was a male-dominated society. Do you know what that means?”
Troy: “No.”
Me: “It means that men were held in higher regard. They were allowed to hold positions of leadership and to speak in the church. People usually listened to men when they said something, but not always to women. So, in order to be heard and get His message across, Jesus needed to be a man. If He had been a woman at that time, His mission might not have been as successful or as impactful. His disciples might not have followed Him, and His words might never have been written down for us to read today.”
Troy: “That makes sense, I guess.”
Me: “Besides, Jesus had to be one or the other, so does it really matter that He was a man?”
Troy: “No, I was just curious.”

The Unexpected Kindness of Strangers

Troy, my mother, and I were at the Lego Store today amid a crowded throng of people off for the holiday. Troy and my mother were building animals from one of the “parts bins” while I pursued the shelves. All of a sudden, a strange man approached them and asked Troy what he was building. The man was in his fifties, slightly shorter than me with black stringy hair peppered with gray. He had beard stubble dotting his chin, and he was wearing a ratty black t-shirt that fit snugly over his bulging belly. His teeth were yellowish with smidges of black that looked like he probably chewed tobacco. He also smelled faintly of cigarettes.

Completely oblivious to all of this, Troy showed the man what he was holding and told him it was a duck. I was on full alert by this point, but the man kept the bins between them, so I waited to see how things would play out. The stranger complimented Troy on his duck and then asked him if he was going to buy anything. Troy said, “No, my dad said that we couldn’t afford to buy anything.” And then he nodded his head toward me. The stranger looked over and seemed to see me for the first time, staring at him suspiciously. But he kept engaging Troy directly. “What if I buy you a Lego? Assuming it’s okay with your dad,” he added, looking at me questioningly. I shrugged like I didn’t have an issue with that, and Troy said, “Sure.” So, the man told Troy to pick out what he wanted, and he’d buy it for him.

I was a bit shocked by this altruistic gesture. I mean who does that?! I didn’t want to stand in his way to do something nice for someone else, but I also didn’t want Troy asking for something ridiculous, so I walked along behind him. He picked a Lego set that was $29, and I told him that was too expensive. He picked another that was $59, and again, I told him that was too much. When he asked me what he could get, I told him to look for something that started with a one, thinking of something in the $15 or $19 range. Which was about the cheapest thing in the store.

As Troy perused the shelves, the stranger came up behind us and pointed to a Lego set in front of Troy that was $245. He said, “Obviously not this one.” I told the man that I was steering Troy to something more reasonable. The man responded by asking Troy which one he liked. Troy picked up a Ninjago dragon set and said, “My dad said that I had to get something that started with a one, and this starts with a one!” I looked at the price and said, “That’s not exactly what I meant.” The stranger asked Troy how much it cost, and Troy replied, “$109.”

I was certain that the man was going to regret giving my son free rein to pick whatever he wanted. I was also certain that he was going to steer him to something cheaper. Instead, the man said, “Yeah, that’s fine. Bring it over to the register, and I’ll buy it for you.” I was speechless. I managed to blurt out, “Are you sure?” And the man shook his head in the affirmative. He said, “Do you know that I’ve offered to buy Legos for three kids now, and one of them actually turned me down? I mean I get it, I’m a stranger, but it’s a free toy. I’m retired, and I’ve been blessed to be able to do things like this with my free time. I hope you and your son enjoy putting this together.”

I still couldn’t believe what was happening. The man pulled out his American Express credit card and bought the toy. He then handed the bag to my son, who thankfully told the man thank you multiple times. As we walked back to my mother, the man tagged along and engaged me in conversation. I wasn’t feeling very social, but I also felt obligated to chat with him after what he’d just done. He told me all about his comic book collection, which he estimated to be worth millions, and his Lego collection, which he estimated he spent about $3000 a month on. I started to wonder who this guy was. Was he some tech billionaire who sold his company young and was now hanging out in toy stores to spend his fortune by buying overpriced Lego sets for random kids? Did he not have any kids of his own, so he was making up for it by spoiling other people’s kids?

Whatever his motivation, I still can’t believe he did that. And after a few minutes chatting with me, the stranger shook my hand and wandered off deeper into the Lego Store. And my son ended up with an early birthday present.

Nailed It!

Aslan [to King Peter after Aslan killed the white witch]: “It is finished.”
Troy: “Huh, that’s what Jesus said right before He died.”
Me [fist bumping him]: “Spot on! That’s exactly correct! Great job, bud.”

Finding God in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Me: “Did you know that the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a story about Jesus and Satan?”
Troy: “Really?”
Me: “Yes. There is an evil witch that represents Satan, and there’s a great lion that represents Jesus. The White Witch is trying to take over the world and gain power and control over all of its subjects. She wants to fashion herself as the Queen of Narnia, the ruler of the land, but she's not a true queen. She's just a witch pretending to be queen. Because in reality there is already a King, and His name is Aslan. But Aslan hasn't been seen in Narnia for a very long time, so in his absence, the people have had to suffer under the evil rule of the White Witch.”

Troy: “Kind of like how Jesus left the Earth, but He's going to come back again? But right now, we have to deal with the Devil?”

Me: “Exactly!”

Troy: “Why is there snow everywhere?”

Me: “Because the White Witch brought the snow. Just like there is no warmth or life around Satan, there is no warmth or life around the White Witch. There is only cold and death.”

Troy: “How did she make those sweets appear?”

Me: “Magic. But it's not real. You see how when the dwarf threw it away, it turned to snow again. It's just an illusion. Just like the promises from the Devil. He will tempt you with the things you desire most, like Edmond was tempted with Turkish Delight, but it's a false promise. And do you notice how Edmond keeps asking for more sweets?”

Troy: “Yeah.”

Me: “That's because you'll never be satisfied or filled up by what you get from the Devil. You can only be nourished by what you get from God.”

Troy: “Did the witch turn all of those animals to stone?”

Me: “Yep. They're trapped, kind of like how we get trapped by our sins. We feel stuck and can't figure out how to break free. But don't worry, Aslan will free them later in the movie.”

Troy: “What do the talking animals represent?”

Me: “How Jesus came for everyone, no matter where you come from or what you look like.”

Troy: “Why did Edmond betray his family?”

Me: “It shows our sin, our jealousy and greed, and that we'd even betray the ones we love to get what we want. Man is imperfect, and we need God to fix us. Does it remind you of one of the disciples?”

Troy: “Judas!”

Me: “Exactly, just like Judas betrayed Jesus.”

Troy: “Wait, why is Aslan letting them tie Him up and shave His mane? Why doesn't He just eat them all?!”

Me: “Because of Edmond's betrayal, someone has to die. It's the price for our sin. Aslan agreed to take Edmond's place and die so that Edmond didn't have to. Just like Jesus took our place and died for our sins. And just like Jesus had to endure torture and humiliation before His death, so does Aslan. But the important thing to note is that He's doing this willingly, because He loves us.”

Troy: “But He's dead! Is Aslan going to come back like Jesus did?”

Me [chuckling]: “I guess you'll have to wait and see.”

Troy: “Why is the Stone Table broken?”

Me: “That's a great question, and it has two meanings. The first meaning is that it represents the earthquake that occurred when Jesus died and the tearing of the veil in the temple. When the veil in the temple was torn, it demonstrated that the pathway between God and man was now open. There was no barrier between us anymore. The second meaning is that it represents the destruction of the old law. Jesus came to fulfill the old law and start a new relationship, a new chapter, between God and man. The Stone Table represented the old law, and Aslan's death shattered it to make way for a new world.”

Troy: “He's alive! I told you He'd come back!”

Me: “Yes, you did. And now, He's going to release all of those statues from the beginning of the movie.”

Troy: “Why is He doing that?”

Me: “Well, on the one hand, they are no longer bound by death, stuck in their sin, because Aslan's death freed them. On the other hand, He needs them for the war against evil. He needs warriors in His army.”

Troy: “Is Aslan going to kill the White Witch?”

Me: “Yes. He's going to end her rule and bring back life and warmth to the world. And then He's going to leave the world in the hands of the people to follow His example and continue the fight against evil.”

Troy: “I'm glad she's dead.”

Me: “Me too.”