This past weekend was my birthday and I've basically been celebrating for a few weeks, in the most magical ways possible. On the 3rd, we had a Hufflepuff/Ugly Sweater party, where everyone ate, drank, popped Christmas crackers, and then did a mini escape room that I set up in the "Hogwarts greenhouses".
I turned 45 this year, so I wanted to go all out, but in a smaller way than we did on my 40th, where I made everyone dress in 80s gear and we rented out a hall. I surrounded myself with all my besties and had a great time.
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Why yes, my witch hat does have mistletoe on it :) |
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I think I picked the absolute worst times to take candid pics of everyone. LOL!
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This year, our Harry Potter went very 'Puff-centric, so I leaned way into it. |
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I always use this time to showcase my non-branded Potter art and crafts from great artists. |
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It's not a party if there isn't a scavenger hunt of some kind |
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This shot is 100% to show off my mini Puff tree and this awesome barrel fireplace I made myself from insulation foam and 37 different shades of craft paint. |
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Obligatory food shot - not one of my best spreads |
The story behind the escape room is that pixies broke loose (hence the scavenger hunt) and escaped Hogwarts, making off with all the tree ornaments (there weren't any on my tree, just garland and flowers). Guests had to visit the greenhouse and follow the clues in order to find the ornaments, which were their takeaways.
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My escape room set-up |
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A pot of carnivorous plants and a biting boomerang |
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I loved these ugly holiday sweater ornaments. |
Everyone finished, with a little help, and took home a sweet ornament, which is a tradition for my birthday parties, since my birthday is so close to Christmas.
On my actual birthday, I helped set up (and later, take down) and then attended Yule Ball for PDXpelliarmus, the Portland chapter of Fandom Forward, of which I'm a Head of House. You probably know that if you saw my post in July. Yule Ball is our biggest fundraiser of the year. We drink and eat and dance and buy all the raffle tickets in hopes of winning some of the coolest wizard stuff you've ever seen.
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It's good to be a Very Magical Person. |
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Shepherd's Pie and roast beef tart + my two boozy beverages: Felix Felicis on the left and Butterbeer on the right |
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Just a few of our raffle items - everything is donated by the magical artist community |
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Two very happy wizards |
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So much dancing. And floating candles! |
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Some of our new friends. |
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Yes, we're still trying to be safe while in crowds. |
We had a great time and made a lot of money for our charity. This year it was The Q Center, which has resources for LGBTQIA+ people who need it, no matter what their needs are or their age. As a non-profit firmly based in the Harry Potter fandom, we have an obligation to combat the harm that She Who Must Not Be Named has done to the trans community, and the queer community in general. We do that by giving back to charities she would fight against and making our events all-inclusive and welcoming to all. You can see more photos and videos of the ball on my Instagram, or PDX HPA's Instagram. Thank you for spending a bit of time helping me celebrate my birthday. I hope you enjoyed it and you're having a wonderful December so far. Tell me about your plans for the holidays or the new year or just this weekend.
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