birthday and balloons

My Henry turned 6 years old today.  We're so proud of his growth this year and ofcourse he is just over the moon about turning one year older, getting more presents and having a party.  Although I have to admit, having a birthday to plan so close to Christmas is difficult, and it can be overkill for Henry after the excitement and presents from Christmas. So I *try* to make it more about the birthday celebration than the gifts.

With that in mind, I had the idea yesterday to fill his bedroom with balloons, so when he woke up, he would see a sea of colorful balloons. But because he's been waking up coughing lately in the middle of the night, I thought I'd play it safe and keep the balloons downstairs. Which is what I did with about 25 balloons.

Peter said Henry was ecstatic this morning when he woke up and came downstairs to a sea of balloons, more so than I ever thought he would be. Success! 

Look at the color. Aren't balloons just the best?

So what do you think? I love the idea of making birthdays fun and exciting and creative for kids and less about the materialistic stuff.....any other ideas out there?