Recently, I attended two birthday parties just several days apart. One was simple. There was a cake, two small gifts: a frisbee and a set of sheets, to be exact. It was a party for a boy turning ten. The boy was serenaded by his family and a group of relative strangers, some of whom, including me, had just learned his name. The party took place in the fellowship hall of a church, the boy’s home on this particular week. The next party was perhaps a little over the top. There were eleven small children gathered at the Build-A-Bear® workshop in the mall. Each child made a bear, dressed it, and took it home in a box that contained candy and stickers. Each child had supper and cake in the mall food court. They got a prize in their kid’s meal and a bright balloon. There were lots of gifts for th…