except for my 16th birthday I always just had a sleepover on my birthday when I was a kid, which I actually hated. It was fun for like a few hours and than I had to share my bed and bathroom):
we had kiddies parties and my mum and dad would always bake a cake and decorate it all funky.....that was cool when i finished highschool i had a going away party cos i moved and it was invite only and we had so many fuckin gate crashers - some welcome - others not! it was fuckin insane...but last yr when i went home i had my 21st and i invited shitloads (it was at a friends place) and only about 30 rocked up...i was in a shit mood and a bitch to everyone,....hehehe (too much to drink)