Countdown from ten. A fox in a white space helmet grins from the porthole of a rocket built from cream paper and brass rivets, flame trailing in layers of red and gold, and around the torn parchment page Saturn, the Moon and a blue-green Earth hang on silver orbits. Birthday is pressed in gold foil, Blastoff in deep navy, and a small star divides the lines below.
The page reads like a mission log: Mia is turning 7, then the date and time, then the launch site. Swap in your own name, age and planetarium and send it. A second line under the name is where parents put the joke: “7, 6, 5… Blastoff!”, “Out of this world” or “Houston, we have a birthday” all work, and the headline above stays as drawn.
Works for girls and boys from four to nine, since the hero is a fox rather than a princess or a superhero. Black balloons with silver stars, a galaxy cake with a sugar rocket, foil helmets from the craft store and a real countdown before the candles make the party. Give about three weeks’ notice.
