5 Tips for Muggles Who Want to Celebrate Harry Potter’s Birthday

Remembering birthdays has never really been one of my strong suits. I have a rough idea of the birthdays of my immediate family, and for everyone else I pretty much rely on Facebook. I know, I know, I’m a lousy friend. But there is one birthday I always remember, and try to celebrate every year. And that’s the birthday of my #1 childhood friend, Harry Potter. (As well as his creator, J.K. Rowling.)
Yup, I may not remember my aunt’s birthday, but I do know when my favorite boy wizard was born. On July 31 of every year, I do a little something to commemorate Harry’s special day. I bake birthday treats, reread a few of my favorite passages, or just write long, gushy social media posts about how much I love this series. But I never feel like I celebrate enough. This isn’t just some friend-of-a-friend I should casually wish “happy bday” to, it’s Harry Freakin’ Potter. And he deserves more than that.
Fellow muggles and fans, I’m going to do better this year, and I invite you to celebrate with me. Below are some magical ways to celebrate the birthday of our favorite wizard. (Gifts aren’t necessary. Do you really think you can top a Firebolt?)
Bake Something Fit For a Wizard
Once, for Harry’s birthday, I tried decorating some homemade cupcakes with H.P.’s iconic scar and glasses. Unfortunately, I’m not much of a decorator, and they ended up looking like a Pinterest fail. What I should have done was try one of these great recipes, everything from Cauldron Cakes to cute cookies decorated as Hogwarts letters. And if you want something more specific to Harry’s tastes, here’s a recipe for Harry Potter’s Favorite Treacle Tart, which we all know is his dessert of choice.
Toast to The Boy Who Lived
Take a moment to raise your glass to The Boy Who Lived with some homemade Butterbeer. Anyone who’s had the opportunity to check out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter knows this preferred drink of wizards everywhere is sweet, delicious, and made even more awesome by the addition of marshmallow “foam.” But if you’re not celebrating in Florida, you can use this recipe to make Butterbeer at home. There’s even an adult variation for Harry’s 21-and-over fans.
Reread the Books (Obviously)
This is an easy one. Reread the books yourself, or lend them to a friend or family member who hasn’t yetexperienced the joys of Harry Potter! It’s always fun to share a favorite series with the people we care about, and maybe you’ll help make a new lifelong fan. This is also a good time to treat yourself to some new copies, since if your books are anything like mine they’re looking as worn out as Scabbers (boo, hiss) by now. Or wait till October 6 and get the illustrated edition!
Check out a local Quidditch Match (Or Join a League)
Quidditch isn’t just for wizards. We may not be able to fly, but watching Muggles channel their inner Ginny Weasley is still a pretty fun alternative to watching a baseball game. There’s also a really good chance you have a Quidditch team close to home! Lots of communities and colleges now have their own league, so check out the U.S. Quidditch website to see how you can get involved in the best wizard sport around.
Have a Movie Marathon
Not quite as good as rereading the series, but it won’t take nearly as long and is almost as fun. Get your friends together and argue about casting choices (how perfect is Emma Watson?) and what the movies got wrong (why wasn’t Felix Felicis gold?! Why weren’t there way more people on the Maurauder’s Map?!). Also, feel free to cry together during the particularly moving scenes.
Throw a Harry Potter Birthday Party in Which You Do All of the Above
And then invite me, naturally. I’ll bring the Butterbeer!