When I turned six, I remember getting my first bicycle—that was the only time in my life I ever did a difficult-to-control ‘happy dance’.
But I’d have to say the summer I turned eight—it was the middle of the summer and yet everyone in my class from the previous year came. My mother and a neighbor’s mom planned and hosted this. Moms were really good at planning and hosting parties back then. It had an outer space theme and the quirky but artsy ‘Space Alphabet’ record was the soundtrack, so to speak. Seems like British Folk-rock music like Steeleye Span was really eeventful as well, as were other Folk-rock groups that were pretty standard for children’s ears in those days,
There were games, candy, fireworks, sparklers, etc etc. and it went an hour or so after dark.
The only bad thing I remember from that party is, we bursted a PiƱata—actually I did—and I remember the other kids, esp a neighbor kid—continually pushing me out of the way and even grabbing my candy. I remember, at age eight, crying about this and getting scolded by my mother for crying in front of others
Still, it was the best birthday party ever, and the last time I ever saw any of my classmates from the previous year.