How Do You Celebrate Birthdays at Work?

Thanks for your answers friends. Think so, your ideas would help me out.

The company I work for has a monthly birthday gathering for everyone that has a birthday that month!

I worked for a company who celebrated birthdays in a most fun way. It was our one time to be silly. An enveloped was passed around the office for donations for the gift. No one knew what anyone else contributed (which is nice for those who cannot contribute a lot). The office bought the cake and at break time we had the celebration. The gift was given, the birthday song sung and the cake cut and eaten. The most fun way to sing the song though was we did it "silly." Eg. everyone of us would hold our tongue with our finger while we sang the birthday song. Maybe another time everyone had to sing out of one side of his mouth. Talk about everyone ending up with giggles - even the big boss!

I know I'm going to sound like "a stick in the mud" but I never liked celebrating anything at work that required donating money or buying gifts. Celebrating with pot luck meals was always fun but sometimes people either do not want to donate money or exchange gifts for whatever reason. I don't think people should be put in a position in which they feel pressured. I had special friends from work and we always treated each other for dinner out on each of our birthdays. This was always private and outside of work.

We used to decorate up their desks with streamers (crepe paper) , balloons, and signs. Put a vase of flowers or a box of candy on the desk, too. Do all of this the night before the birthday or very early in the morning before the workday starts. Maybe, instead of the box of candy, buy a candy dish and put candies in it, or provide a cake.

In one place I worked, everyone contributed $5 a year, and one person volunteered to get the cake and ice cream for the once a month party, as well as have the card signed by all. In another office, in January we put all birthdays in a box, and drew names. You were responsible for card, cake and ice cream for the person whose name you drew.