As their son Mason’s first birthday approached, Josie and Sebastian Gonzalez struggled to think of a theme befitting their rainbow baby. They first considered a rainbow party, but that felt too overwhelming at times.
Friends suggested a theme they knew Sebastian would love: A Costco party.
“We were honestly just making fun of my husband because that is what my friends and I usually do is make fun of his love for Costco,” Josie, 34, of Canton, Massachusetts told TODAY Parents. “He has always loved Costco.”
When the couple met a decade ago, Josie was surprised to hear that Sebastian already had a Costco membership. While many single people don’t think of bulk retail stores as practical, Sebastian thought the Kirkland products were superior quality and he appreciated the savings.
“I said to him, ‘What do you need this [membership] for?’ And he said, ‘You don't understand. You can get everything that you buy as the Kirkland brand but it's … great. I’ve entered the Kirkland vodka into a blind tasting before and no one knows the difference, it's just that great,’” she recalled.
“He rolls through the aisles of Costco like Julie Andrews in the opening scene of ‘The Sound of Music,’” she said. “It's wild to watch. He wants to stop and look at every product.”
She understands why the store makes sense to him. The 35-year-old is a financial advisor so “saving money and making good financial decisions is literally his job.”
Josie encouraged Sebastian and 4-year-old daughter Madison to run wild with the Costco party theme. And they did, from the "Employee of the Year" sign (which honored Mason for 12 months in a row) to food signs that looked just like they do on Costco shelves. Josie did add personal details to the signs, such as Mason's time of birth and birth weight. She also insisted on having a rainbow cake, to honor the baby that the family lost.
“All of the sentimental things that was me. The absurd things, those were my husband,” Josie said, laughing.
Madison also helped with the party, since she's somewhat of a Costco expert: on Saturdays, Sebastian takes both kids for free sample lunches.
“As we went around the store Madison would point at things like, ‘We need those lunch trays. We have to serve all the food on lunch trays. Ok, we need those red aprons. Do we have name tags? We need name tags,’” Josie explained. “It kind of just came together.”
Everything, including their 5-year-old Golden Retriever, Sampson, had a sign as if it were for sale. A friend even brought hair nets for everyone and the lone adult guest who brought a non-Kirkland bottle of alcohol hid it in shame.
Sebastian and Madison embodied the theme during the party. When her grandmother came in with a reusable canvas Target bag, the girl made her remove it.
“My daughter went over and said, ‘Really you can't have that in the house,’” Josie said.
Since sharing the November 9 party on Reddit, the family feels shocked so many people have reacted positively.
“I just can't believe that so many people have been interested in this little party,” Josie said. “It's too funny to me."