First Birthday Party Pressure

Tomorrow my little Sidekick will be eight months old!  I cannot believe how wonderful these eight months have been.  I cannot believe how much I love this little guy.  I've said it before, but he truly is the perfect baby.  I can find no fault in him:  from being an incredible sleeper to being a great eater to be so happy and funny to being so laid back.  He is everything I could have hoped for and more.

Now that we are approaching his first birthday, I feel the pressure of having to do something to celebrate.  Off the bat, I want to set a precedence that his birthday is not about presents (neither is Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, etc.).  If I do something for his birthday, in lieu of presents, I want money to be donated in his name to the charity of each person's choice.  When he grows up, I want him to know that just by being born, he helped all a lot of organizations. When he gets older, it might change because his friends will be getting presents, but for now and for as long as possible, I'm firm on this.  (Don't get me wrong, he'll get presents from me, my sister and her family, and my mom and her husband, and that is plenty.) 

We went to a first birthday party last weekend, and while it was fun, the birthday boy had no idea what was going on.  While I had pretty much decided that I'm not doing anything, I kind of felt bad. Clearly the parties are for the parents to celebrate the birth of their child.  I get that.  A lot of people love my baby, but I don't necessarily think it means we need to have a party.  My condo is not big enough to have a group of people which then means whatever I do, I'll have to pay for the location, and I don't want to spend money doing that.  So, I continue to ponder this situation.  Knowing how fast eight months have gone, the next four are going to be even faster, so I've got to come up with a plan soon. 

Am I horrible not having a 1st birthday party for my son?  Is it okay to do something with my best friend and her family?  Why must these occasions be such a production?  Anyone, anyone?