Yvonne Rice Garrard and Yvette Rice Joyce were born 20 minutes apart - 58 years ago today.
The twins were the sixth and seventh of what eventually would be eight children in the Rice family.
But in a large family - and with birthdays only three days after Christmas - well, birthday "parties" were rare.
"We've never really had a party, because it's been Christmas time," Yvette said late Saturday morning. "We really never thought of it, I don't think."
Twin sister Yvonne added: "You do think about it a little it - but it's OK. You just go on with it."
Pat Proctor, 70, is the oldest of those eight children.
"We've always had just cake and ice cream and family at home," she explained. "They've had birthdays, but (Sharon) wanted them to have" something special.
So the twins' family - especially sister Sharon Grant, 66 - set out to change that "never had a party" idea this weekend.
But third-oldest, Grant, said it didn't just begin as a birthday party idea.
"I was diagnosed with cancer a year and a half ago," she explained. "I had 10 surgeries this past year. And Yvonne and Yvette helped me through. They were there for each surgery.
"They took off work ... and just took good care of me."
Grant said she was praying; after living in Sacramento for 32 years, this was the first time she had been able to spend with her sisters.
"I was so thankful for all their help, and I was wanting to know if there was anything that I could do," she said of her prayers. "And He said: "Have a Birthday party for them.' And I found out they never have had a real birthday party - they're 58 years old and so I thought, "Wow!' "Yeah!' I could do that!'"
For the last year, with the help of family members and friends, Grant's been planning and making things and planning some more.
Retired teacher Lois Gadd is a good friend of Joyce's family.
"She and her husband have just been super to us through the years," Lois said, "and this is just a little, teeny, tiny, one-one-thousandth of a payback for all they've done for us."
As she carried trays of rolls to the luncheon serving table in the First Assembly of God Church gymnasium, Gadd added: "Sharon got it all together, and we're just here to do whatever Sharon needs."
Lois' husband, Erwin Gadd, sat on a nearby couch, waiting for instructions.
"I'm the "grunt' boy," he quipped, then got serious. "There is some real appreciation from knowing the sisters all these many years."
While today is the twins' 58th birthday, Saturday was niece Pam Berney's 47th. She wanted her aunts - the twins - to "feel the love that's all around them every day of their lives."
And, as several others commented, Berney said the year-long planning was important - "Giving Sharon something to focus on for a year took her mind off of the cancer that she had battled, and gave her something to give love and life to the people who really helped her through what she was going through, in her time of need.
"She nearly lost her life - and Yvonne and Yvette were there for her every day."
Grant said: "I lived this for a year, every day, and I talked about it and I enjoyed every little detail that we came up with - because it brought me together with my friends. ... And this is not all my doing."
She started out with the idea of having a surprise party - an idea that lasted about three months, until her daughter convinced Grant it would be better to tell the sisters what was happening.
Yvonne Garrard said: "I don't like surprises. I wasn't really happy - but we've had a year to get used to it, now."
And she said she was "overwhelmed" when she walked through the door, into the pink-and-white decorated gym.
Yvette Joyce added: "I thought - WOW!!" as she entered the gym.
"She's worked on a lot of this for a long time - and it was really a surprise how beautiful it is."