It has been quite some time since I last posted, and I’ll catch up with you all later. But for now, since it is December, the month Christmas falls in but more importantly, my month of BIRTH, I would like to discuss something very near and dear to my heart.
The giant pain in the ass it is having a birthday in December.
My birthday is December 21st. Not only is it four days before Christmas, but it’s also the Winter Solstice, aka the shortest day of the year. Not that there is much of anything to do outside in December in Seattle, but the fact there is less daylight on my birthday than any other day of the year is just a nice slap in the face.
My mother’s birthday is December 15th and so she understands how much is sucks to have a December birthday. You’d think the woman would’ve learned, but instead she decided to have a kid even closer to Christmas than her mom did. But because of this, I almost feel as if she’s lived with some kind of Christmas birthday guilt for the past 28 (almost 29 years) and has always made sure my birthday was a big deal. Because of that, I think birthdays are a big deal. Because they are.
I would like to preface this by saying that in no way am I ever ungrateful or unhappy with how my birthday turns out. I appreciate that during this busy time of year, there are still some people who are willing to help make my birthday special. It isn’t easy finding the time or the money to help celebrate someones birthday four days before Christmas. That, however, brings me to my first point.
- Guilt
It’s amazing how guilty you can feel for something that is completely out of your control. We can’t help how close to Christmas our birthdays are and yet you definitely find yourself feeling guilty about asking people to come out and celebrate with you. It always seems to be more of an obligation than something people actually want to do and in the end it doesn’t make you feel that great so why even bother?
- No time/money
This kind of goes with the guilt. Trying to find the time to celebrate your birthday with your friends or even your family sometimes during the holiday season can truly be next to impossible. Not only is everyone busy doing family and Christmas related things, but everyone also just happens to be broke. So it just becomes a giant pain in the ass. One year, I had a joint birthday party with my cousin and only one of my friends showed up. It was in November, so I didn’t mind too much, but still – it kind of sucked.
- You get a birthday/Christmas gift
Do I give you a birthday gift in June in and say “Hey, this is also your Christmas gift this year”? No. I don’t. Enough said.
- Your Birthday gifts are wrapped in Christmas paper
See above. Does anyone have actual birthday wrap during December or is it just an enigma?
- You get Christmas related things for your birthday
Christmas tree ornaments, something Santa Clause, something snowflake. While all very thoughtful it’s not super exciting getting to pack your birthday gift away with the rest of your Christmas things to not be enjoyed until next year.
- Everything is combined into one month
Unlike most people who get to celebrate their birthday on some random day throughout the year, you have to wait all year for this one month. It’s not usually so bad, but it definitely poses an issue when people ask you what you want for your birthday and you can’t tell them anything because you forgot what it was that you HAD to have in April. On the flip side, maybe you didn’t need it that badly, but it sure sucks after the holidays and your birthday and you realize again how badly you wanted that particular thing so now you have to wait another entire year or buy it yourself. But let’s be real, that’s not going to happen.
- Everyone wants to do holiday related things on your special day
“Yeah, we’ll go see that movie you want but after we’ll hit the mall real quick so I can buy a few more Christmas gifts for people.”
- There’s potential for snow to ruin your plans
This goes for any winter birthday really. On my 22nd birthday it snowed 3 feet which is a lot in Seattle. My mom and I spent the day snowed in. The dinner plans we had with my family were cancelled. It was not the worst day, definitely something to remember, but also kind of a bummer. But then you get things like this sent to you by your dad and brother and it doesn’t seem that bad.
- Everything is holiday theme
Your coworkers put up Christmas decorations in your cube at work, your birthday cake is red and green, your birthday card is actually a Christmas card with Happy Birthday written over it. There’s no escaping it.
- Everyone forgets your actual date of birth
“You’re born on Christmas, right? Or somewhere near there?” Don’t worry, though, the people who really matter will remember.
Happy Birthday December babies!
Rain City Life 