Ah, December. Home to cold weather, family visits, winter break, religious holidays and their accompanying songs and New Year's Eve. December is a notably endearing time of the year. And if you go to a school with a dominant football program, as I so luckily do, your team may end up playing in bowl games, division championships, or even the semifinals in the College Football Playoff National Championship (Roll Tide).
Add a birthday to this sundae of exciting events and good cheer would seem like the cherry on top. But most people blessed (or cursed?) with a December birthday, including myself, might beg to differ.
Here are five things only December babies truly get:
1. No one showing up to your birthday party.
Naturally, due to the holiday season and school breaks, people tend to capitalize on the off-time to travel. While getting to see family members and friends might be fun for some, us December kids, and our parties, are neglected. Since everyone is gone, birthday parties held on your actual birthday are almost always a bust.
I’ll never forget my fifth-grade birthday party: I invited the entire grade (about 70 kids), but only around 13 showed up. To make it worse, the theme was really creative, and I missed out on a large amount of potential presents.
(It’s okay though, I’m not bitter.)
2. Your big day is overshadowed by Christmas.
I have experience with this problem as well. My birthday is Dec. 28, and though it is after Christmas, it seems to always be overlooked. Classic comments include:
“Wait, you didn’t tell me you had a birthday coming up!”
“When did you turn [insert age]?”
The worse is when it’s your actual birthday and you get:
“What did you get for Christmas?”
“How was your Christmas?”
Yes, I appreciate your concern for my Christmas. Frankly, I’m just hurt for your lack of concern for my birth.
3. You get your holiday gifts and birthday gifts combined.
Luckily, my parents have always made an effort to get Christmas-specific and birthday-specific gifts. However, family members and friends tend to not care. Why does my sister get $20 for her birthday and $20 for Christmas, while I receive $20 for both?
4. Dealing with exams.
Being born in December doesn’t necessarily mean a holiday will overshadow it. It does, however, open the possibility of it falling dangerously close to exams. No one has time (or at least shouldn’t) to break from studying or skip exams to throw down for your birthday. And by the time exams are finally over, everyone is home or driving there, as you desperately text to see if anyone is available.
5. You have to wait all year for presents.
Like I said earlier, my birthday is Dec. 28. Therefore, at least for the most part, I only get presents in a three-day span throughout the entire year. One of my best friends has a perfectly timed birthday: mid-May, when classes have just finished and new clothes/money/gift cards/etc. would be much appreciated.
This specifically reflects my naive excitement for the anticipated number of gifts from my fifth-grade party and the subsequent grief my young, just-turned-10 heart felt.
(Okay, I’m still bitter.)
