Having A Birthday Around The Holidays Is An Unfair Situation

Having A Birthday Around The Holidays Is An Unfair Situation

Having your birthday around the holiday season comes with more difficulties than one would think.
Sommer Calabrese
Sommer Calabrese Dec 5, 2017
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One's birthday is supposed to be all about them. It’s supposed to be a day to celebrate their life. However, if you’re like me, then you know that sometimes your birthday can be overshadowed by other events. For me, it’s Christmas, seeing as my birthday is December 11th, exactly two weeks before the major holiday, it’s easy for my day to be overlooked.

Christmas may only be a day, but in America, at least, it's more of a month-long event. The minute Thanksgiving is over, it is automatically Christmas time. People get so caught up in buying gifts, trees, and decorating they neglect other occasions that may lie in-between.

My whole life I have always considered my birthday a ‘Christmas birthday’ simply because every year my house would be decorated for Christmas when my birthday rolled around. I have birthday pictures of my family and I in front of our Christmas tree. If I didn’t tell you, you would think that they were Christmas pictures. Not that I don’t like the Christmas appeal, I would just like to keep it separate from my birthday considering they are both celebrating two separate events.

Now comes the biggie, the two for one gifts. When you have your birthday around the holidays, people, more often than not, want to buy you one gift and tell you “This is your birthday and Christmas gift.” No. That is not how it goes. I mean, unless you get like a car or something of that magnitud,m then its acceptable, but otherwise no.

Now, I’m not trying to sound ungrateful or materialistic, I mean I’m happy with just a chocolate bar for a gift, but it’s the fact in the matter. If my birthday were in July, would you still say that this gift is a two for one? I don’t think so. I get that during the holidays it’s crunch time when it comes to money, but even something small shows the person you care and that you were thinking of them on their day and not for the holiday.

Having your birthday around the holiday season also makes it hard to make plans to do something special for your day. For me, its somewhat easier than say someone born on the 20th, but it still gets difficult. Many people are busy during this season, whether it’s with work to make the extra cash, or planning for the holidays, or even traveling to visit the family for the joyous season. With all these separate agendas it makes it difficult to pin anyone down to a specific time and date to celebrate.

I’m not trying to sound like a Debby downer here or even trying to hate on Christmas, as it’s my favorite holiday, I’m just trying to explain that despite the dates being close, they are not one in the same and people deserve special recognition on their birthday.

Having my birthday around the holidays sucks a lot of the time, but over the years I have been able to work out a system with my family to separate the two. I know having them so close means half of the gifts on each day, which my parents tried to not let that happen, but that’s fine. As long as it is acknowledged separately I’m fine.

For those of you that have the misfortune of being born days before or after Christmas, here’s a little advice. Choose the week before or after your actual birthday to celebrate it. I know its not ideal but this way you get your own celebration that’s not for Christmas as well.

With all that being said, I wouldn’t change my birthday for anything in the world. My family and I have worked out all the kinks over the years and they ensure I get an excellent birthday and excellent Christmas every year and for that I am truly grateful.

Cover Image Credit: pixabay.com
Sommer Calabrese
Sommer Calabrese Dec 5, 2017
At Florida Gulf Coast University

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Saying Goodbye To Freshman Year

"High School goes by fast, but college goes by even faster."
Emma Moos
Emma Moos Apr 11, 2018
76276
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“High School goes by fast, but college goes by even faster”, we’ve all heard it and probably all ignored it as well. I mean time is time. It moves at the same pace no matter what you’re doing right?

Nope.

High School is over, I’m now a freshman in college and it’s April. I’m sitting here in my dorm looking at all my clothes, and bins thinking, how in the hell will this all fit in my car again? It is crazy, I need to be thinking about all of this now because there is one month of my freshman year left, just one.

All I can keep thinking is how? Wasn’t it just last week that I moved into my cozy room at the end of the hall, or just yesterday that I ran home to two hundred beautiful new sisters? As much as it seems like yesterday, it wasn’t.

It was almost eight months ago that I stepped onto this campus as a freshman, now it is my last four weeks and they are jam-packed. From formal to finals I am in the home stretch of my first year of college. I just registered for my classes next semester, and can’t get it through my head that I will soon be a sophomore.

While walking around campus I still catch myself thinking, wow I am really here. I am a college student, at a school, I fall more in love with every day. So, how can I be a sophomore now when I feel like I just got here?

Yes, I still have three amazing years of college ahead of me, and I can’t wait to see what those years have in store in for me. But, I just can’t help but feel a little sad that I won’t be a freshman anymore. I won’t be the youngest in my sorority family, I won’t be coming back to a dorm every night.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am stoked to live in an apartment next year with my absolute best friends. And you definitely could have heard me saying “I am so over this whole dorm thing” once or twice this semester, but now I can’t help but see all the things I’ll miss.

Freshman year is just unique. You get this giant clean slate, a fresh start. And it is just waiting to see what you’ll do with it. It truly is a year of firsts. My first failure, the first time being on my own, my first time not knowing anyone in my classes. Yes, that can all be a lot to take on, I was terrified at the start of the school year. But before I knew it, I had a routine, I had friends, I had a life here.

And this life surpassed all my expectations. I have a home away from home. I have friends that I know will be my bridesmaids some day. I have experiences that I’ll never forget.

Now as I head back home for the summer I couldn’t be more excited to be with my friends there and my family. But, I also couldn’t be sadder to leave my friends here, even if it’s only for three months because they’ve become another kind of family.

Despite leaving freshman year behind, we have so many more memories to make whether it’s doing the Seminole chop in Doak, coordinating our Halloween costumes, or just chilling at the house. We’ve all come so far this year, and I can’t wait to see just how far we go. So bring it on Sophomore year, I’m ready for ya.

Cover Image Credit: Cameron Kira
Emma Moos
Emma Moos Apr 11, 2018
At Florida State University

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The 7 Best Pieces Of Advice I Have Been Given About Life

Some of the best advice I have been given over the years...

Emily Hendricks
Emily Hendricks Apr 18, 2019
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There isn't a central theme among these pieces of advice or sayings. They are all just random things I have been told over the course of my life–especially in the last week. I find these 7 to be particularly helpful in various situations, and try to keep them in mind when I am in over my head.

1. "Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself because there is nobody who is going to help you more than you."

You are the #1 person who can help your own case. No one knows you as you do, therefore no one will be able to help you more than you can help yourself. A lot of things are mental, so once you can convince yourself that you deserve something (whatever it may be) you can convince anyone. Another saying goes along with this, on the flip side: "No one can diminish you but yourself." You are in control of your own self-perception, and you are very much capable of being your own worst enemy.

2. "Stand behind your reputation because you can never get it back."

My mom sent this to me the other day. Be who you are, and do it proudly. Especially with meeting people for the first time, you can never have a second chance at a first impression. That being said, if people view you in a bad light, figure out why that is and fix it. You may not be able to change someones initial thoughts of you, but you can change the way they view you after that.

3. "The best things in life happen unexpectedly."

"Life is what happens when you're busy making plans," also goes along with this. Trying to plan out every little detail of your life is only going to lead to disappointment. Sometimes you find the best things/what you're looking for when you're not actually looking. Just go through the motions and things will work out the way they are supposed to.

4. "Be proud of your accomplishments, no matter how small."

It's important to celebrate the little things. Did you go to class today? Good for you. Did you decide to drink water instead of a soda? That's awesome. How are you going to work up to doing bigger and better things if you don't have anywhere to start?

5. "Whatever you're stressing about now probably won't matter in five years."

As someone who is often eaten away by their own worry and anxiety, this is a mantra that I try to constantly remind myself. While it may seem like a big deal now, you need to keep in mind the bigger picture. Will it matter in 5 hours? 5 days? 5 months? And so on. If the answer is no to ANY of these questions, it's probably not worth beating yourself up over.

6. "Stop being the 'go to' person for someone you can't go to."

Someone tweeted that their pastor said this to them and the tweet went viral. A friend of mine sent it to me, and it really made me think. Something I have struggled with over the years is making excuses for people who don't show up for me when I am constantly there for them. This is a helpful reminder that if they aren't contributing to you and your life, you shouldn't have to bend over backward to help them out and be in their lives.

7. "Two wrongs don't make a right."

While this is often a saying that parents use on their young children, it is applicable to pretty much any stage of life. My parents, especially my dad, have constantly said this, whether it was in reference to fighting with my siblings or dealing with people at school. Even as a 20-year-old, I find myself saying this when I hear about arguments and problems people are having. Everyone wants to get even, to best those who hurt them. While it's important to stick up for yourself, it is also important to be the bigger person and not stoop to their level (and whatever else your parents told you in these situations).

Emily Hendricks
Emily Hendricks Apr 18, 2019
At Purdue University

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