In my nineteen years of life, so many people have told me they are jealous that my birthday is in December. This is the weirdest concept for me, because I have never once liked when my birthday is, and I’m sure my fellow winter babies agree with me.

It’s such a hectic time of year, with Christmas and finals and New Year’s, and I can’t think of gift ideas for anyone else, much less myself. Honestly, this year the only thing I want for my birthday is to get an A on my astronomy final, but sadly, no one can give that to me as a present. Believe me, there are many reasons why having a December birthday isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

1. The weather sucks.

It is so cold in December, so it’s hard to enjoy your special day. Throughout my life, many of my birthdays were snow days, so I couldn’t even see my friends at school. It’s also usually snowing too hard or the roads are too icy to drive anywhere, so I can’t do anything fun.

2. Asking for gifts is hard.

By December, I’ve forgotten every gift I’ve ever wanted in my entire life. People always ask me what I want for my birthday and Christmas, and I can’t think of a single thing. It’s such a weird phenomenon, but it happens every year.

I have no reason to get gifts the entire year, and then suddenly I have so many reasons for presents, and suddenly my mind is blank. I have a lot of sisters, and I’m supposed to tell each of them two gifts that I want? Impossible. (For the record, I know this isn’t a real issue, but it’s still difficult. I feel like an ass if I tell people I don’t know what I want, because that makes their lives harder. This December birthday thing is too hard.)

3. It’s too close to Christmas.

This is my biggest issue with having a December birthday. It’s not that you get shafted when it comes to getting two gifts from people because I totally understand that money is tight around Christmas.

My problem is that you only get presents once a year. Do you know how many winter clothes I have? I have so many sweaters and boots because that’s what I get every year for my birthday and Christmas. The thing is, I have NO summer clothes, because I have to buy them myself, and like every other college student, I am broke as hell.

I would LOVE to have a summer birthday and be able to get presents at two different times of the year. And I wouldn’t have to think of everything I’ve ever wanted in one month. Also, birthday pool parties? I’ve never gotten the chance to have one, and I’m pretty upset about it.

If you have a December birthday too, you feel my pain. It’s a crazy and stressful time of year for everyone, and adding a birthday on top of it all just makes the whole month super hectic. But I guess on the positive side, happy birthday to all of you with December birthdays! May we survive this month together.