Imagine sharing your one big day of the year with good Old Saint Nick. That's what birthdays are like for Christmas babies, but much worse. I’ve never been a fan of my birthday. It's two days after Christmas, after all! Being born that close to the biggest holiday of the year has its ups and downs, but on the bright side, there's always plenty of food!
The biggest problem of having a Christmas birthday? People always forget about it. It is always being overshadowed by the glitz and glam of Christmas, and in the rush of it, all your birthday gets put to the back burner. Luckily I’m born after Christmas (albeit only 48 hours after), so no one has to stress out about Christmas on my birthday, but that doesn’t mean my birthday isn’t forgotten. Year after year I have to celebrate “Birthmas” as I call it, the combination of my birthday and Christmas. Events like birthday parties always get smushed into Christmas parties as well. Trying to get friends together for an event is hard in general, but imagine trying to plan two in the same week. Stuff like that never happens, therefore I have the opportunity to share my birthday with Jesus.
The holiday always overshadows my birthday. It sucks waiting all year to celebrate, and then in the end, never matching up to Christmas. Birthday events are always pushed back for family events or forgotten because of a family event. In order to plan a big birthday party or dinner, I have to make sure weeks in advance to start planning and asking people what they’re doing for the holidays. When I was younger, and in high school or middle school, it wasn’t that hard since all of my friends lived within a 30 mile radius. Now that I’m in college with friends who live up to two hours away, it is super hard planning something for my birthday! If I want to have it during break I need to make sure people are available and can travel there, and if I want to have it during the school year, finals get in the way! I feel bad for the people who not only have to share their birthday with Christmas, but also with finals. I wish I was able to spend at least one birthday at school with my friends, but it will never be. I never had my dorm or locker at school decorated for my birthday like all of the other kids at school. I had to hope that they’ll remember to do it either before or after break!
Now this next part may seem a little selfish, but if you had a Christmas birthday, you would fully understand. During Christmas time, everyone is scrambling around trying to find the perfect present for someone. Now try to get two perfect presents for someone, that's pretty hard right? You know what's easier? Giving a combined Christmas/birthday present! Perfect solution... if you want that person to hate you. I know it may seem spoiled but I hate combined presents, why do you deserve two presents and I don’t? Everyone else is able to get two days worth of presents and being spoiled, but for us, our big day of the year is often mushed together with an even bigger day. Yes, I sound spoiled and selfish but imagine never getting presents on your birthday because you already got presents on Christmas.
I hate winter. I think I would rather have 500 days of summer than four weeks of winter. And having a winter birthday is never that fun. Instead of being able to go to the beach or a theme park for my birthday, I was always stuck inside. It drove me crazy! I can’t even count how many of my birthdays have been snowed out, or cancelled because of the weather. Stuff like that doesn’t happen to summer babies. Considering that I hate the winter, whenever my birthday was ruined because of snow or a possible snow storm, it just added insult to injury of having a Christmas birthday.
There is one upside to having a Christmas birthday: I am always able to celebrate with my family. Since I’m in college, I am rarely able to spend time with my family anymore. It's great to be able to see my whole family for my birthday and celebrate it together. I’m fortunate enough to celebrate with my family for three days each year and am able to see them on my special day. I also have three cousins born around Christmas so I know there will always be a “birthmas” cake waiting! There is always so much food at my family's gatherings, I know I’ll be eating well for my pseudo-birthday. I can always guarantee that I’ll be eating my favorite homemade foods for my birthday, plus all of the Christmas cookies!
Although I truly hate having a Christmas birthday, there is a bright side to all of this. I’m always able to be with my loved ones on my birthday and I can celebrate with my entire family who always make sure that my birthday isn’t forgotten. Plus, I get two opportunities to sit and unwrap presents underneath the Christmas tree.. When I was a kid, my mom always made sure to put my birthday presents under the tree the night before my birthday in order to surprise me.
This holiday season: Eat. Drink. Be Merry. Don’t forget Christmas birthdays.
