I hear it all the time: "Your birthday is on Christmas?!" Yes. I am lucky enough to be a Christmas baby. I was always confused why people said it in such a negative tone. I'm always asked if I hate my birthday or if I only get presents for Christmas rather than both Christmas and my birthday. People just made my birthday seem so negative as if the day on which I was born was horrible and inconvenient for me. And I promise you it isn't. Actually, I love it!

I am lucky enough to be blessed with such a close family. My dad and my mom both have amazing relationships with their siblings, and as a result, my sisters and I are very close with all of our cousins. Unfortunately, not all of our cousins live nearby; we cover nearly all of the east coast. Bringing our huge family together is next to impossible, and Christmas is the only holiday that brings all of us under one roof. I grew up in a family-oriented environment which is why I love Christmas.

Each year on Christmas Eve, my entire family gets together. We celebrate Christmas, but we also celebrate my birthday. My favorite part about that night is that I'm surrounded by people who love my unconditionally, which makes my birthday each year all the sweeter.

Another common misconception is that Christmas overshadows my birthday and that everyone forgets about me. I find the opposite to be true -- people always seem to remember my birthday because it's on Christmas. And even if they did forget, the people who care about me and who matter most always remember. My family makes such an effort to make sure my birthday never gets overshadowed by anything, and I couldn't thank them enough for that. Being lucky enough to have such a giving extended family is something I never take for granted.

So maybe I don't get a lot of presents or everyone's undivided attention on my birthday but so what? I get to be surrounded by some of the greatest people each year. I get to feel the love take over the room as each person walks through our front door on Christmas Eve. I'd take that over double the presents any day. I wouldn't give up my holiday birthday for anything.