The house is filled with the scents of gingerbread and eggnog, trees and stockings are everywhere in sight, while “Jingle Bells” and “Here Comes Santa Claus” play on repeat. What holiday are we celebrating here? My birthday of course! Well, while most people are fully focused on the yule log and caroling, 1 in 12 get an extra celebration during this magical month. I am one of these lucky few. December birthdays get a bad rap for being overshadowed by the more widely-celebrated holidays of New Year’s Eve and Christmas, which can certainly be annoying, but, like most things in life, there’s good and bad that comes with a holiday birthday overlap.
GOOD: Deals on gifts
When your birthday rolls around, there are already a fair amount of sales going on. Though they might be targeted towards Christmas shoppers, there’s no reason that “holiday deal” can’t be applied to a birthday as well. Use this chance to stock up on gifts for all your fellow December-born friends.
BAD: Easy for people to forget
Unfortunately, it doesn’t really matter if the gifts are cheaper if everyone forgets your birthday is even happening. It can be hard to remember a birthday in the midst of a peppermint mocha and Michael Buble induced coma, so set a few extra reminders to make sure the date doesn’t slip by you on accident.
GOOD: Gift guides
Having trouble coming up with what someone might want? Luckily if you’re shopping for gifts in December, endless holiday articles and specific gift guides for your neighbor’s daughter’s dog’s godparent’s niece are readily available. A quick google search holds all the answers you’ll ever need.
BAD: Lack of differentiation
The dreaded combination present. Probably the most widespread complaint about December birthdays is the tendency of relatives and friends to include a casual, “this counts for both! :)” message that perpetuates the feelings of being gypped out of two gift-worthy celebrations each year (I realize this is a #firstworldproblem but, hey).
GOOD: Time off from school
Who wants to spend their birthdays taking tests? Sitting in a classroom? Well, luckily for a lot of December babies, you may never have to. As my birthday is bookended nicely between Christmas and New Year’s, I’ve never once had to feel school related stress that day; pretty much the ultimate birthday gift a child could ever want.
BAD: Combined parties
Holiday parties with the 'happy birthday' song thrown in? Similar to the combined gift issue, but a little more awkward in that you get the chance to see everyone’s pity smiles as they go back to their Christmas songs right afterward.
GOOD: Creative way to spend it
Seeing as my birthday is right by Christmas, my parents would always try to come up with somewhere fun to go instead of another big present occasion. This often led to a lot of cool mini trips around California, usually to Monterey or San Diego.
BAD: Lack of friends around
As I got older and had more of a desire to spend my birthday with friends, in addition to, family, I realized one particular downside of December birthdays: if you aren’t in school, very few people are around to celebrate. And even the ones that are around, usually tend to be spending the holidays with family, so it can be hard to find a time that works for everyone.
GOOD: Weed out your true friends
If someone remembers your birthday during this highly distracting time, even if they can’t spend it with you, you can count them as a true friend. Enough said.
