“Did you feel left out?”
“Did your presents get skimped?”
“Did your mom go extra lengths for your birthday?”
It’s impossible to count how many times I’ve heard all of the above.
Is having a December birthday a big bummer or a jackpot party? I wouldn’t know because my birthday isn’t in December, but I do have family members who call December their debut day: a daughter, Savanna, and my mother, Diane.
In part, geography may contribute to the answer. My mother, who will turn 89 on December 27, bemoans winters in Michigan where she grew up. “The sun doesn’t shine for three months,” and “nobody wants to even think about presents after Christmas,” she says. Conversely, spring-like December days are relatively common in Atlanta, and what if your birthday is before Christmas?
No doubt, gloomy skies can get you down whether you add a year of life or not, and who can deny the sigh of relief once the build-up of Christmas passes. Energy and enthusiasm are in short supply after 12.25. Personally, this includes New Year’s Eve; I prefer to stay home, watch others whoop it up on t.v., doze off at a reasonable hour, and party the rest of the year — just not on 12.31.
One exception: If your birthday is NYE, I’m in!
And then there’s having a baby in December. I dare say, there is nothing more peaceful and holy than anticipating the gift of a first-born child in the month that Christians celebrate Jesus’ birthday: Utterly Magnificent.
But, yes being the mother of a December 19 daughter had its challenging aspects. Sorting out what gift was from Santa, which was from Mom/Dad, and which would be for birthday always befuddled me. I was a happy camper indeed when we bid “Santa” farewell.
So, does having a December birthday pose an “odd-month-out” or a “gifts-galore” perception? Again, I’ll never know. What I do know, is that loved ones born in the same month as Jesus sparkle as special!
Thank you for stopping by!
Love, Shelley
