# Best/worst holiday to have a birthday? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 7, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102 "2019-11-07T02:08:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/1 "2019-11-07T02:08:11Z")
One of my friends will be a father in March, and the due date is March 17. We had a conversation today whether that’s a good or bad day to have a birthday. From your experience or those of your friends, what holidays are fun to have as birthdays? What holidays make awful days to have birthdays? ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/2 "2019-11-07T02:12:30Z")
What holiday falls on March 17th? ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/3 "2019-11-07T02:14:20Z")
St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) is my birthday. It’s a great day to be born! As I routinely tell people, “everybody parties on my birthday.” People will be glad to buy you drinks and make toasts in your honor. The only real drawback is that you have to share your birthday with Rob Lowe. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/4 "2019-11-07T02:15:14Z")
St. Patrick’s Day ETA: Leprechauned!!! ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/5 "2019-11-07T02:16:24Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > What holiday falls on March 17th? St. Patrick’s Day. My sister-in-law has a birthday on December 25. She hates it. The old man has his on July 4. The only thing that’s bothered him about it is he won’t go to watch fireworks because of his experience in Vietnam. At least he used to be like that. I haven’t seen him on his birthday for quite awhile. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/6 "2019-11-07T02:23:59Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) is my birthday. It’s a great day to be born! As I routinely tell people, “everybody parties on my birthday.” People will be glad to buy you drinks and make toasts in your honor. > [@running\_coach](#): > > St. Patrick’s Day > ETA: Leprechauned!!! > [@Personal](#): > > St. Patrick’s Day. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/7 "2019-11-07T02:24:31Z")
I have a friend whose birthday is on Halloween. She said, as a kid, she always had a costumed “haunted house” birthday party with lots of candy. I also have a young cousin (twice removed) who was born on July 4th. He thinks the fireworks are all for him. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/8 "2019-11-07T02:31:45Z")
Grandma’s birthday was Dec 26. Sucked to be her. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/9 "2019-11-07T02:32:54Z")
Christmas isn’t great. I’ve got Xmas eve twins. Not only is it overshadowed, but worse is that most of their buddies are on vacation or caught up in family time on the 24th. Sucks for a bday party the day of We celebrate birthdays on 24 Dec. Xmas is pretty low key in our house. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/10 "2019-11-07T02:47:10Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > Christmas isn’t great. I’ve got Xmas eve twins. Not only is it overshadowed, but worse is that most of their buddies are on vacation or caught up in family time on the 24th. Sucks for a bday party the day of > > We celebrate birthdays on 24 Dec. Xmas is pretty low key in our house. I imagine Christmas would be the worst, for the reasons you mentioned. Mainly, as a kid, you don’t get a separate day for gifts, other than your Christmas haul. And people are with their families, so getting them to come spend time with you is inherently difficult, if only because lots of people are on vacation or out of town. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/11 "2019-11-07T03:36:26Z")
Well, Jesus was always miffed that _his_ birthday fell on Xmas. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/12 "2019-11-07T03:52:18Z")
My father in law was born on Christmas. On the good side, his kids were more likely to come into town for “Christmas” than for “Dad’s birthday.” On the minus side, his actual birthday celebration was pretty much limited to having birthday cake after a massive Christmas dinner. No one ever said “Let’s take Dad out to the one Chinese restaurant in town that’s open for a birthday dinner.” Even the birthday cake was day old if my mother in law had to get a store-bought one on Christmas Eve because there was too much other baking to do. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/13 "2019-11-07T03:58:41Z")
Today. The Best. Because Heaven’s Own Angel was bestowed on us. Can’t tell you what year. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/14 "2019-11-07T04:15:20Z")
My son was due March 16 and I joked that I’d keep my legs crossed until the next day if I started to feel contractions. Alas, he was born March 18 , so just missed. My own birthday is close to Halloween and I enjoyed that as a kid. Pumpkin-flavored birthday cake, black cat decorations, plenty of candy, cheerful kids…what’s not to like? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/15 "2019-11-07T04:36:26Z")
Mine’s November 25th, which is always within a week of Thanksgiving. When I was a kid, I could get three birthday parties if I was lucky–one at school in the three days before Thanksgiving, cake & presents at my grandparents’ house on Thanksgiving, and then a party with my friends on the next Saturday. A friend of mine was born December 24th; she said she never had a birthday party in her life. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/16 "2019-11-07T05:42:43Z")
My birthday is the day after my brother’s. We always had a joint party, which really sucked, especially with a 3-year gap between our ages. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/17 "2019-11-07T13:16:35Z")
My father’s a leap year baby, February 29th, so that sucks 3 years out of 4. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/18 "2019-11-07T13:25:55Z")
Mine falls in the span where Election Day (USA) is possible. As a result, I got off from school a couple of times during my youth. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/19 "2019-11-07T13:28:01Z")
My late Uncle Cliff’s birthday was on January 1. He used to think the fireworks were for him. Even now, more than 10 years after his death, after the countdown, we go, “HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNCLE CLIFF!” ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2019, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102/20 "2019-11-07T13:29:01Z")
My mother was born near Christmas. My father was born when Father’s Day could be. And my parents anniversay is one day before my father’s birthday. So all three are in the same week. I joke that it makes it so I only need to make 3 phone calls. Father’s birthday/Father’s Day/Anniversay, Christmas/Monther’s Birthday and Mother’s Day. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-holiday-to-have-a-birthday/843102.md?page=2)