The thread about how old you are got me thinking… I’m sure I’m not the only Doper with a Christmas Day birthday. To those people, what are your feelings on it?
People always ask me if I feel I got “cheated” somehow, because of my birthday, if I got less presents, etc. I don’t know about the rest of you, but my family generally bought me 1 present for both occasions, but spent the equivalent of what they spent on my brother for his birthday (in August) and Christmas. Because of this, I got gifts at Christmas that most of my friends only dreamed about, because their gifts were split. Looking back, I can say that I most definitely was not cheated, and in some instances, made out like a bandit.
How about it; anyone else got some insights into this?
My birthday is the 12th of December, and I used to get my birthday lumped in with Christmas when I went to my dad’s house. My sister had the same deal, only her birthday is the 1st of December.
Not a bad deal, we did make out like bandits, but it would have been nice to have our own day. Two birthdays and Christmas all in one shot kinda puts your big day in the background.
My birthday is Dec. 15 and I think it blows chunks to have a birthday that close to Christmas. Without fail I’d hear this every year: “we haven’t gotten you much for your birthday b/c we went overboard with your Christmas present.” Ten days later it was assumed I had forgotten this and the story now was “that big birthday is the reason you didn’t get as much for Christmas this year.”
I’m not complaining, though, since I have always gotten way more from my parents, etc., for both events than I would ever believe. But it would be nice to have a birthday in June or July so I’d have somethin to look forward to then.
Like anybody want to make a big deal over you’re birthday when they’re harried from Christmas shopping. “Oh we’ll celebrate you’re birthday when we see you on Christmas.” And yeah I got a lot of birthday/Christmas gifts.
Maybe it’s different if your birthday is ON Christmas (just like Quentin Crisp, Elkman! Offhand I can think of anybody else interesting born on that day though.)
I know someone with a Christmas birthday who deals with it by celebrating a “half birthday” in June every year instead of the “full” birthday in December. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Total washout. I mean, is everyone else opening presents on your B-day?
I never got anything. My B-day cake always had red and green on it, I never had a B-day party or even had presents wrapped in B-day paper. Everything was Xmas. It still hurts.
My birthday is Jan 8th, so not only do I have to put up with a Christmas birthday, but a NYE one as well. By that stage, everyone is broke from Chrissy and getting drunk alot, so they can’t buy me good presents! Not to mention that most of my friends are away for their holidays…it sucks, I tells ya…sucks!
Now that I’m an adult (hated it as a kid) I hate it because it’s hard to come up with lots of gift ideas at once (for buying for my SO, and for others to give to me). If I want something in May or June, it’s a long wait until birthday or Christmas.
Some Greek folklore suggests that people with Christmas birthdays are doomed to become vampires. It’s punishment for the presumptuousness of their mothers in having conceived on the same day as the Virgin Mary. I think that that is definitely a sort of ripoff.
Mine is on the twentieth of December, and I never really had a problem with it. My parents always went out of their way to make sure my birthday was seperate from Christmas.
But then it’s not like I have another birthdate to compare it to.
Have you Christmas babies ever got cards that list celebrities that you share your birthday with?
[ul]
[li]CCH Pounder[/li][li]Sissy Spacek[/li][li]Barbara Mandrell[/li][li]Jimmy Buffett[/li][li]Rick Berman[/li][li]Gary Sandy[/li][li]JESUS!!![/li][/ul]
My oldest half-sister is a Christmas baby. When I remember to send her a card, I make sure that it doesn’t have any Christmas references. (And now that she’s over 50, she may not want to be reminded that it’s her birthday either. :D)
I’m a Halloween baby (10/28). It’s great! I’m almost always invited to a party, so whether or not the host knows its close to my b-day, I pretend that it’s in my honor. :D:D (One year I went to a friend-of-my-roommate’s Halloween party {strangely, my roommate didn’t go}. In the middle of the refreshments table was a cake. I asked the hostess about the cake, and she said it was for my birthday! sniff I didn’t even know she knew! What a sweetheart!)
With a birthday of Dec. 28, I have the ultimate ‘tween’ - Christmas on one end and New Years on the other.
As a kid, my parents were great about it - made my day a big deal, with special birthday presents, cake - the same type of celebration my siblings enjoyed.
During my twenties, the celebrations dwindled rapidly - I was usually on vacation and away from my work friends, and my family was usually too rushed with their own holiday madnesses of various kinds to cough up more than a small token gift.
The pleasure - now that I’m teetering into my 40’s…no one truly remembers my birthday anymore - ergo, the world forgets my age. I’ve been experimenting with a few different years just for the fun of it and I’ve been able to get away with all of them so far.
January 1st here. I hate it. I’ve often considered doing the “half birthday” thing in June. I’ve had too many friends/relatives/boyfriends complain to me that my birthday is too close to Christmas. As if I can do anything about it!
None of that “I was born near Christmas so I feel your pain.” for me. On December 25, 1970, a young Tommy burst onto the scene. My mother tells me that I was born an hour or so into Christmas and that she was trying to make labor go faster so I would be born on the 24th, not 25th.
Really though, I think that a Christmas birthday has its pros and cons. I usually don’t get any sort of recognition that it’s my birthday, on Christmas day that is. Hell, my mom usually doesn’t remember till after lunch sometimes. When I was real little, my parents would throw me a party the week before Christmas. My friends never remember.
However, it is kind of neat when people ask when your birthday is. When you tell them Christmas, they usually ask “So, what’s that like?” or “So, did you get jipped?” It’s something that makes you a bit like a celebrity.
Overall, I’ve not known anything different my whole life. It’s just been the way that it is. It really doesn’t affect me too much.
Hey, Tommy the Cat, I’m Dec. 25, 1970 as well. What are the odds of someone having the EXACT same date respond? The only thing weirder would be if you were born up here in Edmonton, as according to my Mom, only 6 kids were born here Xmas day. Anyway, I wish you a belated happy 30th!
Right back at ya’,Elkman. Being 30 is different. I’m still having trouble accepting that I’m not in my 20s anymore. It’s been rare to meet anyone with a 12/25 birthday, let alone when the year is the same. Although, I wasn’t born anywhere near Edmonton. I was born in Dalton, GA. Although, I’ve always been an Oilers fan. Well, not so much a fan as a well-wisher.
BTW, I did go to High School with a girl who was born on 12/25/70. Here is the weird part, her brother was born on 12/25/69. Kind of strange.
One of my kids was born on Christmas day. I so wanted it to be differently, but there you are.
Here’s how we do it in our house (the birthday, not the conception), Christmas morning is tradional presents and all that jazz. Christmas evening is the big, blow-out birthday party. NO presents are wrapped in Christmas paper. There is a birthday cake.
It’s a big deal. Because it is a big deal.
Sometime in June or July, we have a special thingy…last year we went to a movie, I think. But it’s just a little something to make her feel extra-special. She says she feels very special just to have her birthday on Christmas. In fact, her brother is jealous.
So I think it’s up to your parents to make or break it when you’re a kid. Frankly, we’ll always have a party for her if we can be together.
Gawd, Tommy, this is getting really Twilight Zone-ish. I also went to high school with a girl born 12/25/70. Not only that, I dated her briefly. Just please tell me her name wasn’t Lisa, as that would be just too much coincidence.
BTW, I share your feelings on turning 30. I guess I can’t even pretend to be young and foolish anymore. If you ever find yourself in Edmonton, look me up and I’ll take you to an Oilers game!
You know, this is damnably embarassing. I remember that her brother was named Tony. I played football in HS with him. Her name was…damn! Why can’t I remember?
Krista! Her name was Krista. That was driving me nuts.
Who knows, I may take you up on that Oilers game someday.
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BTW Elkman, just curious, where does your user name come from? Being from the Great White North, I keep thinking that maybe you just have a great interest in elk. Just a guess though.
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