24th here. As I kid, I never minded it–I always used it as leverage to get bigger presents than I ever would’ve gotten for either X-mas or b-day alone.
Nowadays, though, it kinda blows. Nobody’s gonna take you out for dinner or drinks–they’re all tied up with family stuff, and half the places are closed. I once thought of just declaring my birthday to be Mardi Gras and making an annual pilgrimage to New Orleans out of it…
To me it means that your neighbor, who you barely speak to during the year but is nice enough to wave every so often, sends you a Christmas card and always remembers to sign “PS Happy Birthday, Don!” at the bottom.
At least that’s what my neighbor’s Christmas birthday means to me…
Happy birthday, nonetheless 
Actually, I usually get wished a Merry Birthday and Happy Christmas.
My family worked out the tradtion of doing all the Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, and birthday presents (mine and my sister’s) on Christmas Day.
Speaking of which, I have half a chocolate cake left over. Anyone want some?
No, sorry, I have the suckiest birthday ever; November 22. So you don’t get a BD party because it’s so close to Thanksgiving and everyone is getting together for that anyway. And you don’t get a separate BD and Christmas gift because they are so close together. And the fucking president got killed on your BD so every year you get to hear about that too. Bleh.
On the other hand: Happy Holidays:cool:
Happy Birthday, Annie!
Mine’s tomorrow, and I always kind of liked it. Yeah, I got combined gifts and I rarely got a birthday cake but we weren’t big on birthdays anyway (with 11 kids, I can see why my parents didn’t make a huge fuss over each birthday). And I got to see all my family anyway the day before, which usually turned into my birthday before everyone went home.
Mom offered to start celebrating my birthday in the summer and I turned her down.
My daughter’s birthday is the 27th (she’ll be four) and we’re expecting a baby boy any day now. I figure they’ll have solidarity in crummy birthdays.
We do my son’s on Christmas eve, so last night we had a yummy supper followed by cake and presents before we put out the cookies for Santa.
Happy Birthday!!
Yep, mine’s the 2nd and it stinks.
Here in the UK it’s always the 1st day back at work after the xmas, new year festivities.
No one wants to go out
Everyone has started their new year’s resolutions (don’t drink/eat/smoke/have any fun) and haven’t had time to break them
To send a card and have it arrive on my birthday, people would have to remember to post it on New Year’s Eve. Even my mother doesn’t manage that.
Everyone is broke
Every restaurant is either shut or empty
I still get combined xmas/birthday presents, except I opened them on xmas day
I have zero sympathy for anyone born ‘around’ the 25th, as at least your birthday falls in the middle of party season when everyone is up for some fun. I have long decided there is only one day in the whole year that’s worse than mine. Annie, please accept my greatest sympathies, and happy birthday for yesterday
Yeah, I’ve got your back on that one. My birthday is January 13 and I got a lot of “it’s what I could find” gifts of chia pets and screwdriver sets, even as a child. :rolleyes: On the other hand, I also sometimes got the gift that was sold out at Christmas but was restocked in January, but that happened far less frequently. Everyone was tired of gift-giving by January. My mother was a saint for celebrating all of her seven children’s birthdays individually though, considering there was one birthday in November, one in December and three in January! Thanks, Mom!
We have no “Christmas babies” on either side of my family, so that works out.
But my mother’s birthday is January 24, Airman’s is January 30, and my brother and mother-in-law were both born on February 2. It’s tough getting four things for four different people all at once, especially so soon after Christmas and Hanukkah. And I feel sorry for my brother and MiL. Groundhog Day is just special enough that people tease them about being “groundhogs” and they’re both sick of being asked whether they saw their shadow.
For that matter, having one’s birthday on a silly semi-holiday like Groundhog Day or April Fool’s Day is a guarantee that one will develop a thick skin and a tolerance for repetitive, unoriginal jokes.
Robin
in my family we broke the december barrier nearly 30 years ago. the first december baby was born just minutes before new year’s, around 11:58ish the 31st. after that they started landing fast and furious for a total of 5 in dec. starting on the 12th and here and there 'till the 31st.
because his mum’s b-day is on jan. 3rd, i knew about the christmas/birthday/opps, i forgot it arrives so quick thing.
when shopping in nov. and dec. for the dec. crew i make sure that i get 2 very separate things. usually ornaments or something christmas oriented for christmas, and a toy/book/video/clothes etc for birthdays. i also keep a roll of birthday gift wrap in the christmas bin so i have it handy along with the christmas wrap.
i’m in late feb., sometimes i get lucky and get a snowday for my birthday.
Wow, olives–You even remembered the purple. Thanks to you and all the others with Bday wishes.
My cakes were invariably red and green too. I remember my 20th Bday cake quite vividly. I had complained to my then husband about the red-and-green motif. He had a cake made, chocolate with vanilla icing, my favorite. He told them to put a big brown 20 on the cake.
The decorator went crazy, putting twenty brown flowers on the cake. I ate every single one.
My nephew was born a year ago on Christmas. They named him Nicholas.
They’re planning on having his birthday party in January or February, at least this year.
At least there are decent/normal boy Christmas names, though. My mother refused to name us Holly or Noelle or any such Christmas-y themed names.
Lessee, mine’s two weeks before Xmas. Sibling’s is Christmas Day. Previous spousal unit’s on the 26th. Current (Jewish) partner’s on the 17th. Close friend…28th. Mom’s…26th. Yes, that makes 5 birthdays, Christmas, and Chanukah. December sucks, y’know?
Yup, I get all that routine as well. For years, my office went out every month for birthdays…except December. One-present-for-both from relatives, yup, y’know it might have been worth it if I’d gotten stuff twice as good, but that never happened. When I was in school, my bd was always either during finals or during dead week. No one wanted to go out, and then they all left.
OTOH, Mom was always very careful about our birthdays, having had the same experience. Fer instance, we always had Christmas in the morning, and then sis’s birthday in the evening just like everyone else. Always had a separate event, whatever she wanted for dinner, a birthday cake, everything just like all the kids in the family. And the parents NEVER got either of us one gift for both events.
And, after I was older, it was fun taking out Mom, Sis, and Spouse for birthday dinner. Pick a “birthday meal free” restaurant and get four for one!
I almost got a Christmas name. Thank Og that Dad put his foot down and refused. Poor sis got stuck with two and doesn’t use either.
ETA: oh yeah, and Mom always got birthday wrapping paper so we didn’t just get Xmas leftover. It’s more than happens now, but I don’t care so much these days somehow.
December 15th here, and it’s always been the case that I’ve gotten short-changed when it comes to my “special day” being acknowledged.
Often, as a kid, it was a case of, “you can pick one of your Christmas presents to open”. And maybe a cake if I was lucky. :rolleyes:
Nowadays, more likely to get nothing or some “combo” Christmas/Birthday greeting or gift.
I’m not horribly crushed or anything, and usually just treat myself to something.
My birthday is Dec. 27, and my husband’s is Dec. 30. I’ve often received birthday gifts wrapped in Christmas paper, usually on Christmas, and he’s often received his on New Year’s, still wrapped in Christmas paper.
My two oldest sisters’ birthdays are Dec. 7 and 17, and my Mom’s is Jan. 3, so everyone was thoroughly tired of cake by the time we got through Christmas. I always had a cake, but nobody really wanted any. And a birthday party was out of the question, because everyone was busy with the holidays.
Happy Day After Your Birthday, Annie!! * <flinging confetti with wild and reckless abandon>*
That’s my birthday, too. But in my family, birthdays were never a big deal. As kids, we got $3 (that used to be a lot of money!) and our choice of cake and dinner. I didn’t have a birthday party till high school when a girlfriend threw one for me.
Next month, I turn 55. I expect it to pass pretty much ignored, as usual. And I really don’t care. It’s not like I had anything to do with being born.
Honestly, my birthday was never a big deal to me. The only one that really stood out was when I turned 21 - that was the very day I got my pilot’s license.
Happy Birthday Annie!
It could be worse. What if your birthday was on 9/11?
My SIL’s birthday is on 9/11. It’s not that great, it’s true.
My birthday is on Halloween, which is mostly pretty great, but it’s true that whenever I state my birthdate people comment on it. shrug I don’t mind.
Anyway, happy birthday Annie! A day late.