What Not to Do for December Birthdays

[EndersDame]

My cousin sent me this since my birthday is the day after Christmas. It really sucks because I get over shadowed by Chistmas and no one wants to do anything because they worn out from Christmas. Not to mention the Merry Birthday Gifts!




What Not to Do for December Birthdays
Posted by GwendolynZepeda at 12/7/2009 5:39 AM CST
Every year around this time, I gather near my office bulletin board with the other people whose names are posted on the This Month’s Birthdays list, and we commiserate. Because, you see, there are certain sorrows that only December Babies can know. Thanks to Sandra P, whose birthday is today, and who helped create the following Don’t list.

If you plan to give a birthday gift to someone born in December, please:

1. Don’t forget his or her actual birth date and give the gift some time in January.

That just hurts. Not the adults as much, because they’re probably used to it by now. But think of the kids. Children are sensitive about loved ones remembering their birthdays, and "I just got so caught up with the holidays!" doesn’t make it hurt less when you forget.

2. Don’t "combine" the birthday gift with a Christmas gift (or Hanukah or Kwanzaa or other holiday gift, either).

"This is for your birthday and Christmas put together!" are nine words collectively hated by Capricorns and Sagittariuses the world over, I can guarantee you. You wouldn’t hand someone a heart-shaped box and call it a combo-valentine-and-February-birthday-gift, would you? Would you hand out sparklers to all the kids on July 4th, and then tell little Jimmy, "Oh, and this is for your birthday on July 23rd"? Of course you wouldn’t. (Or maybe you would, in which case you may as well just stop reading now because you’re beyond any help this list could provide.)

-snip-

5. Don’t wrap your gift in Christmas paper.

Is it a birthday gift, or something you received at an early White Elephant party? No one knows. One thing we will know for sure, though, is that it wasn’t even worth your time to walk to the closet and get out the roll of Power Rangers or Barbie paper.

6. Do unto December birthdays as you’d do unto birthdays in any other month, and as you’d have your own birthday done unto you.

It’s that easy, isn’t it? Well, it seems that way to me. But, just to be sure, I carefully planned the births of each of my children to make sure they fell no where near Christmas.

Happy holiday season, everyone. And very happy birthdays to Sandra P. and all my fellow blue zircon birth-stoners.

http://www.chron.com/channel/momhouston/commons/GwenandHerMen.html?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=5c8e9e52-344d-42a3-b6aa-08dafea5beb5&plckPostId=Blog:5c8e9e52-344d-42a3-b6aa-08dafea5beb5Post:212eb7f1-46fe-4db6-b0ee-2c14a2db5326&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest

[Scurrilous]

1. "This is for your birthday and Christmas put together!"

LOL

My birthday is December 27th and I get the combined gift all the time.

[EndersDame]

2. My mom always makes sure to use Birthday Paper for my presents

I love my mom :)

[LoveMyCali]

4. I had a cousin complain that her present was in

Christmas paper once ... haven't given her a birthday gift since.

[EndersDame]

6. That is not nice

:(

[CreekDog]

26. But it's gauche to complain about gift wrap on a present given to you

extra gauche to complain to the giver. :wtf:

i like being born during the holidays and Christmas wrap is a bonus if you ask me. plus, at least there's usually something to do on my birthday (lots of parties and whatnot).

although it would really be fun to have a picnic or something outdoors. maybe when i retire to someplace warm. :D

[seaglass]

24. Question for you - since my mom's birthday is today and I was going to get

her a combined Christmas/Birthday gift.

I've never done it before but she really needs a new computer and I know how much she would appreciate it. However it is way over budget for one gift - we just don't (and I can't) spend that much money.

So should I just get her 2 smaller things so she won't be offended by a combined gift?

[EndersDame]

25. That is a different situation you should get her the computer!

[Rosie1223]

3. "Just pick one of the presents under the tree for your birthday"

Dec 23 birthday checking in.

[rebel with a cause]

21. My one sister's birthday and mine is the18th.

My mom wanted a Christmas baby. Such a mistake on her part. I usually got a small homemade gift on my birthday or nothing, but the sister closest to me in age had a birthday in August and I would usually get a gift on her birthday. My parent's way of solving the too many children to buy Christmas presents for to afford birthday gifts also. But then again, we never had birthday parties. Just a cake my mother baked for us and a gift or two and that was about it. The older you got the less you got. By the time you were an adolescent you got the cake.

[Alexander]

5. Happy Birthmas!

[MorningGlow]

7. My birthday is January 2

Every year, my brother (who lives across the country) sends my birthday present (wrapped in Christmas wrap) along with the Christmas presents. And every year, I have to stare at it sitting under the tree for an extra week. Sucks. Oh yeah--and he usually gives me a Chia head. Last year he gave me Chia Obama--I didn't mind that one so much.

My mom always has my birthday cake on New Year's Day "because the family's coming over for dinner anyway"--half the family thinks my birthday is on January 1.

And no matter what, by the time I'm ready to celebrate my birthday, everyone else ISN'T because they're all partied out by them.

A couple of years ago, I said I wanted to change my birthday to July 2 to get away from the holiday glut, but my mother wouldn't let me, because it would steal my brother's thunder--his birthday is July 1. :banghead:

[EndersDame]

9. I feel your pain mine is on Dec 26th and I am overshadowed by Jesus' Birth

:P Some of my family members told me they were too busy trying to get day after christmas sales shopping done :(

[MorningGlow]

11. Ouch.

x(

[trof]

28. So was my mom's. She hated it.

[LeftyMom]

16. That's my Dad's birthday, and Jan 1 is by far his busiest day of the year at work.

He's usually doing pretty well if he doesn't get ralphed on by any amateur drinkers before he goes home and collapses in exhaustion. So for his birthday we don't call unless somebody needs a kidney. It's what he wants. :) He gets a nice present from each of the kids a day or two later when he's ready to deal with people again. And no, never in Christmas paper. He doesn't care, I'm sure, but I'm a bit obsessive about wrapping things nicely.

[Chan790]

8. I'm the 11th...

you have no idea how many gifts I've had pushed into my hands on the 18th with nary an explanation or anything else coming on the 25th. It's worse when they don't even take the time to explain they're cheap and bought you one gift.

[pink-o]

10. Oh, yeah. December 16th here.

I cured my cousin of her combo B'day/Xmas gift one year by saving some Xmas wrap for 6 months and wrapping her June b'day gift in it. "This is for Christmas, too!" I declared brightly. My very proper mother might have subtly hurt me, except she was born ON Christmas Day, so she smirked despite herself.

Kids, I used to feel soooo ripped off when I was growing up, and my b'day was an afterthought. But Sagittarians are very good at inserting themselves into the center of a crowd and demanding attention, so I didn't suffer too much. Besides, you Gemini and Cancer friends can never get all their buds together for a party; ours are hanging out at home to spend the holidays with their families, and we can usually persuade them to come to one more party.

Anyway, when it comes to b'days, I've had an embarrassment of riches. I like now that it falls under the radar, and no one makes a big deal of it. Especially cool is if they give me my medicare this year! I'll be 55 in one week, and that's the best present I could ask for!!

[EndersDame]

12. Medicare is a way cool present!

[rebel with a cause]

23. "But Sagittarians are very good at inserting themselves into the center of a crowd

and demanding attention." That we do, don't we.

I didn't mind the Christmas birthday too much as I got a little older because I figured out that my birthday was exactly one week before Christmas, and two weeks before New Years. (Like this year my birthday in on Friday, next Friday Christmas and etc.) So I made up my mind that my birthday was a holiday also because it was situated such. Three special days in a row (at least to me) to celebrate. I was not egotistic at all. :rofl:

[unpossibles]

29. me too! I'm used to it now, and in fact like to pretend all the lights and songs are for ME

another not to do: I just got dumped 10 days before my birthday! Boo!

[marzipanni]

30. I hope the season cheers you up. Who knows...

maybe the 'dumpster' gave you a gift in disguise; some time for reflection, and the space for someone better to arrive on the scene. :hug:

[unpossibles]

34. true, in fact I often try to look at life that way

that something 'bad' may, and often will, lead to something 'good' - and vice-versa I suppose. It's all in how you look at it. And who knows - we got along really well, actually, so ... yeah. The downside being that I've been pretty down the last few days, although feel a lot better now.

[Archae]

13. Mine is on December 2nd...

So I never got the combined gifts, or such.

I got a birthday present, and Christmas presents.

[Roon]

14. Oh, I combined gifts my whole life.

Mom? For my B-day and Christmas present, can I get a Mongoose bike? My Mother always did it,but my divorced father refused, he would make me wait.

[SeattleGirl]

15. I agree. One of my brothers is a December baby, and the rule of the

house was he got presents on HIS birthday (12/22), and they were NOT be be wrapped in Christmas paper. Plus, you still had to get him presents for Christmas; the birthday present could not do double duty.

I feel bad for people with December birthdays. I think a lot of them get cheated.

[marzipanni]

17. Happy Birthday to me!

(for about an hour more, anyway ;))
I'd get money for my birthday from my parents and usually used almost all of it for buying Christmas presents for people. I always wanted to have a more simple Christmas celebration rather than the extravagant gift exchanges at my mom's relatives' house when I was younger, and my husband's family later. I wanted to go out and buy new shoes or warm jackets for homeless people.

[EndersDame]

18. Happy Birthday! and You Rock for being someone's Santa this year

I am giving donations inpeople s name this year instead of buying something they don't need or wont use

[marzipanni]

19. That's what I tried to talk people into doing, and just give little presents to eachother.

For young people, I think a good Birthday or Christmas present is to take them to an interesting show, like Cirque du Soleil, or a play, or lunch and an afternoon at a museum. Good memories of being the 'honoree' of the day, and seeing something new and inspiring, last all your life, unlike the usual birthday experience of accumulating more stuff.

[EndersDame]

22. I used to be jealous that my little sister born in June could go to the beach for her bday!

When I was young I loved "special" days with my mom (and still do!)

[Lindsey]

20. Well, my only child is a 12/22 baby (He'll turn 34 this month)....

Believe me, I know it sucks for folks that have their Birthdays around this time but it also sucks for us moms! When he was little, we totally did the separate thing. Had birthday parties, presents wrapped in B-day wrappping, etc. But now, he lives in Washington State and I live in L.A. He can always use money so I deposit it into his account, separately. I also send him a Birthday and Christmas card, of course. He's such a sweetheart about the whole thing. He's really funny and says stuff like, yea, having my birthday around Christmas ruined my life, mom. LOL! I actually think he likes it now 'cause he gets birthday money and Christmas money from me other relatives.

[Rhythm]

27. My daughter ran into this a lot - her birthday is January 7th

Her dad and i always did special birthday things with her, but to make up for other relatives' "combined presents" or outright forgetfulness, we created our own family holiday on a weekend in late June/early July, and called it "Just Because Day". On that day, we'd treat it like an extra birthday (including a "JBD" cake), and then do something extra special, like going to an amusement park, or taking a roadtrip to see far-away friends in a fun locale like DC or NYC.

Now that she's grown (and half-a-world away), i miss those 'just because' days, though i do generally send her a special e-mail that day anyway.

[1gobluedem]

31. My sister's birthday is December 17

Our tree never went up until the 18th because my mother wanted to keep her birthday separate and special.

My SO's birthday is also December 17 and his parents did the combo thing which he hated. So I always try to make his birthday special and separate from Christmas the way my mother did and he really likes it!

[madmom]

32. Early on in our marriage when money was very tight, Mr madmom, got

me roses (he knows I love roses) for "Happy February", Feb 7=birthday, Feb 10= anniversary, Feb 14= valentines day. I know he meant well, but I told him un uh that doesn't work. We still laugh about it some 30 odd years later.

[LaraMN]

33. I wrap all gifts in Xmas paper, all year 'round.

Regular paper never goes on clearance for 80 percent off!

I have a December birthday, also, so I don't feel bad doing it to everyone else.

If they don't like it, the Buttwads can save it for the holidays and open it then.

[TheMightyFavog]

35. One of the girls in my high school calss was born Dec. 25.

Talk about a sucky day to be born.