When Your Birthday Falls After Christmas

What Happens When Your Birthday Falls After Christmas

It sucks to have a birthday after the holidays.  I know first-hand.  I was born on January 6th and I was always reminded when I was little that I “just got a bunch of presents” and that people “didn’t want to go to another party.”  Even if those words weren’t said to me directly, I overheard them and I remember who said them.  Kids know things and when you hear something as a child, it becomes your reality until you learn differently.

Hey, I get it.  Now that I’m older, I don’t want to party after January 1st, either.  But 24 years ago I had a baby on January 3rd and I made sure that she never felt the same way I did.  So what if Santa brought her an American Girl doll for Christmas?  If she wanted another one, she got one for her birthday nine days later.

I don’t think people born between December 24th and January 1st have the same problem.  People are partying anyway, so why not throw one more party on top of it all, right?  It’s those of us who celebrate the week after the holidays that might feel unworthy of celebration.

When you grow up feeling guilty that people have to give you a present when they don’t want to, do you know what happens?  It makes you feel unworthy to receive a gift anytime of the year.  You think that it’s a dreaded burden for someone to take the time to think about you and buy you a present.  That’s why I don’t like my birthday.  I don’t like imposing on people.

I Had Family Birthday Parties

I did have a family birthday party every day.  We would gather around the kitchen table and have cake and ice cream and I would open my presents.  I was not deprived.  The thing that stuck with me was the attitude of a few people ahead of the event.  Every year.  It was difficult to get excited when I knew people didn’t want to be there.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Changed How I View My Birthday

We’re all familiar with the song and the saying, right?  But do you know what it really means?

The song represents Christmas Day and the twelve days following Christmas, with the twelfth day falling on the Feast of the Epiphany, or January 6th – my birthday.  It is the day that the three kings arrived to visit Jesus and lay their gifts before him.

So there you have it.  I was born on a holy day.  One of the holiest.  However, I don’t think our society could endure an additional week of festivities and survive, so the day and its meaning to Christians is ignored.

I Won’t Take On Your Burden

If you think my birthday is a burden to you because you are too tired of partying, good for you!  You’re entitled to your feelings.

I have wonderful family and friends who don’t care that my birthday falls after Christmas.

My gift to myself this year is that my posts are going to address the skeletons I’ve been living with instead of keeping everything in to spare others’ feelings. ( Like HERE and HERE.)

Happy New Year!!!!