By: Jordan Park

Local News Editor

I believe most holiday babies will agree with me when I say birthdays that fall near the holidays suck. More specifically, birthdays near Christmas. While, thankfully, I have the pleasure of not being born on Christmas Day, I was born close enough (Dec. 21) to still experience the less-than-favorable aspects of being born during this time of the year. 

To start, I would like to state that in no way am I ungrateful for being born or living the very blessed life I do. I’m sure many others think the complete opposite and love being a Christmas baby but with that being said, here is why late December birthdays suck. 

The Christmas spirit will inevitably overshadow the presence of your birthday Don’t get me wrong – I love Christmas; it’s my favorite holiday. With the decorations, presents under the tree, and bundling up in blankets to see the Christmas lights in Vasona Park, it feels like the most magical time of the year. But since Christmas receives most of the attention, birthdays in December seem to get less and less recognition. They become an afterthought, second to the anticipation for Christmas. Consumed with holiday spirit, people naturally forget to send a “happy birthday” text or don’t realize they have forgotten until days later. I haven’t had a birthday party in years, partly because I don’t like them, but also because almost everyone is out of town visiting family or on vacation. 

When people find out my birthday is so close to Christmas, they usually ask something like, “Did you ever get combined presents?” to which I will answer, “Yes.” The amount of presents I have received coupled with the saying, “This is your birthday and Christmas present” attached is quite large. Or, I hear: “This is your birthday present, but I’m going to get you a Christmas present too,” though the promised Christmas gift never appears. Don’t get me wrong, I am genuinely grateful for any and all gifts I receive, but in hindsight, if I get you two gifts throughout the year, one for your birthday and one for Christmas, the favor should be returned.

To stress the difference between June and December birthdays, last year, my sister spent her 19th birthday in Croatia, where Bobbin, a local fisherman, cooked us a traditional Croatian meal consisting of bowls of pasta, massive lobsters, delicious bread, and a Ledeni vjetar fruit cake. Me, on the other hand? I spent my birthday taking an English final. The finals only apply to the lucky few, including myself, and are just another added bonus to the already wonderful list of why December birthdays suck. And to my dismay, this year, I will be spending my 16th birthday in Mr. Schunk’s English class, participating in a Socratic Seminar (thanks Mr. Schunk). 

All in all, I don’t hate my birthday but I don’t love it either. 

All in all, I would recommend waiting until your children are in the clear, for their sake. -A december baby