Decembers to Remember

You can be lucky enough to meet a special someone that you not only connect with on a deep level, but also share a common bond. Dee and I have many common bonds, including being baseball chicks and only children.

We are also December babies. Not just December, but literally very close to Christmas. A common question we get is if we get one gift that's your Christmas AND birthday gift? I've personally never had that problem, but it's tough to celebrate the most fabulous version of you when there are other festivities that take precedence in your family's and friend's lives due to the holiday season.

CNN just had an article today on December babies getting the short end of the proverbial stick. I can't say that I ever felt I got the short end, but I do think that it's hard to be a December baby who wants to have a normal birthday, and it's so not.

And it totally sucks that we can't do anything outside. At least on the East Coast.

That's What Dee Said

I don't know about Coop, but I always felt a little slighted as a child when it came to my birthday. Not so much by my parents or grandparents, but by my extended family and friends.

When December rolled around, the focus would always turn to Christmas. And understandably so. But what did that mean for me? It was almost as if those around me acknowledged my birthday only because they had to, not because they wanted to, because there was just so much more for them to be looking forward to that time of the year. I sometimes felt like my birthday was an inconvenience for them. Sorrrrrry!!!

So what else did it mean for me?

Christmas wrapping on birthday gifts. "I hope you don't mind. " Nah. No problem!

"I can't make it to your birthday party because it's too close to Christmas." Really? Did 'ya even read the invitation? My party is not ON December 25th!!!

It's just the attitude that some people take when it comes to December birthdays. Like they're not important enough because there's so much more going on that time of the year.

But you gotta understand something -- I didn't ask to be born in December. In fact, if I was born any other time, it wouldn't have been ME. But I've met a lot of people over the years and have many family members who were also born in December. Conclusion? March was a hot month??? My point is, don't take it out on us!!!

I guess I shouldn't really complain. After all, sadly, our Savior's birthday is forgotten in all the commercialization that Christmas has become. So I have some nerve, right?

View From The Coop

I grew up at the Jersey Shore, so safe to assume that I spent many a summer on the beach, baking in the sun and swimming in the ocean. That's what Jersey Girls do. What Jersey Girls DON'T particularly like is digging your car out of the snow and having to deal with crazy people at the supermarket on snowy days, buying up every gallon of milk in the dairy aisle simply because you think you're going to be snowed in for a month.

I am also a proud baseball chick. Baseball chicks love warm weather because that means...going to baseball games. The days are longer and dark hours are shorter, and it means I'm drinking beer in a stadium somewhere. Life is swell.

So I find it completely ironic in my identity as both a baseball chick and a Jersey girl, that I was born in December. Not just December, but the shortest daylight hours of the year day. Three days before Christmas. So I got a double whammy there. Luckily, like Dee mentioned above, I didn't get a forgotten birthday a la Molly Ringwald, but it was hard to rally the troops together for a party.

Like when I was a kid, I rarely had birthday parties or gatherings ON my actual birth date. Rather, I was used to celebrating within the first two weeks of the month. I guess on one hand, my friends' folks were already at the mall, they could buy a quick gift while there already. On the other, trying to gather as many of my friends together was always a tough assignment.

It's still like that today.

Dee and I decided that we are going to grab the bull by the horns this year and do something about it. We hosted a joint birthday party but here's the beauty part: because of year-round sports at our favorite baseball team's stadium, we can party at the site itself. Of course, we are rallying the troops earlier this year, but again. It's still a task in and of itself to get people together around the holidays. I think it's even worse when you are an adult because you have so many other places and things to commit to.

One of my favorite songwriters once wrote: Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans. I can't ever say that I've received a "birthday AND Christmas gift" (unless it was something really big and expensive, like baseball season tickets...but I've never received them as a gift so there). However, I think I might mess with someone with a birthday in like May and say that.

So just remember folks: if you're friend is a December baby, just remember, it's not been easy for them to ever have a day just for THEM, since there are many other outliers and life events that are happening beyond their control. Remember, the holidays are a time to spread a little cheer and gather with friends and family. And December babies could use some leeway there.