Days Of "Your"

It's been a while and I feel like ranting a bit, so PAY ATTENTION! I feel like doing holidays, so let's have a go at birthdays. Everyone's own holiday. I'll do other stupid holidays later.

Birthdays. I don't like'm. Those of you who know me already know this of course, but I thought I'd put down on "paper" why. Most importantly, they encourage the immature to be even more self-centered. Something in which a fallen mankind doesn't need any encouraging. Gasoline on a fire if you ask me.

We don't do big b'day parties at our house. Someone usually makes a cake, we pop some candles in there and sing happy birthday (after I jokingly sing Happy Self Indulgence Day). We have a simple gift and that's it. And that's me compromising.

I remember taking Lizzie to a birthday party in our old neighborhood when she was young. She's always been a friendly girl, eager to make friends and was very excited that someone in the neighborhood had invited her to a party. When we arrived, the little girl runs out to meet her PRESENT! She rips the thing from Lizzie's hands and goes running inside with it. As I looked at Lizzie's shell shocked expression and tried to put a good face on the situation, I realized there are moments in a grown man's life where you have to resist the urge to vomit and cry simultaneously in order to console the injured. Needless to say, the rest of the abysmal event has been blotted from my memory. I know you're tempted to conclude that this event is the one that spawned my distaste for days such as this, but don't go there. It was just a day that cemented my already valid opinion as my wife will attest.

I use to try to see if I could go all day without someone noticing it was my birthday. My mom says I did that so I could beat all my loved ones over the head the fact that they forgot it, but that's only because I used to do it to her as a preemptive "guilt trip". I've found that "guilt trips" can be utterly destroyed by one of your own choosing when fired at the proper time. They do have to be based in fact, though. I have repented of that now and also of trying to avoid my birthday being noticed. I found that my wife wasn't sure if she should wish me happy birthday or not and now realize that I was unnecessarily stressing her out.

They're a western 20th century invention, from what I understand. Before then you might celebrate someones 1st birthday or when they get on in years. I was bemoaning this fact to my family one time and talked of a conversation I had with an oriental woman. She said that for birthdays in her country, it was customary to give gifts rather than expect and demand them; a habit of hobbits my daughter Sarah reminded me. Lo and behold, on Sarah's birthday that year we all got presents; all nice hand made art work. Now that's how you celebrate a birthday.

I HAVE been to some good birthday parties, just to be fair. Jessica B's was the last one we went to and it was good! I judge a good birthday party as one where you see little to no evidence that it's a birthday party. They appear to just be parties that happen on someone's birthday. A good time was had by all.

Here's a suggestion. Instead of b'days, why not just do something nice for those you love on a random day of the year. If all goes well, you might even do it twice a year! They won't be expecting it and it would mean so much more, since the victim knows you weren't "obligated" to do it in the first place.