Growing up in a family and community that celebrates Christmas, which happens to be on my birthday, has always given me an outlook on Christmas a little different than others may have.
Having a holiday birthday has its pros and cons. A pro is that it’s already a date that many of my family members have off of work and one that they already gather for. I am able to see lots of my favorite people on my special day due to the holiday. As my family is full of great cooks, that means a good Christmas dinner, and never eating bad on my birthday. Another pro is having a holiday birthday makes for an easy fun fact about yourself for class ice breakers.
However, when I was younger I remember not being fond of these dates coinciding. As a child, of course you want to be the center of attention on your birthday. Selfishly, my juvenile self hated to see people get gifts on the day that I thought everyone should get gifts for me. Growing up, I started to enjoy that they fall on the same date more. As someone who slightly fears getting older, Christmas helps distract me from that.
The one con that remains even as I grow older is the inability to see my friends on my birthday. When I was younger it was because we all had family arrangements for Christmas, but even though it was less preferred, we could celebrate my birthday on a nearby date. Now that I am in college, the holidays mean that friends go back to their hometowns far away from mine, preventing a celebration within the entire break surrounding my birthday. Yet, my hometown friends can be with me, which is a reason to be grateful.
I am sure many people with holiday birthdays have similar experiences. Even though I remember it as an unlucky thing as a child, I realize there are many aspects of it that I love. In the grand scheme of things, a holiday, or birthday, is just another day to be grateful for.