There’s not a single person that isn’t excited on December 1st. It’s officially acceptable to break out your ugly Christmas sweater and exclusively blast Christmas music for the rest of the year (although who’s to say this isn’t acceptable year round?). The best holiday of the year is finally upon us, filled with joy, family, cheesey holiday activities and presents. For most people, the promise of the holiday is enough to get you going. For people born in December, it’s even more exciting. After watching every single one of our friends celebrate, it’s finally our turn to celebrate our birthday (or if you’re me you turn it into a birth-month). There are some definite perks to having a birthday so close to everyone’s favorite holiday, but it can tend to overshine the real December holiday (our birthdays).
Pro: Everyone’s excited
Christmas brings people together, there’s nothing more to it. It’s the happiest time of year. Cheesy Christmas movies are constantly playing, Mariah Carey is finally on the radio again and you have a valid excuse to go shopping multipe times in a week. The promise of Christmas can put a smile on anyone’s face. That means the whole month of December people tend to be happier, which means everyone’s in a good mood for your birthday.
Con: Christmas overshadows your birthday
Everyone’s excited for sure, but not necessarily for your birthday. The weeks are so busy before Christmas, between shopping and seeing family, that sometimes people forget or put it on the backburner. Yeah, I get Jesus’ birthday is cool too but what about mine?
Pro: Double the presents
December baby’s get to experience the excitement of opening gifts twice in a row. With all the distant relatives and family friends you see around the holiday season, it becomes a month of gifts (hence the birth-month).
Con: No presents for the rest of the year
Unlike everyone else, there will be no day in the middle of the year that you receive tons of gifts. You get them all at once and then it’s basically like you’re on hiatus until the holidays come around again. So if you find a really nice pair of boots that you want, you can’t convince your parents to buy them ‘for your birthday’ because the holidays are over and so is your birthday.
Pro: Birthday party themes are really easy
What does one wear to a birthday party in December? Holiday apparel of course. Whether it be an ugly sweater birthday party or a Christmas color cooridanted event, no one has to think that hard about what they’re going to wear.
Con: You can’t really change that theme ever
It’s fun for everyone else, but it’s kinda rough sharing a birthday party with Jesus every year. What if I wanted to have a pool party? Can’t do that in December.
Pro: Every party becomes your birthday party
Every time you attend a family holiday party, someone breaks out a cake and makes everyone sing for you. It’s guaranteed that you’re going to see even the most distant of relatives for your birthday.
Con: You can’t avoid awkwardly being sang to
What are you supposed to do when people are singing Happy Birthday to you? 20 years of life and I still try to avoid eye contact.
Pro: You can pretend all the pretty holiday decorations are for you
Thank you to all my neighbors for decorating your homes in my honor.
Con: They aren’t :/
But they should be.
All in all, being a December baby has it’s ups and downs. People tend to be more excited about Christmas than your birthday (rude) but at least you get to make a whole month out of it, which is what we all deserve after waiting forever for it to finally come. Happy birthday to my fellow holiday birthdays and happy holidays to everyone!