What’s Wrong with December birthdays?

Nothing.

People with December birthdays are lucky to celebrate in such cheerful surroundings and good company. Decorations and indulgent food are already built-in. People are in a good mood; kindness and joy are easier to come by.

My birthday is on December 23. Probably not so good for my mother on the day of, but after that, it’s always been fun.  When I was a kid, my birthday parties always involved a little craft treat, where my friends and I pinned sequins and glued rick-rack (does everyone remember rick-rack?) onto  Styrofoam balls, making decorated snowmen to take home to put on their trees. Not only was the house festooned with lights and colors, but so was the neighborhood—it  seemed as if the whole world was gussied up to celebrate my birthday.

I have to add that I wasn’t brought up in any religion, so the message of the whole season has always come across to me as irresistibly welcoming and universal. Nothing divisive, nothing about us vs. them in ‘Peace on Earth, Joy to the World, Good Tidings to All.’  

There is the issue of getting only one gift to cover both Christmas and the birthday. Other December birthday friends of mind have complained of that. But I’ve never minded. The general festivity of the time, and the ability to extend the good cheer over days and days always made up for it for me.  My dad once said I could celebrate on my 6-month anniversary, June 23, if I wanted to get away from the Christmas competition. Thanks, Dad, but no way.

However, I do have a nephew whose birthday is December 25th, which I put in a different category. Pretty hard to compete with that one. His mom, my hard-working sister-in-law Jane, always did everything she could to make at least part of the day be about him. Tough challenge, for sure. (And his brother’s birthday is January 1—another tough one, I think, because people are all tuckered out and find it difficult to focus on yet another round of cake and gifting.)

But birthdays before Christmas—cheers to one and all!

Here’s just a few of the people who celebrate their birthdays in December: Steve Allen, Woody Allen, Jane Austen, Clara Barton, Beethoven, Steve Biko, Dave Brubeck, Noel Coward, Emily Dickenson, Gustave Flaubert, Margaret Mead, Bette Midler, Isaac Newton, Georges Seurat, I.F. Stone, James Thurber.  A motley but creative bunch, I’d say, and I hope they all had, or are having, fun with it.