The December Birthday Blues
Having a birthday on Christmas day was always so much fun when I was younger. To me the day was all about my birthday and Christmas was just an added bonus. My parents worked very hard on keeping the two holidays very separate. We would celebrate Christmas in the morning and my birthday in the afternoon – no exceptions. No birthday gifts could be wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper and no gifts were allowed to be both a Christmas and a birthday present. One year I noticed that my brother was receiving gifts on my birthday and so I thought it was only fair that I should get presents on his birthday as well. My parents agreed to this for a few years before it fizzled out, as most whims of small children do.
Over the years celebrating my birthday means less and less to me – as I do not particularly enjoy aging. I find myself more embarrassed than overjoyed with the extra attention I get on this day. So I have declared this year to be my first non-celebratory birthday. I do not want a cake. I do not want gifts. I just want to enjoy Christmas with my 2-year old son and not have it interrupted with the frivolities that birthdays can bring. I want my son to begin his Christmas traditions without having to cut his Christmas short so his mommy can get extra presents.
However, I need to do something to acknowledge my extra year in this world. So I think I will start a new birthday tradition. This year I will buy myself my first bottle of really incredible wine. I will be treating myself to a bottle of Sokol Blosser 2003 Old Vineyard Block Pinot Noir. I plan to save this bottle for 10 years until my next big birthday and then toast myself for the 10 years in between. I’m sure I will have deserved it by then.