I do not celebrate my birthday and I avoid telling people when it is. I don’t want people fussing about it when it’s just another day like all the others before it.
I have a birthday month. Between Pride month, (i volunteer so they lgbtqia+ can party), my birthday, fathers day, and my best friends birthday June is packed with parties.
While I don’t technically celebrate it, I use it as an excuse to buy stupid things I don’t really need. (I still buy the stupid things the rest of the year, I just don’t have as good an excuse.)
I guess I’m among a commonality here in that I really haven’t had a birthday celebration in an awfully long time. Not that I’d mind having a party once in a while, but I’d guess the last one I remember celebrating was my 40th which was 15 years ago…
I’m with a lot of you guys: I don’t see any point in the inconvenience and/or expense to others just because I managed to not die for another year. If they insist on saying “happy birthday” to me once each year, that’s fine, if they really insist on doing it.
That being said, if I like someone I will use their birthday as an excuse to get them a gift if during the year I happen to run across something I know they’ll like. Might be a bit hypocritical, but meh.
Same goes for father’s day: I don’t like to be “celebrated.”
Like Lewis Carroll I prefer to celebrate my unbirthday. 364 a year, 365 in leap years, rather than the 1, some poor bastards only get 1 every 4 years, unless it’s a century not divisible by 400.
I celebrate it until someone else remembers it (and hopefully brings me a present or treats me to a meal – Cotton Patch Cafe used to be good about bringing me a free piece of cake, but I guess they have now lost their sticky note). As @kalma said, sometimes I have to provide the present(s).
My mother (dead now) and my wife (in care) always remembered; my father, only if he was reminded.
My son, kinda iffy.
My godmother always remembered.
Rate notices from my insurance and new cards seem to indicate that they do remember.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
My kid has two different birthdays. Her legal one and her real one (we found her birth mom). Some years she wants to celebrate both and is ticked at me when I tell her she needs to pick which one for the cake and presents (as an adult now the present is money which she prefers and she usually doesn’t want the cake anymore, plus I need to go to her place to celebrate).
You should celebrate it all year long!!! Personally I have hated my birthday and completely ignored it since I was 12, but it’s right between DecemberHalloween and FirstDayOfNewYearHalloween so there is plenty of December darkness and ghostiness to celebrate instead
I only acknowledge my birthday for the family. I think it means more to them to do something for me than it does for me. Same with father’s day. I’d rather it just be a normal Sunday, but acknowledge it for the kids.
Otherwise, I don’t really like being centre of attention.
Until I expire.
Not. At. All.
Usually a whole week it depends on what we choose to do but I accepted gifts 365 days a year
I do not celebrate my birthday and I avoid telling people when it is. I don’t want people fussing about it when it’s just another day like all the others before it.
Meh, birthdays.
My personal history supports an answer of “I can’t”.
I have a birthday month. Between Pride month, (i volunteer so they lgbtqia+ can party), my birthday, fathers day, and my best friends birthday June is packed with parties.
While I don’t technically celebrate it, I use it as an excuse to buy stupid things I don’t really need. (I still buy the stupid things the rest of the year, I just don’t have as good an excuse.)
Never just a depressing day. Why build a funeral pyre on a cake to see if you can blow it out to live another year?
I guess I’m among a commonality here in that I really haven’t had a birthday celebration in an awfully long time. Not that I’d mind having a party once in a while, but I’d guess the last one I remember celebrating was my 40th which was 15 years ago…
I’m with a lot of you guys: I don’t see any point in the inconvenience and/or expense to others just because I managed to not die for another year. If they insist on saying “happy birthday” to me once each year, that’s fine, if they really insist on doing it.
That being said, if I like someone I will use their birthday as an excuse to get them a gift if during the year I happen to run across something I know they’ll like. Might be a bit hypocritical, but meh.
Same goes for father’s day: I don’t like to be “celebrated.”
Like Lewis Carroll I prefer to celebrate my unbirthday. 364 a year, 365 in leap years, rather than the 1, some poor bastards only get 1 every 4 years, unless it’s a century not divisible by 400.
I celebrate it until someone else remembers it (and hopefully brings me a present or treats me to a meal – Cotton Patch Cafe used to be good about bringing me a free piece of cake, but I guess they have now lost their sticky note). As @kalma said, sometimes I have to provide the present(s).
My mother (dead now) and my wife (in care) always remembered; my father, only if he was reminded.
My son, kinda iffy.
My godmother always remembered.
Rate notices from my insurance and new cards seem to indicate that they do remember.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I can only think of two celebrations of my birthday at all in the last 20 years. Those were… 1-3 hours?
3 months. April-May-June.
I guess others can choose a different 3 months. I’m not unreasonable.
My kid has two different birthdays. Her legal one and her real one (we found her birth mom). Some years she wants to celebrate both and is ticked at me when I tell her she needs to pick which one for the cake and presents (as an adult now the present is money which she prefers and she usually doesn’t want the cake anymore, plus I need to go to her place to celebrate).
@Kidsandliz I’m guessing she’d be happy with money on non-birthdays, also.
@phendrick Heck she’d be happy with me supporting her in the style she’d like to become accustomed to.
Oh wait. I’d like someone to do that with me too.
You should celebrate it all year long!!! Personally I have hated my birthday and completely ignored it since I was 12, but it’s right between DecemberHalloween and FirstDayOfNewYearHalloween so there is plenty of December darkness and ghostiness to celebrate instead
One day, but not the actual day, because you’ll inevitably have a scheduling conflict.
@triavalon Guaranteed for those of us in the “holiday season”. Even if we don’t have a scheduling conflict, everyone else will.
Until the end of space/time.
/giphy “space time”
Please don’t!
I only acknowledge my birthday for the family. I think it means more to them to do something for me than it does for me. Same with father’s day. I’d rather it just be a normal Sunday, but acknowledge it for the kids.
Otherwise, I don’t really like being centre of attention.