It was my birthday on Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
I don’t say that in an attempt to make you feel guilty for forgetting to buy me a present.
That would be stupid. As if you're going to buy a birthday present for someone you don’t know.
No, I’m telling you when my birthday was so you know that I have the credentials to talk about a certain matter.
That matter would be dealing with those whose birthdays fall close to Christmas.
The late December-early January birthdays tend to get overwhelmed by the post-Christmas exhaustion; that “thank God that’s over for another year” feeling.
I’ve spoken to others who share the same fate and and we all have similar stories, which suggests to me that you people need some guidance on how not to screw up our birthdays.
What the most important thing to remember? Actually remembering the birthday. I know someone born on Boxing Day whose family actually forgot his birthday until around noon on the day itself.
Something else to be wary of is what you wrap their presents in. That means no Christmas wrapping paper – at all.
I don’t care if you’ve got some left over and it would be much easier to use it rather than go buy something else.
You wouldn’t be using yuletide paper for, say, an April birthday; the same rule applies here.
While we’re speaking of presents, don't pull that lame thing where you tell someone they’ll getting one present for Christmas and their birthday, but it will be a big present.
That’s a lie – in my experience it is never a “big present”.
Also it tells the kid “hey, your birthday isn’t special enough to warrant a separate present”.
So remember, Christmas and birthdays are two separate events – don’t ever combine them.