Birthdays...

Grrrr.

Ok, so I LOVE birthdays. Love them! Or, in cooler terms, I heart birthdays. :) It's not that I necessarily like my own anymore (though I do still love cake and balloons and presents) but I love helping others celebrate theirs. Especially kids. I like watching them get so excited to blow out their candles and unwrap their gifts. I think it's adorable when their friends want to "help" unwrap the gifts or blurt out what it is they purchased before the birthday boy or girl gets it open.

I like birthdays so much that, to me, it doesn't matter when the birthday party is, I want to be there. I remember before we were even considering having kids a friend told me that another of her friends had a baby born in December but they were planning to celebrate his birthday in June so that he wouldn't have to "compete with Christmas" - that it wasn't fair to him to have his birthday so close to a big holiday like that.

What?

Connor was born on December 9th. That's his birthday. That's when we were blessed with a beautiful 7 lb 9 oz bundle of joy. Not in June. So why the growl above? I'm frustrated that several people who have been invited to Connor's party have said they can't come. Why? "Because it's such a busy time of year." Ok. I know, we planned his party for a Saturday in December but it's in the morning which should be before most other events occur. It's about smack dab in the middle between Thanksgiving and Christmas so no one should have any family visiting and school is still in session so I wouldn't think anyone would be on vacation. And isn't every time of year busy these days?

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to ignore the fact that Christmas is coming - I want to embrace it! I mean, December is such a magical time of year! There is usually snow on the ground, beautiful lights everywhere, people are so happy. I've always been happy to have an October birthday because I love fall and Halloween is so close. I remember taking pumpkin cupcakes or caramel apples to school instead of birthday cake to celebrate. Jeremy has liked having his birthday ON a national holiday because he always gets the day off from work and everyone in the country is eating hot dogs and shooting off fireworks. So I see no problem with having our Christmas tree up already or going to the Longmont Holiday parade the night of Connor's party.

Not that any of that matters. I think it should be about Connor. Do you like or love Connor enough to want to help celebrate his birthday with him? That's what matters to me. I don't want him to feel cheated because his birthday is in December - he deserves cake and presents and a party just as much as someone born in any other month of the year.

I wonder how my step-mom felt growing up about her birthday two days after Christmas...or how kids feel when their birthday is on Christmas or Valentine's Day or in the summer when they might have lost touch with their school friends. And what about those who are born on February 29th? Hmmm.....

I'm rambling but to wrap it up, I guess having a birthday during a "busy" time of year will just help him learn who his true friends are, even at the tender age of 4 :)