Happy Birthday to Me!

I think I am getting to the age when I am not supposed to look forward to birthdays. The reality is I like the axiom, “Growing old is compulsory, Growing- up is optional”. I like the idea that for one day in the year at least I can be the centre of attention. I like receiving presents, I like being spoiled, even if it is just for a few hours.


The problem I have is my birthday is in June and falls very close to Fathers Day and occasionally falls on Fathers Day.

When Birthday and Fathers Day collide my family do their best. I do receive two lots of presents although I am reminded how confusing it is and was to work out what they are giving me for my birthday and what is for Fathers Day!! I still get to choose either what we have for dinner or where we go for dinner. I still enjoy the attention of my family.

A few years ago to celebrate my parents fiftieth wedding anniversary the whole family, my parents, my sister, her husband and her two children and Lynn, Megan, Jamie and I enjoyed a weekend together in a Scottish Hotel, coincidently it also happened to be the weekend that was my birthday and Fathers Day. Now I am not proud to confess this but it was a birthday I did not enjoy, despite the fact that I received an extra present from my sister, long ago it was decided that birthday presents were only for the nieces and nephews (a decision if memory serves me well I objected to!!). The problem was not only did I have to share the day with my own Father and watch him open his presents I had to endure watching my brother-in-law receiving presents from my niece and nephew. This was supposed to be my day, my birthday!!!

Recently I bought a badge which reads, “Jesus the Reason for the Season”. Inevitably when making that claim someone will point out that Dec 25th probably was not the actual day Jesus was born. They will also highlight the fact that the festivities of Christmas are closely linked to the Roman celebration of Saturnalia. They also delight in suggesting much of the trappings have little to do with ‘Christ’ or ‘Christianity’. All of this might well be true but it does not mean that we should not celebrate his birthday.

There will be other years when my birthday falls on Fathers Day. There are also countless numbers of people who actually share my birthday. Despite all that June 17th will always be my birthday. The fact that birthday cake, candles, balloons, presents and the song ‘Happy Birthday’ were not specifically invented for my birthday does not mean I can not or should not enjoy them on my birthday. (Okay may be not the candles and the song Happy Birthday). For me and mine “JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON”