Worst Day for a Birthday

As the year rolls to an end, I see the final few friends who are celebrating their birthday before 2010 via my Facebook reminder and can't help but feel sorry for them. A December 31st birthday, really? Poor you, I think as I feel more-then blessed to be a gemini. It got me to thinking that some people have some unfortunate days to soak up the always prevalent birthday attention, because there are other events taking away from it. It's sort of the equivalent of having another family member or close friend who shares your birthday. You have to have the joint birthday cake, share the attention from family members and friends alike, and have to come to some sort of agreement and compromise on how you both want to spend it. Compromising; just the thing you want to do on the one day of year you're clear to call all that shots. Disastrous.

January 1st - New years day. Also known as International Hangover Day. New Years Eve is a universal celebration. Though some people stay in and do the whole I'm-the-anti-New-Year-chick-and-don't-give-a-shit thing, there are many others who make New Years Eve a big deal. Like center of the universe I need the best of the best plans big deal. No one wants a celebration the day following the biggest celebration of the year. Enough said.

December 30th - The day that everyone is holding off in preparation for New Years Eve. No one wants to go out because they don't want to ruin the tomorrow they have played in their head multiple times since they got holiday presents and holiday bullshit off their backs. It's just known, nobody goes out on December the 30th.

December 31st - Happy New Years! Oh, and uh, happy birthday too? I guess. Us twentysomethings are so caught up in our New Years plans (along with our new years outfit, our new years hair, our new years mani/pedi, our new years 'OMG-who-am-i-going-to-kiss-at-midnight' mentality that is over consuming our minds, that we just don't have time to remember dear, old you. Your special, we love you, but we love ourselves too. It's a day where everyone is so caught up with their plans that conversations on this day (whether at the grocery store, with friends, or with the Vietnamese manicurist) always start off with 'So, what are you doing to celebrate New Years?' Not: so, what are you doing to celebrate your birthday? You see what I mean?

February 29th - I just so happened to be born on a leap year and just always felt oh-so-sorry when kids in my class had a birthday on this date. The reason being, this date only comes around once every four years. You know when someone calls you the day after your birthday? You know that feeling you have, that appreciative feeling that a call came through, but it just isn't the same since your day of birth has already expired? Well imagine that every 3 out of 4 years. The February 29ers opt to celebrate their birthday on either February 28th of March 1st. Faux-birthday? Not as good as the real thing. Faux never is.

Yom Kippur - for my Jewish friends out there, this happens to be one of the worst days for your birthday to fall on. For 24 hours everyone is fasting. You can't eat, you can't drink, you can't have sex, you can't put on makeup or wear leather, you can't brush your teeth...the list goes on. Jews are meant to not do anything on this day, but focus on repenting for their sins. That sorta, kinda means people aren't focussing on you. The one plus of the most significant Jewish holiday in the year is that it falls on a different date each year (around the end of September/beginning of October), since the date is based on the Jewish calendar.

September 11th - Need I say more?

Passover - You get to blow out candles on a cake that tastes like sawdust, none of your fellow Jewish friends can't go out because they are pretty sure the bar/restaurant you choose to celebrate doesn't offer a Kosher for Passover menu, and worstly, if it falls on the first two nights, everyone is off with their families as they are forced to take part in a four hour (minimum) Sedar. Though times have changed, most bubbies and zadies aren't so comfortable with the Blackberry being on the table so you know you're not getting the expected ongoing influx of birthday messages/phone calls/pins/emails/Facebook alerts for a good four hours of your birthday.

December 25th - Christmas day. The one day a year that stores/gas stations/restaurants that claim to be open 24/7 are in fact actually not. The only thing open is the Movies and Chinese food, so unless you want an annual chicken ball+chick flick celebration, you're shit out of luck. Bars too tend to be closed on this date too. But I'm sure that you can get some egg nog to drink alone in front of your fireplace (on your TV). Merry Christmas!

Valentines Day - for you blonde, bronzed babes out there who are self proclaimed girly girls, having a birthday on this day doesn't allow you to soak up the love as much as you'd like. Instead of being bombarded with all pink gummys and heart shaped sweet nothings, you're instead being gifted with generic balloons and cards professing a special day as opposed to cards professing love and romanticness.

April 1st - The joke is on you. Growing up people spent the first half of your special day being foolish and pulling pranks. Maybe people will remember your birthday in the afternoon, but it's not the most pleasant day (unless you're the class clown).


What do you think is the worst day to have a birthday? Have I missed the first date that came to your head when you read the title for this article? Does your birthday fall on one of the days I've listed?