According to Hofmann: Sympathy for the Dec. 25鈥檈rs
I recently attended a birthday party for my wife蘑菇视频 cousin蘑菇视频 1-year-old daughter, which would make her my second-cousin-once-removed-in-law, if my math is right.
But what蘑菇视频 not right is the audacity of my wife蘑菇视频 cousin to have a baby so close to Christmas.
During the party, I felt bad for my second-cousin-once-removed-in-law 鈥� of course, she was oblivious to many things surrounding her (with the exception of the smash cake because once that蘑菇视频 introduced, all bets are off).
This year, everything with her birthday was all smiles, toys and smash cakes, but in future years, she蘑菇视频 going to realize she蘑菇视频 getting the shaft.
Not the 1971 crime movie 鈥淪haft;鈥� I鈥檒l buy her that for her 10th birthday.
Everybody knows that people 鈥� especially children 鈥� have it rough when their birthdays are around or fall on Christmas, but I always wonder to what degree does it go from tolerable to horrible.
I figure I鈥檒l start with the kids born on Christmas Day.
Now, the first problem is your birthday might be a bit overshadowed by Christmas.
Think about it, when it蘑菇视频 Christmas Day or Christmas Eve or days after Christmas if you鈥檙e a freak, the first thing you say to someone is 鈥淢erry Christmas.鈥� But then you would have to tag on an 鈥淎nd happy birthday!鈥� to a Dec. 25鈥檈r, as I call them.
A quick remedy would be to condition yourself to give the birthday greeting prior to the Christmas greeting, and, let me tell you, it蘑菇视频 a good thing there蘑菇视频 no law saying a birthday party must be thrown on your birthday.
Yes, there蘑菇视频 nothing like going to a family member蘑菇视频 home for Christmas dinner and indulging in a merry feast of turkey, stuffing, eggnog, pumpkin pie, birthday cake, fruit punch, potato chips and pizza 鈥� oh, and a clown will be there making balloon animals, too.
The second problem for a Dec. 25鈥檈r is a similar problem for those with birthdays around Christmas: presents.
I can鈥檛 really say I blame the parents in that aspect because buying Christmas presents is a significant hit to the wallet, but when you add buying birthday presents on top of that it causes some stress and perhaps some sly planning on their part to make it all work.
鈥淗oney, just hear me out,鈥� a husband like me would say. 鈥淵ou know how some people don鈥檛 have their kids opening the presents at the birthday party? Well, what if a few of little Susie蘑菇视频 gifts just happen to, you know, end up in Christmas wrapping paper and go unopened for a day or two?鈥�
Of course, those Dec. 25鈥檈rs and those like them would have a good hand to play when writing out their birthday/Christmas lists.
鈥淲ell, mom and dad, if you won鈥檛 buy me a bike for my birthday, maybe Santa Claus will make it happen. If he fails me, there蘑菇视频 no hope left.鈥�
Another aspect of the whole thing that I find curious is the pre-Christmas birthday vs. the post-Christmas birthday in terms of which one is better or, better yet, less worse than the other.
I would have to say post-Christmas is the worst, but only if the kid蘑菇视频 birthday lands two weeks after Christmas.
Think about it, everyone is still recovering physically, financially, mentally and spiritually from not one, but two holidays; you鈥檙e back at the torture chamber known as school and everything seems a lot more depressing after the bright and cheerful holiday season as the next three months is going to be an ice box of melancholy.
With that in mind, I suppose I shouldn鈥檛 feel that bad for my second-cousin-once-removed-in-law as her birthday is only two weeks prior to Christmas, and she still has plenty of years before she realizes what she and others in her situation have to deal with every Birthdaymas.
I just hope that the gift of 鈥淪haft鈥� and its four sequels will distract her enough to not think about it for a few years.
According to Hofmann is written by staff reporter Mark Hofmann of Rostraver Township. His books, 鈥淕ood Mourning! A Guide to Biting the Big One鈥nd Dying, Too鈥� and 鈥淪tupid Brain,鈥� are available on Amazon.com.