Birthdays

Remove all ads!

Here's another poll thread to pass the time ...

The Happy Birthday Thread and news of Ofelix's birthday got me thinking: how important are birthdays to you? There seems to be a fairly wide variation in this.

Personally I'm willing to concede that birthdays for kids can be kind of important, both to them and in acknowledgement by others, simply because they haven't had that many of them and because kids kind of should celebrate things like birthdays. They're kids after all, let them worry about heavy stuff later. The other side of the coin is a fairly ugly and embarrassing one though - those older people who make a point of telling the entire office (or pick your social setting) that their birthday is coming in the desperate hope that they'll receive a cake and public accolades, and who seem to derive deep satisfaction from the experience, and who seem to feel horribly mistreated if the don't get their perceived due.

I tend to barely even acknowledge my own birthdays, being as they seem to be abstractions to the extent that they are almost meaningless. (Roughly x number of cycles of the earth orbiting the sun have occurred since the day you were born, not counting leap years and the fact that there's some spare time left at the end of each year - so that estimate is very rough. And even if you do pin it down, so what? Did you change somehow, fundamentally? And the more years you tack on, the more they blur together anyway. It's also embarrassing to wear a pointed hat and have people mumble through the song for you after you're, say, 15 years old or so.)

What do you think?

 

Birthdays are a good excuse to go out with some mates and have a beer, or throw a bbq. I never pay that much attention to the day itself tho, as most of the time I celebrate it in a weekend close to my actual birthday.

As for cakes in the office: around here you're expected to bring your own cake on your birthday, to share with the people you work with.

 

I know the feeling. I'm aware of my birth date, but not always my age.

 

I hate birthdays, I really do. All those relative making a fuss about this day... It's never about what I want (I'd seriously be happy playing Dawnguard, Skyrim's new DLC, and wait by the phone for news of my recent interviews) noooooooo, it's all about what others want to do for my birthday. So it's off to the movies and dinner with my aunt. I really don't want to, but hey it wouldn't be polite and stuff... So I got expelled out of a vagina 24 years ago, big ****ing deal.

 

They grow less important the older you get. My son turns 5 next week - it's a big deal. I turned 38 this year - it was no big deal. I find my birthday an annual occassion in which I have the opportunity to redefine what I consider to be "old".

 

dmc and I must being sharing some sort of cosmic mental ray these last couple of days, because that is how I look at "old" as well. When I was 30, 40 was old, and 50 might as well been on death's doorstep. I'm now 52, and I think of one of my co-workers who is 58 as still being young. The 61 year-old, OTOH, is a geezer.

 

Same as Mesmero. It's like Thanksgiving (for the sales) or Christmas (if you're not religious) except with emphasis on "me". We sometimes even "celebrate" (bbq, fishing, beer fest, depends) someone's birthday one month in advance/late, so everyone has a chance to join. Nothing particularly elaborate though. Sometimes we just order pizza and play console games.

All of us are 25-30, less than half are married.

 

I didn't go out and celebrate my last birthday but it was significant for me because it was the first birthday I was happy in a long time. The important thing was that I was with people I care about .

 

The reason I love my birthday is because it's the one time of year I can really get all my friends together. Unlike some people who have one really close-knit group I have many different friends who aren't really friends with the others. There's my friends from high school, friends from university, friends from my co-op jobs and friends from my current job. Usually that means that I tend to go long periods of time between seeing some of my friends but my birthday gives me a chance to put make sure I haven't missed anyone!

And as far as old is concerned, my manager turned 28 in December and I still haven't stopped harping on her for being "so old". Then again there are times when I think to myself "Holy crap, as of next month I'll have been able to drink (legally) for five years" even though it seems like just yesterday that we had to get older friends to help us find liquor. I can't even begin to imagine how those memories will feel in 20 years time

 

What a bunch of humbugs you all are!

Sure, you can argue all day that a year isn't a cosmic time period (actually, it literally is, but never mind) but its great to have a day of the year that's special to you and to think a bit differently about. It's milestones like birthdays and anniversaries that remind us to get out of our rut of doing the same thing over and over every day. They become anchor points to look back on in life.

Cheer up a bit you lot! And Happy Birthday!!

 

Faded, I would imagine.

To me, birthdays and stuff like new years is just like a complete non-issue. One day is much the same as the other and birthdays are no different. I've had it happen that I forgot about my birthday and only was reminded of it when someone else remembered it and congratulated me.

Also forgetting how old I am happens a lot - I usually remember the year in which people were born so I can calculate it, including for myself.

 

Birthdays are fun to celebrate, but I've forgotton my own until some friend calls or visits to remind me. lol I kind of agree with Tal -- if I can open my eyes in the morning and see light....I know it's a good day.

 

I do think it is mandatory that close friends/relatives have some kind of ruckus when they turn even. Have a few rockin' 30-year parties to look forward to in the next few years.

 

I love them, especially my kids birthdays

 

My birthday? I don't give a damn about that one. I don't see the point in jumping up and down every year just because the date happens to match that of the day I was born. Just why?

 

I'm a Valentine baby- bah, humbug!