Have you ever been a Christmas present?

By Susan Schafer

Scha0119@algonquincollege.com

The tree has been trimmed, the gifts have been wrapped, and the turkey is in the oven - all is ready for Christmas at last. Hello! Aren’t you forgetting something? Susan’s Birthday!
And so it went year after year, Santa and Jesus stealing the show, and poor little Suzy left with whatever celebration and spirit was left.
You see, I was born on Dec. 25, 21 years ago this month, and I am here to tell you the truth about being a Christmas baby - and trust me, it’s not all coming up milk and cookies.
Let me start with my baby picture - you know, the hospital one where kids fresh out of the womb, still looking like little foreign aliens, will one day sit on parents’ shelves. Well as if my demented face wasn’t enough, the nurses had to put a giant, bright red, tuque on my head to draw attention to my poor self.
Things didn’t improve too much over my childhood years. Christmas after Christmas, and birthday after birthday, I felt ripped off when people handed me one gift saying, “Merry Christmas! Oh, and happy birthday too.” Not to mention friends never being able to come to my birthday party because of other holiday engagements.
As a teenager, I was always the last to get my driver’s license or turn the legal drinking age because of my late birthday. Needless to say, this posed some frustration.
And then there’s the cake issue. I’ve never had a real birthday cake on my real birthday. Excuses range from “cake is too rich after turkey” and “we have to keep tradition alive with mincemeat pie.”
The truth is, my birthday has just never really felt like my own special day because I’m always sharing it with Christmas and all the craze that surrounds it.
But aside from these drawbacks, I must admit that I do think my birthday is pretty special, and luckily enough my family has always helped me feel that way. They always make sure to wrap my birthday gifts in birthday paper and spoil me to ensure I don’t feel cheated.
Speaking of gifts, I bet very few people can say they have been the best present someone has ever received. And I have been, at least according to my Mom and what she tells me every Christmas morning.
Over the years, as gifts have become less important and the more meaningful things in life move to the forefront, I have learned that it doesn’t matter what day your birthday lands on; it’s family and friends that are there to share it with you.