Sharing A Birthday With A Holiday And Why It's Awesome - But Also Equally Not Awesome

     November 26th isn't a date that automatically makes you think of a holiday, but 23 years ago it happened to fall on a Thursday, making this day, which just happens to be the day of my birth, also Thanksgiving Day. Because Thanksgiving is a Day-Based holiday, (as opposed to a Date-Based Holiday that always falls on the the same date) I've only shared my birthday with Turkey-Day 4 times in my life; 1992, 1998, 2009, and this year, 2015. This year, I realized how many perks come with a Holi-Birthday, but then I started to notice the flaws as well.


Perk: 
Something is Always Planned
     Fortunately, I have never been forgotten about on my birthday. However, since this is my first year away from my parents' house, a formal birthday party didn't magically set itself up like it used to. But, because of Thanksgiving, I was able to still see some of my family and get a free meal which is never a bad thing.

Flaw:
Something is Always Planned
     Unfortunately, you don't always want to spend your birthday the same way every year. Yes a birthday on Halloween might get you extra candy as a kid, but some days you just want to spend a birthday at home. For me, my birthday usually avoids the holiday, but often hits the sub-holidays around thanksgiving like Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, or Thanksgiving Eve, the busiest traveling day of the year.

Perk:

Something is Always Planned (That You Don't Want To Go To)
     Sometimes you get invited to holiday parties that you really don't want to go to and can never get out of. Well what's a better excuse than, "I have other plans for my birthday"? You can even use this excuse to get your friends out of plans. This is a great reason to befriend someone with a holiday birthday.

Flaw:
Something is Always Planned (For Everyone Else)
     Sure a birthday is just a day, but there's something great about celebrating on the actual day instead of a few days later when everyone's free.
   
Perk:
People Are Happier
     With the exception of some minor holidays, people tend to get happier on holidays. Maybe it's because they get to see family, maybe they don't want to see family at all, but still pretend they're happy. Either way, everyone's smiling and that's always good to see on your birthday.

Flaw:
Combinations
     I'm sure anyone born on a gift giving holiday (or any day in December for that matter) will tell you that holiday combinations are one of the worst flaws of Holi-Birthdays. As you get older it doesn't seem to be as much of a bother, but as a kid, getting presents is one of the greatest things about being alive and really makes being born worth it! So it's a shame to see two presents become one... most of the time. Which brings me to my next point...

Perk:
Combinations (Sometimes)
     A lot of presents spread throughout the year can be great, and we all know that two is greater than one. But on a budget, two presents might not be anything special, and one big one could be something you actually want. I've had my fair share of Birthday/Christmas presents and often those are the ones I cherish the most.

Flaw:
Nothing Is Open
     At least on the big holidays, this one can be annoying if you want to buy something for yourself on your birthday.

Perk:
"Happy Birthday" Responses
     One thing I noticed this year is that it's usually much harder to respond to "happy birthday" when your birthday is just a birthday, especially for a person as prone to responding to every statement with "you too" as I am. But when your birthday is a holiday, you can simply wish them a happy holiday.
     "Happy Birthday!"
     "Thanks! And a happy Groundhog Day to you!"


     With all the flaws and perks that I mentioned, there are countless amounts more that are unique to each holiday-birthday. The only reason I wrote this blog post today is because my sister fell asleep after the thanksgiving meal (Flaw), but that caused me to be more productive (Perk). The great thing about having a birthday on thanksgiving is that it's a time when everyone remembers what they're thankful for, and that's never a bad mindset to have on your birthday no matter when it is.


     If you have any perks or flaws pertaining to your birthday, leave a comment bellow or on facebook at Facebook.com/freewayparade or on twitter @freewayparade. This blog is dedicated to my Aunt Cindy (born on Halloween) and my Dad (born the day after Christmas).