Some people like to celebrate things and have a good time. The others just stew in their bitter, sad lives.

I was an only child. Mother, father and I got to pick the birthday cake we wanted and dinner. I enjoyed helping make the cakes. I think Daddy liked chocolate with white frosting. I liked angel food or white cake with pink frosting. I can't recall what Mama liked. Double chocolate? Devils food? These were all boxed mixes and boxed frosting mixes. The frosting tubs cane out when I was in high school iirc.
Later as we got more prosperous we would go out to dinner for birthdays. Kapok Tree Restaurant, seafood on the shore, etc.
I recall a few parties when I was in like 2nd or 3rd grade. Luncheons for young ladies seemed very grand, we dressed up.
I went to other kid's parties, too later on in elementary school.
I still think my birthday is a big deal. DH isn't so big on his but I get him presents and cards and such. Before covid we went on trips for our birthdays or fancy restaurants.,

My ILs! Only they only ever want to make a huge deal out of their own birthdays and wedding anniversaries - never can remember ours - and DH and I have been married 26 years.

They’re local and always insisted upon a full family gathering or dinner out for their birthdays.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know someone whose birthday is January 1, so it was never celebrated during her childhood. So she makes a big deal of it as an adult.

I don't understand why having a Jan. 1 birthday means it wasn't celebrated. Because they were busy celebrating New Year's Day?

It’s similar but not as bad as a Christmas birthday. When you are little you do not have traditional birthday party with other kids because parents are not taking their kid to a birthday on new year days. Just like no one has a birthday party on or around Christmas. Though most people with these dates really do not think birthday parties are a big thing because they never had them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know someone whose birthday is January 1, so it was never celebrated during her childhood. So she makes a big deal of it as an adult.

I don't understand why having a Jan. 1 birthday means it wasn't celebrated. Because they were busy celebrating New Year's Day?

Uhh, I think everyone was away on vacations, burnt out from Christmas, stuff like that. If it had been important to the parents, they'd have made it happen. It clearly wasn't a priority for them. Her birthday party could have been celebrated in mid January when everyone was back.

Anonymous wrote:I know someone whose birthday is January 1, so it was never celebrated during her childhood. So she makes a big deal of it as an adult.

I don't understand why having a Jan. 1 birthday means it wasn't celebrated. Because they were busy celebrating New Year's Day?

I know someone whose birthday is January 1, so it was never celebrated during her childhood. So she makes a big deal of it as an adult.

Anonymous wrote:I love my birthday and celebrate in a low-key way with my nuclear family: I make my favorite meal and someone else cleans up. I buy my own gifts and show them off to my family. My husband brings me flowers and thankfully is not responsible for gifts.

I don’t know anyone who thinks their birth is worthy of a huge multiday event.

i love that you buy your own gifts and show them to the family. i might steal that idea.

I love my birthday and celebrate in a low-key way with my nuclear family: I make my favorite meal and someone else cleans up. I buy my own gifts and show them off to my family. My husband brings me flowers and thankfully is not responsible for gifts.

I don’t know anyone who thinks their birth is worthy of a huge multiday event.

I don't know. But the "It's my birthday month" stuff annoys me. Serious main character syndrome. You get a day, ffs, not an entire month.

My DH and I go out to dinner for my birthday and that is it. On his birthday I bake a cake. We exchange gifts. I don't tell anyone else. I often get a cake and singing and stuff at work, because they know and they do birthday stuff, but left to my own devices I wouldn't tell anyone. To me it has never been a big deal.

I’m not into birthdays and would rather have mine go unnoticed at work. I work with a woman, however, who reminds us weeks out. She likes having a decorated office and a lunch dedicated to her. I personally don’t get it, but I participate anyway. It seems really important and it isn’t a big ask.

Who cares. I'm not that into it (I don't really celebrate or like attention) but let people have one special day. I take off on my birthday because it's in the summer so I always had the day off when I was a kid and I still like to take that one day to relax and chill. I totally get the feeling of "ugh, and it was on my birthday" because you just kind of want that to be a nice day.

One could argue that birthdays come more significant as you age. Growing old is a privilege. I will absolutely celebrate you on the day, but can't be bothered for birthday weeks, let alone birthday months.

I know a couple people like this and one makes a thing of her whole "birthday month." I think it's ridiculous.

The post about the MIL forgetting a person's birthday is the impetus for this thread, but I wonder this often -- is there a certain personality type that is REALLY into adult birthdays? I have a couple of friends who think their own or their spouse's birthday is a really big deal. Like, when they are telling a story, they might say something like, "Traffic was horrible this morning, so I was late to work. AND IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY! I can't believe that happened to me on my birthday." Or they take their birthday off work every year. And these are sometimes the same moms who make a huge deal out of the teacher's birthdays at school. No, I don't need to contribute to a class gift for a 35 year old woman's birthday. It all strikes me as very odd. Is it just a difference in how important adult birthdays were in their family of origin? Or is there a personality type that's really into adult birthdays?