As it so happens, one of my best friends is having his birthday today. Happy birthday, and all that.
But it got me thinking, and reminded me of a problem I end up facing every year. Just what the bloody hell do you do on your birthday, anyway?
The last few years I get asked: what do you want to do on your birthday? And I genuinely have no bloody idea. If it was any other day, any other weekend, I’d typically hang out with some friends, or maybe play some games, go out, eat shitty food, or whatever.
But as soon as a “birthday” becomes involved, that all goes to pot. Suddenly it has to be a bit more special. It doesn’t, of course, but the fact that you’re celebrating being alive makes usual activities seem … well, a little bit inadequate.
So I put it to you. What do you like to do on your birthday?
Comments
55 responses to “Tell Us Dammit: Birthdays”
I stayed at home eating curry and drinking wine for my last birthday. It was just over a week ago so there’s still time to come up with something exciting to do but I’d rather not.
It has been years since I last made a fuss about my birthday. Although I do enjoy an excuse for cake.
My birthday is on Saterday…and really have no plans.
Going to a pub crawl on Friday afternoon so probably recovering from that.
I organise a party for myself at a local bar or pub, which we usually end up taking over. I invite all my friends and family and we generally drink, catch up and be merry until the wee hours of the morning. That’s a pretty good reminder as to why life is great and how awesome all the people I get up to shenanigans with are 🙂
I get really depressed on my birthday because it’s just another reminder I’m one year older, still haven’t accomplished anything with my life and am in the exact same place I was last year.
Sometimes I go see a movie with my mum and sister if there’s something on, but there’s often not.
I’ll also have the obligatory restaurant dinner with my grandparents even though I hate restaurants. But it’s for them, not me. Because they love me and want to celebrate, and so I’m happy to indulge them.
Often I wish my birthday could be completely forgotten by everyone, myself included.
That’s the spirit
haha yeah I’ve been there that’s for sure. But you’re the only one that can make it different and it’s entirely up to you. Maybe start with simple steps, like telling your grandparents you hate restaurants and do something else and invite them along. Grandparents are people too, they just like to sit more and are really scared of falling over. Plus they’re hard-wired to love you so you actually have a lot more wriggle room than you think for telling them what you don’t like lol
I’m just going to leave this link here – http://www.beyondblue.org.au
I never make a big deal out of my birthday. Just want to keep it as normal as possible.
But if I want to make it special, I’d stay home, shun all responsibilities and do what I feel like doing.
Someone after my own heart 🙂
That being said, getting crappy home-made cards and gifts from the kids is my highlight.
I do nothing. I don’t celebrate my birthday in any way, shape, or form. Most of my friends don’t even know when my birthday actually is in the first place.
That said. I have no problem celebrating other people’s birthdays. Whatever the personal preference of that person is, that’s totally fine by me. Some like big celebrations, some like small and quiet ones. Some, like me, don’t want any.
Birthdays are literally the same as any other day of the year except I get an excuse to eat really bad food and get videogames.
Then again, I literally have zero friends and thus nobody to eat cake with or play games with so I’m just kind of resigned to not doing anything special at this point.
Went out to a Mexican restaurant and ate great food and had a huge drink. Then was invited to a board game night by a friend that was there which turned out to be great fun. She even drove me home afterwards which was a massive detour for her. What a gun.
Get woken up at 6am by my daughters to play video games before breakfast. Admittedly that happens every Sunday, making it the best day of the week. Thats all I want.
Absolutely nothing. It’s just another day to me. I don’t want gifts or to be fussed over. If anything, my wife and I will go out for dinner.
I generally don’t celebrate my birthday – I don’t lead a particularly dangerous lifestyle, and have a pretty stable job, so I find the idea of congratulating myself for surviving another year to be a little… melodramatic, I suppose. I did splurge on Rocksmith 2014 and a guitar for my birthday a few years back, but that was more because the release date aligned pretty well.
(NB: I don’t feel that way about how others choose to spend their birthdays, tho, just in case someone here thinks I’m implicitly judging them. :P)
I try to avoid mention of my birthday. It’s not that I’m sensitive about it, I just don’t really care and it’s awkward when others make a fuss.
If it’s on a work day, I have the day off and stay home, sleep in and revel in the gifts my husband always showers on me. And on the closest Saturday, I throw a themed costume party and invite my friends to eat, drink, and play games. It’s a big one next year, so I will start planning early!
Food + family = bliss
Having my liver remind me how old I am the following day no longer excites this little black duck.
I’m on the 24th of december, so it’s usually overshadowed by something else going on around that time of year. It annoyed me when I was young, but I’m used to it now.
That Jeremih song…..
I don’t want to throw away your gift so don’t give me one 🙂
I’ll happily buy you a gift however because you want and need one for some reason. Same thing for Christmas and the rest. I enjoyed them as a child but after my teens I lost interest.
Take the day off work and watch the Superbowl with ribs n wings and lots of beers.
I like to pretend it doesn’t exist.
Yup me too. Just hope nobody remembers.
Mine’s 5 days before Christmas, so it’s inconvenient for everyone involved anyway
Mine just past a few days ago. I have a much much younger much much cuter cousin who shares the day with me so theirs is always remembered but I’m too old now.
My cousin has her birthday on Christmas Day. I know what you mean.
*marks on calender*
You do realise what you’ve done now, right?
Are you really going to all that effort, just to annoy me? =P
Remember who you’re talking to here.
You need to put all that effort into your cosplay =P
Given today is also my birthday this is an easy one.
Go to work, come home. This weekend though – going to the south coast for a few days.
Usually just dinner unless it falls on a weekend and I happen to not be working that weekend.
Pretty much this. Almost managed to avoid it entirely this year, mercifully nobody at work knew the date so dodged the forced rigmarole of an afternoon cake ceremony (which would usually take place after I’d finished for the day thus requiring me to stay back. No thanks), and my phone stayed silent til late afternoon when a couple of friends remembered and messaged me. Of course there’s always the family dinner which is unavoidable, but otherwise I did pretty well to ignore it.
I mean most of that is just me wanting to avoid attention and going through all that awkwardness of not knowing how to respond, but beyond that I’m also at the point where I just don’t want to think about it either.
Bah. Supposed to be in reference to what @dire_wolf said, but phone failed.
That’s the way. Having co-workers try to shovel cake into you is pretty lame.
“But WHY don’t you celebrate? It’s a bit selfish that you won’t let others celebrate.”
Right, because my birthday is about other people, specifically other people I work with and don’t care about?
The cake I don’t mind so much. If someone was nice enough to go and get a cake and then just delivered a slice to everyone at their desks it wouldn’t be so bad. It’s more the ceremonial aspect I can’t stand, with everyone being dragged to the centre of the room to gather round as the cake is presented and sliced, a card given with a bunch of messages scrawled in it, and then all this forced smalltalk with a bunch of people that you don’t really know or relate to at all. “I just work here, man.”
Usually I seem to manage to not have a job at the time of by birthday (not so lucky this year), but still had to go through it for others and it sucks 😛
The cake is a lie…..
I usually just order Indian food and play video games. I’m not very exciting. Maybe my girlfriend will take me out to my favourite burger joint if we can be bothered but yeah that’s about it.
Seems like we nerds aren’t very good at birthdays.
I’m getting that too. I’ve read maybe 2 positive “yeah it’s a hoot” posts out of the myriad of other responses :B
That cake looks delicious
The cake is a lie……….
yeah that is an amazing cake, I need it
I go to work and hope nobody remembers that it’s my birthday…
I just go and do my own thing, really.
Same thing I do every night Pinky……………………………try to avoid human contact as much as possible.
I just try and get by without to much attention. don’t mind catching up with mates or family (if I have to). but would rather just spend some quiet time with the mrs.
However when it is my GF’s Birthday IT MUST BE CELEBRATED as big and bold as possible!!!! annoys her to no end
usually tradition for me to buy a 50 of smoke
I try and keep mine quiet and let my kids have the birthday’s now, i also get the bonus of having had an organ transplant (if that is a bonus) and we use that as another birthday of sorts, although the transplant day is much easier than my birthday as i like to keep it very similar each year.
Birthday usually a cake and that is it, transplant anniversary always has to be a meat pie (it is what my family had while they were waiting for me to get out of the op) and yellow jelly (the first thing i ate when i was allowed to eat). Because this year is actually 20 years since i had my transplant (anniversary is actually tomorrow) we will probably do a bit more than just the standard but i have not organised anything.
Happy transplant day!
Not much. Wife will make me a nice dinner but otherwise it’s just a general day looking after the kids. Hopefully I get some good Gundam to build.
Kits that have articulation on all the fingers hopefully 🙂
Also known as > $200
Haha actually some of those full articulation kits are around $130ish. The Sinanju, Sazabi, and Nightingale all have full finger articulation and were around that price. Have all 3 of them going full metal \m/ \m/ !
Don’t tell me that, I may have to buy them!
My Gundam buying logic states that I can’t buy a kit that’s the same colour as the last… Those three are all red (I think). Probably how I can justify having so many Zaku types… so many.
That’s a decent logic. Mine is only I cant buy what I cant afford.. Currently sitting at around 50 kits built and 20 in boxes still. And there is still soo many more I want ;(
There are only 2 things guaranteed on my Birthday.
First, Breakfast in bed.
Second, none of you business but also may be in bed.
Sleep?
My birthday is often around easter. Occasionally great – like this year when it landed on Easter Sunday and I got to spend my birthday eating chocolate, drinking champagne, and generally having a nice time. Other years, it sucks because people are busy doing things, or going away for school holidays, and I can’t get anyone to celebrate with me. My 40th is getting uncomfortably close, I’m pondering a big party at the local rsl with tacky music, buffet dinner and lots of dancing. I’d like that.