While doing research for a corporate Christmas card and gift at work today, I was captivated by how the images above coincindentally appeared beside each other in the image search results on Getty. The juxtaposition of the content of these images just say “Christmas” to me, and I’m suddenly reminded that the end of the year is nigh.
For me, the year’s end is always a mishmash of exciting festivities, beginning with my birthday and ending with New Year’s Day. There seems to be more and more to look forward to as each day passes. I was recently told, by someone who obviously hasn’t known me for long, that the only reason I still look forward to my birthday every year is because I’m still “young”, not yet having reached or passed the age of 25.
I take issue with that comment, because my whole life has been marked with wonderful birthdays. My birthday is still my favorite day of the year, the one I look forward to all the other 364 days. I owe a big part of this attitude to my parents, whose attitudes towards all birthdays (including their own) was always one of anticipation and celebration.
My birthday was always the day I could do anything I wanted, where I got the most attention and the best meals. Most importantly, it was the one day my parents held back from biting each other’s heads off so that all the attention could be on me. It’s still special to me, and I hope to follow in my parents’ footsteps and have it always be an occasion to celebrate and not to dread.
