Birthdays- Just any other day?

lunarsongbird · February 2012

How did you celebrate birthdays in your family?
Were they days in which you got to feel special? Or were they just any other day?

Do you have a favorite birthday memory?

Andrew didn't celebrate birthdays much in his family. So maybe that's why he forgot to wish me happy birthday this morning?

KikiMira · February 2012

When we were kids we were meant to feel special. Now that im older, its pretty much another day. I do usually have a party and dinner but really its another day. BF feels the same way, I try to make it special for him but he grew up not really celebrating anything. Hes Hungarian and they usually celebrated "Name day" rather then bdays.

Happy Birthday!

lunarsongbird · February 2012

Plz tell me about this....Name Day.

peekaboo2011 · February 2012

As kids they were kind of a big deal. Now, not so much. We usually just go out to dinner and maybe do cards and presents at home.

My birthday was always rough though - I'm two weeks before Christmas, so while my parents always made it a point to separate the two, my friends didn't bother. So, I missed out on a lot of birthday parties because everyone was doing family stuff.

BF made a big deal about it this year though.

It was nice.

bethsmiles · February 2012

I had birthday parties when I was little. I remember it stopped being a big deal when I was around 12.

motoLyn · February 2012

My family threw the kids a big bday with all of the extended family in attendance as you get older it just became a small birthday dinner gathering. But in Danish Man's family if you still lived in the house they would come in early in the morning and sing Happy Birthday in Danish and give you your presents in bed. Then mom would have made birthday rolls and hot chocolate, coffee, various cheeses, coffee and decorate the table with things that has the Danish flag on it. They Danes use the Danish flag in all kinds of celebrations. Each sibling in Danish man's family has a mug that was hand made from his grandparents with their names on it and a animal that represents them. Danish Man's is a duck.

Then in the afternoon there would be tea and coffee and a special afternoon tea cake that is in the shape of a person decorated with various candies to look like the birthday person. Here's where it gets weird. Mom will hold a bread knife to cake person's neck and on the count of 3 everyone screams and she slices across the neck, don't ask me why or how they just do. Hahaha...

Then for dinner its the birthday person's favorite food prepared. Duck, beef roast, ribs whatever and all the fixings and a home made dessert by the pastry chef in the family. Yeah.... I like the way the Danish celebrate, I can't wait to pass that onto my kids when I have them.

Tea cake version of Danish man

Danish Man and I were still staying with teh In-laws while our house was being bought so this was my birthday and since I wasn't Danish his mom bought American flag nakins instead of the Danish ones they usually have.

But I have a Danish flag cup.

ETA: Favorite birthday memory would have to be when I was a tween and we have these birthday dinners with just my immediate family and at home we have a small custard cake with fruit and sing and open presents. I was never one for large gatherings.

HULU · February 2012

I remember my mom used to have birthday parties for me when I was really little, but I think they stopped around 8 or 10. After that, my birthdays were usually just getting together with the family at a restaurant of my choosing and having dinner.

I had a big party for my 16th (nothing like you see on TV, just got to use a gymnasium where my uncle works and they let us use it for free since nothing was going on that day). After that, we'll go out every once in a while, but some of my birthdays I wasn't even home, I was in Cali with FI.

KikiMira · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_birthdays-just-any-other-day?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:121df779-22c5-4c14-a35c-04992c4cf241Post:8f944383-9132-4507-ab02-900ec8204a1f">Re: Birthdays- Just any other day?</a>:
[QUOTE]Plz tell me about this....Name Day.
Posted by lunarsongbird[/QUOTE]

Ive never celebrated it but "A name day is a tradition in many countries in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe" title="Europe" rel="nofollow">Europe</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_America" title="Latin America" rel="nofollow">Latin America</a> that consists of celebrating the day of the year associated with one's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Given_name" title="Given name" rel="nofollow">given name</a>."

"The custom originated with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Orthodox_Church" title="Greek Orthodox Church" rel="nofollow">Greek Orthodox</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendar_of_saints" title="Calendar of saints" rel="nofollow">calendar of saints</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Church" title="Roman Catholic Church" class="mw-redirect" rel="nofollow">Roman Catholic</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendar_of_saints" title="Calendar of saints" rel="nofollow">calendar of saints</a>, where believers, named after a particular <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint" title="Saint" rel="nofollow">saint</a>, would celebrate that saint's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_day" title="Feast day" class="mw-redirect" rel="nofollow">feast day</a>. In many countries, however, there is no longer any explicit connection to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity" title="Christianity" rel="nofollow">Christianity</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_day#cite_note-rus-0" rel="nofollow">[1]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_day#cite_note-gr-1" rel="nofollow">[2]</a> It remains more popular in Southern and Eastern (Catholic and Orthodox) than in Northern (predominantly Protestant) Europe."

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_day" title="Click" rel="nofollow">more info..... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_day</a>

polkadot111 · February 2012

Jeff totally forgot to wish me happy birthday the mornig of my birthday too. I was sooo sad. I explained to him that in my family, birthdays are a HUGE deal. The minute the sun comes up my mom was getting me out of bed and wishing me happy birthday with my favorite breakfast. After I explained to him that that is just how holidays are in my family, he's gotten better about wishing me a happy birthday or a merry christmas etc in the morning. I always do the same for him even though it is totally unneccesary in his family.

NurseyK · February 2012

Growing up, birthdays were a BIG deal in my family. It consisted of a family party - usually dinner at our house or Grandma's house and a separate friend party - where any and all friends were invited for the day for a swimming party. Then, the closest friends got to stay the night. My parents always provided donuts on birthday mornings, and a home made bday cake at the family party.

This last year my FI missed my birthday because he missed his flight out of CA that evening. I ended up spending it alone, and I was soooo sad all day because my family lives 2 hours away and at the time I was short on friends. To this day I haven't let him forget that he better not ever my bday again, and if he has to be out of town for work again that I get to go, too.

csousa1 · February 2012

Aw Lunar that sucks He was probably scatterbrained and has something else planned for you, so it slipped his mind.

I've had to convey to Jon over the past few years that my mom made a big deal out of our birthdays as kids, so as silly as it sounds, I still think they should be a big deal. I know he doesn't understand it in the same way that I do, since his family didn't make a huge deal, but he has at least started to accept that this is the case for me. I try to express to him that it isn't about the presents and being the center of attention - my mom always made it about being so happy that I was born and that I came into the world on that day, and that is what sticks with me and gives me a soft spot for birthdays.

So, I want you to know that I think you are an incredible person, and I am very glad that you came into the world on this day And I know Andrew is too

ETA: Sixteen Candles is one of my all-time favorite movies. I cannot hear "If you were here" without getting ridiculously happy.

beanbot2002 · February 2012

Birthdays are a big deal in our family. I had huge parties right through my 30th. Then last year, it was just dinner with the family. But dinner with the family is huge. I am one out of 10 kids. So, even if only half make it (which is about the number that live in the area) it's still big because of SOs and nephews/neices. This year, I decided I'm going to take off of work the week of my birthday and just spend some nice me time.

lunarsongbird · February 2012

BIrthdays were never a big deal in my family. You could expect flowers and some balloons and then whatever you wanted for dinner- and a couple gifts.

I'd like to keep this tradition with my children someday. However, I'm totally jealous of the danish brithdays. They sound so special! I think everyone should have days were they just feel totally insanely special. It doesn't take much for me to feel that way.

Liv sent me some BEAUTIFUL flowers. I love love LOVE them. But it would have been nice if Andrew remembered. Even my dad posted something on FB on his way to the hospital. LOL. Oy vay.

jemmini6 · February 2012

We usually always said 'happy birthday' and then my mom cooked our favorite meal, or sometimes we went out to dinner on the actual birthday. As for 'celebrating', we did family birthday parties until like 10 or so, then between 10 and like 16, it was just sleepovers with friends. We stopped doing gifts right around the same time we started doing sleepovers.

Now it's just dinner and drinks with some friends the nearest weekend day to your birthday, we don't do much on the actual birthday if it's during the week.

lunarsongbird · February 2012

Bean- I was thinking that next year I might want to take my birthday day off. I just don't feel like being here. Maybe I can make a tradition for some "me" time... get a massage, ect.
I like your thinking.

kellyt89 · February 2012

First of all: Happy birthday to youuuu, happy birthday to youuuu, Happy birthday dear luuuuunaaaaaar....Happy birthday to you! *jazz hands* and many mooooreeee!

How did you celebrate birthdays in your family?
Yes, we do. Usually my mom makes a cake and we open a couple presents in the morning and then go out to a nice dinner at night. It's usually to our favorite local restaurant, Sonny's, but sometimes we branch out (this year my parents took BF and I to a Portugese steakhouse, NOM).

Were they days in which you got to feel special? Or were they just any other day?
They're definitely days where I got to feel special. When I was little I would sometimes have a family party at home or at this local sports & games place (I say sometimes because my bday is early January and sometimes they got snowed out). Iin middle school my mom would take a couple friends and I to the roller rink and then we'd have a sleepover and in HS I'd have some people over in my basement with cake and pizza. Now we go out to dinner.

Do you have a favorite birthday memory?
This year was one of my favorite birthdays. BF came to visit for the weekend so he was there to eat cake and give me a present, then we spent the day at the Delaware Water Gap exploring and had lunch together. My parents took us out to dinner and I got this HUGE seafood platter, then we played board games for a few hours. It was pretty perfect

kellyt89 · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_birthdays-just-any-other-day?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:121df779-22c5-4c14-a35c-04992c4cf241Post:c1d2ec8e-f769-467e-b5b0-b2f42fd51e4d">Re: Birthdays- Just any other day?</a>:
[QUOTE]As kids they were kind of a big deal. Now, not so much. We usually just go out to dinner and maybe do cards and presents at home. My birthday was always rough though - I'm two weeks before Christmas, so while my parents always made it a point to separate the two, my friends didn't bother. So, I missed out on a lot of birthday parties because everyone was doing family stuff. BF made a big deal about it this year though. :) It was nice.
Posted by peekaboo2011[/QUOTE]

My mom's birthday is the day after Christmas and she always got gipped as a kid. This year she had a good day though, finally. :)

Peaseblossom55 · February 2012

Birthdays have always been a big deal in my family and they still are. We try to all meet as family for dinner on everyone's birthday. I consider my bday my own personal holiday, so I take off of work and since it's the summer BF & I usually go to the beach and then a nice dinner.

I think my best bday was when I was 16. We were down the shore for vacation, the return date was my bday instead of going home we went went to Altantic City, and I had front row seats for the show going on at the theater Guys & Dolls and was taken to a really nice dinner. It was such a nice surprise. I also got driving lessons and my learner's permit for my birthday. My mom joked I was so spoiled that year and that it was the birthday that never ended. I still got some other small presents, I think a Tiffany's bracelet as well that day. I think she felt bad that I didn't get a sweet sixteen party, but to me it was no big deal.

alyaki · February 2012

Birthdays were a fairly big deal growing up till about 11 for me. It was one of the few times during the year that I got to see both sets of aunts and uncles. I'll admit, though, the birthday parties were more for the adults than the kids - I got ushered outside a lot. Once I entered junior high, it was just dinner with mom and sister, maybe a gift. Once I hit college, even that stopped.

Nowadays, I usually take off the week'ish of my birthday, since it's labor day week and I like me time. Sometimes me and BF will take a small vacation then, sometimes it's just time to relax. We've gotten into the habit of either going out to eat or making whatever dinner the birthday person would like, and then doing ice cream cake and gifts. Usually my little sister and his family are around. BF doesn't have as much time off as I do, so we both just take his birthday (or the friday after it) off.

Birthdays- Just any other day?

Re: Birthdays- Just any other day?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards