A Very Merry Unbirthday to Me
You may be familiar with the “Unbirthday” song from Disney’s version of Alice in Wonderland. It is the Mad Hatter’s way of celebrating a birthday on the other 364 days of the year that is not the actual anniversary of one’s birth.
On principle, I support this notion, as it means that every day is a celebration (as long as you don’t make a habit of celebrating to excess).
However, today is more my unbirthday than most – it’s my half birthday. In exactly six months, I will be welcoming in a new quarter century in my life (and a reduction in my car insurance premium!). Half birthdays went out of style for my peers after our first decade of life passed, but mine has stuck with me all this time, thanks to tradition and thanks to my sister.
My sister and I were born exactly five years and six months apart. When I was much younger, I would get very upset if I didn’t have a present to open when others did (yes. I was that kid who always ended up crying at my friend’s birthday parties because I wasn’t as special as the birthday girl), so my mother would always give me one or two small presents for my half birthday on my sister’s birthday to avoid a tantrum. I grew to believe that this was a common custom and felt the blow when my mother explained to me that half birthday gifts were actually not a thing.
Even though I have move past expecting a small token in my honor on February 28th, I still find myself excited to think of it as half my day. My sister and I still wish each other a happy half birthday to mark the biannual milestone in our lives (admittedly, because I consistently do so when she calls on my birthday). Most importantly, I think, it’s a small way that I can cling to my childhood; a silly tradition that gives me an extra burst of sunshine on a particular day each year.
So while I showered my sister with all the praise, love and affection she deserves on her actual birthday, I reserved a sliver of cheer for myself and for the next wonderful six months in my life.
Very Merry to Me!
Courtesy of SaltCakeCity.blogspot.com
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