Do Birthdays Drag You Down?

[Black Manta]

Next week is my birthday. I've really come to hate them. I don't have any friends. The family gets together but it such a sham. My wife likes to pretend nothing's wrong. My kids come over and buy me lame token gifts, which probably shouldn't irk me, but I'm easy and cheap to buy for. It's almost like they go out of their way to get me something I have no interest in or use for. Last year I just sat in another room until they all left. I think if I had the money I'd sneak off to a museum for the day. IDK, just not looking forward to this.

 

[Joturbo]

Lol I know the feeling .I do agree to a certain extent.Obviously the gifts are usually a bit pointless or something from the local supermarket like I say to the kids get me this or I really need that but end up getting pants and chocolate which my two oldest boys nick anyway but I suppose that comes with age.I suppose I do tend to enjoy mine though because I usually end up doing something my wife enjoys like shopping in her favourite seaside town and eating where she wants with the kids in the evening and if she's happy and the kids don't argue it usually goes well and I like all the family round a table if I'm not paying .

My wife does tend to make an effort with balloons and cake and candles even at my age but must admit would love to do something involving fast cars or motorbikes or like you museums but the kids get bored so don't bother.We usually choose our own presents this eradicated the bottom draw full of unwanted gifts between my wife and me so that works out well.

Maybe we should both be rebellious and insist we do our favourite activity on the day and see what happens.

Anyway hope you have a good one and hope its not too painful

 

[Sci-Fi]

Ugh yes I hate birthdays.

Have you ever thought about sitting down and talking with your wife about this? Maybe the two of you can come to an understanding about your birthday and make it something you will actually enjoy. Unless she's one of those people who are as big into birthdays as they are Christmas. It seems some people forget that the birthday is about the person and not about making themselves feel good.

 

[user 139760]

I used to not. Now I just find them pointless and commercial. Hardly seems meaningful celebrating a day of birth which is an achievement you're not really responsible for. A sham though, not really. I think its important for the people involved or invested to think they're actually contributing to help make someone happy, even when they're not. Kind of like a funeral. You dont really go to remember someone died, you go to remind yourself it ain't you, yet, but it ain't that far away...

 

[constant stranger]

Next week is my birthday. I've really come to hate them. I don't have any friends. The family gets together but it such a sham. My wife likes to pretend nothing's wrong. My kids come over and buy me lame token gifts, which probably shouldn't irk me, but I'm easy and cheap to buy for. It's almost like they go out of their way to get me something I have no interest in or use for. Last year I just sat in another room until they all left. I think if I had the money I'd sneak off to a museum for the day. IDK, just not looking forward to this.

This sounds so much like the family I grew up in.  We all pretended nothing was wrong and made a pointless sham out of birthdays and Christmases.  And now?  I don't like birthdays and Christmases because they have so much unpleasant baggage attached to them in my memory.  And my father?  He's been dead for 17 years and I enjoy pissing on his grave, the useless phony who let the family become what it became.

 

[agatha1955]

My birthday always depresses me! It's the day my father died - and nothing EVER goes right on my birthday. Cars break down, thunderstorms, etc. I might be cursed?

 

[SpectraApocalypse]

I hate my birthday too. Everybody gets together sings a stupid song around a cake(which i loathe), gives me presents and then i just try and disappear.

 

[Guzheng]

They do drag me down a little bit. For the following reasons:
1. I've gotten older. It always sets off a philosophical chain of thought in my head, and I spend the week of my birthday asking myself questions like "Does my age mean anything?" and "How have I improved over the past 5 years?"
2. Presents I don't need. It's a universal problem which pops up again on every holiday.
3. Why doesn't anyone wish me a happy birthday on my birthday, besides my parents? A simple two-word text message from a person who knows full well when my birthday is would really make a difference. But this never happens, despite me congratulating other people on their birthdays.
4. Sometimes I am not in the mood to celebrate. Thoughts of cake were making me nauseous as this year's birthday approached. Luckily my parents give me the same bar of dark chocolate every year, and when they asked what kind of cake I want, they took "I don't want a cake" for an answer.

 

[Saulgoodmanfan]

Yeah I dislike them too. The one day where people are suppose to pretend to care about your existence and they even fail at that. I expect nothing, and I'm still let down.

 

[Paul Bauman]

I do not celebrate my birthdays since my 18.
They can make me sad: the older I become the more years are wasted uselessly.

 

[user 150037]

I always hated my birthdays because when my brother and sister lived with us they were always off celebrating with their friends, and that kind of made my birthdays feel like a damp squib. I wished I'd had friends to celebrate with. :/

 

[RedNemesis]

I tend to not celebrate mine. Too many years not having mates to celebrate with. So best to ignore it entirely

 

[Twiggy]

Looks like I'm a bit late to join the discussion, but wanted to say, I've found that the key to having a good birthday is to do exactly as you please - it's your day! The one day you get to decide. If you fancy a museum go for it next year. T.

 

[Starlightdawn]

I've never celebrated my birthday, since I've been old enough to take control.

I have the reputation of being a grumpy old git, but I don't care.

Everyone who knows me stopped with the cards long ago, and I never tell anyone at work etc..

I like that just fine

xx

 

[user 150037]

I never personally saw much point in cards to be honest - they sit on the mantelpiece before being thrown into the recycling.

 

[Jently]

Birthdays are always totally crap. I've got one coming up in a couple of weeks and I can almost guarantee it will be a miserable day. Jeez, people have a habit of dying on my birthday far too often for comfort and if that's not happening, there's some other downbeat drama which makes sure it's a day to be forgotten rather than enjoyed

 

[lostinmusic]

I used to celebrate my birthday, but now just treat it as a normal day. Same for Christmas, etc really.

I heard something the other day. We should be kind and giving to each other all year round, not just on the holidays. Just made sense to me 

 

[ahsatan]

I hate birthdays too. Nothing to celebrate. The older I get the worse my life is!

 

[Jessicat]

I have my birthday really soon. Can’t say I get down or anything. 
It’s alright. Alive one more year on this earth. That’s worth celebrating.

 

[Enpatsu No Shakugan]

The biggest irony is how many people here absolutely hate birthdays, yet such topics routinely pop up in the "Brighten someone's day" subsection.

Hmm...