Every year a few poor souls have to wake up to a combined holiday and birthday celebration because they were unlucky enough to be born in December While most people get to enjoy two separate gift-receiving holidays, some unfortunate people have theirs combined into one because their birthday is in December.

A December birthday probably seems like the worst month to have to celebrate a birthday in at first glance. Any other month has no holidays where someone could receive combined gifts for the year. Getting half the presents, birthday money, or just having the spotlight stolen by holiday cheer.

Having a December birthday has some silver linings. Some students even prefer their birthday being close to Christmas, like Senior Bella Pelanue, born December 28th, who said “I like having my birthday so near Christmas because it means my entire family is in town for my birthday.” Having the entire family in town for the Holidays can mean more family time and a bigger celebration.

For most, the real tragedy of having a birthday during the holiday season is the dreaded combined birthday celebration. The best-case scenario is getting double presents but sometimes it can end up feeling like the holidays are stealing the celebration and memories that come with a birthday. Some students claim it seems unfair; “it feels like some of my friends forgot about me because they like the holidays so much,” said Senior Kyah Albin, whose birthday is December 29th. Some people really love to go all out for the holidays, and the wave of holiday cheer can really drown out those with December birthdays.

Some people do not mind their birthday being a bit overshadowed by the holidays. Their birthday simply is not that big of a deal to them, “I would say it can get lost in the shuffle of everything else going on, but I am totally okay with that the older that I get,” said Principal Heather Patterson, whose birthday is December 13th. Having a birthday that flies under the radar is simply a preference for some people.

Combined gifts are not always a bad deal. Senior Kiana Morris, born December 27th, points out that even though her birthday and Christmas are combined she doesn’t mind it; “I don’t mind it because I get bigger gifts, so I just get all my presents at once.” Despite the obvious downsides of having a combined birthday, it seems like most students have found a way to appreciate their situation.

The other obvious negative of any winter birthday is the weather. It is difficult to throw a fun-filled pool party when it is freezing outside. Senior Josh Alva, who was born December 14th, laments never having an outdoor birthday party, “I would move my birthday to the summer, so I could do more outside and still have it over break.” Arizona also obviously does not get snow in most places, meaning that there is not even the upside of having snowball fights for winter. 

Everyone’s birthday is different, and even those whose birthdays happen to fall during the holidays have found both the upsides and downsides of having such a unique situation. This year, make sure to remember to pay attention to friends and family whose birthdays fall during the holiday season so they do not feel overlooked.