By religious definition, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. For many, that’s the most important birthday of the year, and the reason for the season.
But for those people who were born on Christmas themselves, or in the few days before or after Dec. 25, it can turn their special day into an afterthought. While all the other kids get birthday parties, presents and other special treatment on their birthdays, Christmas babies tend to get overlooked.
Some Christmas babies have resigned themselves to the fact that for them, birthdays are always going to be overshadowed by other holiday events — but in most cases, they’ve also figured out other ways to enjoy themselves, and to help others in the spirit of the season.
Nevertheless, when you get a birthday present wrapped in red and green paper, it can be a bit irksome for birthday boys or girls.
“I’m the oldest of seven kids. Every other sibling was so excited for Santa to get there. They could care less about my birthday,” said Shane McCarthy, owner of State Street Wine Cellar in Bangor, who was born on Christmas Eve. “I used to get gifts that said Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas on them. I used to say that the right mitten was for my birthday, and the left was for Christmas.”
“I hated my birthday as a kid because I didn’t have parties with other kids because everyone was doing family stuff. And my locker never got decorated in high school,” said Clare Davitt of Bangor, who’s birthday is on Dec. 26. “We tried half birthdays for a few years, but that was lame. But my parents were great about trying to make a distinction between the two days, different wrapping paper, different presents.”
Most parents try to make the day unique for their kids, apart from holiday festivities. For Ryan Cole, a Bangor resident who will turn 23 on Christmas Eve, it used to bother him, but it doesn’t much anymore.
“I always used to be jealous of kids that had birthdays in the summer, because they’d get presents twice a year, all spread out, and I had to wait a whole year,” said Cole, a recent graduate of the University of Maine. “But now, it doesn’t bother me. You just have to step aside and make it special for everyone else. And my family has always been really great about it.”
Though her birthday is actually a few weeks before Christmas, Kailee Soucia, 12, of Orrington, decided that this year she’d combine Christmas and birthday into one special day that benefits others — she opted to collect donations from family and friends and buy gifts from the Angel Tree at the Brewer Walmart.
In total, Kailee raised $280 for her Christmas/birthday effort, and with a friend went to Walmart and was able to buy gifts and food requests for 12 children.
“The store was super helpful at check out and Tonya, a Walmart employee, was very helpful when we went to the service desk with the Angel Tree presents,” said her mother, Laura George. “She was pleasantly surprised when we informed her the whole cart was for the Angel Tree… She immediately gave Kailee a hug and praised both girls for being so kind-hearted.”
As the years progress, birthdays become less important, and the sting of a Christmas birthday is lessened — though it’s still hard to find something to do, since most businesses are closed. Davitt makes a point of spending time with loved ones and making sure it’s a special day for everybody. McCarthy takes himself out to a fancy dinner at the Lucerne Inn in Dedham, since it’s one of the only places open on Christmas Eve, and, of course, he spends time with family and friends.
“There were two really nice things for me. One, my grandmother McCarthy’s birthday was on Christmas Day, so she would always go out of her way to call me and say happy birthday, because she knew the deal,” said McCarthy. “And, one of my best friends growing up had a birthday on the 26th, so on Christmas night we would always go out to a movie and celebrate together… there ends up being a lot of nice things about it. Even if you kind of grumble about it when you’re a kid.”
