Receiving gifts is fun too

Have you ever asked an adult what they wanted for their birthday or Christmas and received the response “Oh, I can’t think of a single thing I want”? Or the answer from your friend that goes something like this: “Well, I have everything I need right here” as she glances over at her Stepford husband and children in their ascots sipping tea. I am not one of those people. My children are nowhere near Stepford and  I can come up with a list of presents, sizes, colors and stores in which you can find them at the drop of a hat. I don’t think I’m a very greedy person, or even a superficial, material person, I just like presents. AND I have a December birthday.

When I was little my family always felt as though they needed to go overboard for both my birthday and Christmas, just so I did not feel robbed. I felt that was fair. I got toys and life was good. I am an only child, and let me just say there were/are huge advantages to this. I do not once remember feeling deprived of shiny presents during the long summer months.  It wasn’t until I have become older that I realized there is a huge gap in the present giving between Christmas and my birthday. Almost a whole year. A present dry spell, you could say.  No longer do people just say “hey sweetie, let’s go buy you a new dress, shoes and purse for church on Sunday so I can show you off”. Nor do they just drop a Barbie Corvette on my lap just to see my face light up.

Recently I have been planning my birthday festivities and I think it’s starting to annoy those around me. I have spent all my birthday money in my mind about four different times and somehow I always come up short. I know where I want to eat and what I will order. I have yet to decide about my cake. Will it be Italian sweet cream or just a pretty white cake with buttercream icing? I would prefer pretty wrapping paper, not gift bags.

I imagine Ric will read this and roll his eyes and say “Subtle, Rin. Subtle.” He has never lived through the present drought in which I currently reside.  He has a beautifully placed spring birthday, so he probably hasn’t even contemplated such complexities.  What a pampered life he has led. All I know is that by the time my birthday week rolls around, we will make up for a whole year of no cake, ice cream and presents.

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