Family history across the seas

Write a tribute to those family members who birthdays/anniversaries occur around this time of the year.

Alas, alack, it is not such a joyful thing to have a birthday in the six weeks across Christmas to the end of January though ’twas never a neglected birthday. It may not be such a bad thing in the northern hemisphere where the holidays are shorter but not in Australia where this is the height of summer and the longest school holidays of the year. Unless your family takes their annual holiday during this time (ours didn’t) then you are destined to spend many birthdays with other kids who haven’t left town for the festive season. Actually that’s not really fair, at least some of my friends were in town most years so a small party was always possible but perhaps this is why I don’t really like parties?

On the plus side of the ledger, I was lucky that on most occasions my friends and family didn’t think it was a good excuse to roll up the two events into one gift: I nearly always got separate presents or I’d have been most dejected. Another plus, I never had to go to school on my birthday and could just chill out and do whatever I felt like….such as reading all my birthday and Christmas book presents.

I don’t know about other festive season “babies” but New Year is just one step too far in terms of celebrations in a short period of time. Anyone else out there with their birthday at this time of the year?