Hi, my name is Kasi Bitter, and my birthday is always over-shadowed by Santa.
I had the unique pleasure of being born on December 24. For those of you who are not good with numbers or dates, that's Christmas Eve. It's probably one of the most anticipation-filled and anxiety-ridden nights of the whole year. For me, though, it marks the end of my last year's accomplishments and the beginning of a new chapter of my life. This year, I will be starting my twentieth chapter.
For starters, people usually don't believe me when I tell them the date of my birth. It's as if it is totally impossible for a woman to give birth on the night before Christmas. I usually have to tell people three or four times that I'm not lying, but some people still don't want to believe me. I find that their disbelief really diminishes the excitement that I have for my birthday.
For as long as I can remember, my birthday has been over-shadowed by Santa. I can recall my mother yelling at friends and family for sending only one gift or for wrapping both gifts in Christmas wrapping paper. I remember, but try not to think about, all the times that family and friends have forgotten to call until the next day to say "Merry Christmas." The best is when people call on my birthday to wish us a Merry Christmas in advance but say nothing about my birthday. Their only concern is that Santa will be coming when they go to sleep.
Even when people remember, we don't get to celebrate. The last time that I had a birthday party was when I turned thirteen, and that was pushing it. I remember because I hadn't had a party for a few years prior to that, and I vowed never to do it again after. That's right. I never had a Sweet 16 or got to celebrate my 18th. I'll be surprised if I get any recognition for my 21st next year. And it's all thanks to Santa. No one has the time or money to spend when Santa's coming soon, and there's no sense in having my birthday celebration at the start or end of the month. God forbid I try to fight with the new year! Having such an inconvenient birthdate just makes me feel terrible, honestly.
I know I'm not alone in this struggle. I've been lucky enough to meet a few people in my lifetime who share my pain, whether they share a birthday with me or were born on the 25th or 26th. Honestly, if your birthday is close to any holiday, I feel for you, and just because I know it's hard to come by: HAPPY BIRTHDAY. HAVE A GREAT DAY!
