Birthdays are meant to be a time of ebullience fun; that's what legend tells us. Celebrating another year around the sun is everyone's right. Some birthdays are epic bacchanals that leave a seared impression that are impossible to follow up and others... well others are seared for darker reasons that make you just want to pretend the idea of a birth celebration never existed. Happy birthday for whenever you read this....
Redditor u/Racing_in_the_street wanted everyone to rejoice and discuss the celebrations of themselves that went well and poorly by asking.....
What was your best/worst birthday?
50!!!!
April 25 was my 50th. Thought it would be the pretty crappy considering... my son's girlfriend baked me a beautiful cake, my son ordered us a magnificent seafood feast from a local place, my husband and mom had ordered some great gifts. I had no idea I was in for such a wonderful day! mommabearof01
No Bath.
GiphyWorst was a present from a really good friend of mine. It was from Lush and had really nice things for a bath. The thing is, I don't have a bathtub and I told her this and the only thing she said was: but it was expensive.
Sorry english is not my first language. Reddit
Different Days....
Best: 15th. me and a bunch of my friends went up to the beach and walked along it goofing around, playing in the water. we got lunch at a beach side restaurant and ice cream afterward
Worst: 9th. no one came. we were going to make homemade pizzas and do fireworks in the backyard. i sat on the swing set in the backyard and cried for hours. and I never had a birthday party again, really -- it was always inviting 2-3 close friends over and hanging out.
Now I really don't even have birthday celebrations at all. last year was my 21st so my sister took me out for a drink, but otherwise I don't do anything. I'm not sure most of my friends even know when my birthday is. baby_yaga
It was happy.
I was in a long-distance relationship and my birthday was approaching. My ex contacted my roommates and told them to rent out my favorite coffee shop for a night and surprise me there. It was happy.
Until I found out 2 days later that he cheated on me so we broke up. My roommates then proceeded to inform me my ex hasn't paid them for the party (aside from renting the shop we had cakes and all) and has just blocked them on all platforms of communication. Needless to say I paid for my own surprise party. biadelatrixyaska
The Beginning....
GiphyBest birthday was 1. And they've all gotten progressively worse since. RedditsBadGuy
7.....
Best was my 7th, it was the last time I really had a party for my birthday. I got a dirt bike and my friends came over, it's one of my happiest memories. Worst was my 17th, against everyone's advice and despite saying he wouldn't, my father went and bailed my sister out of jail the night before.
I woke up to my sister passed out on the couch and when my father finally got home from work and she woke up they spent the rest of the day fighting until she ran off again to keep doing meth just like I told him she would. Nobody even acknowledged that it was my birthday. They're both a lot better now thankfully but that one still hurts a little. Relevant_Assistant
The Hangover....
My worst birthdays were mostly from the ages of 8-12 - My siblings are all 10 years+ older than me, and one of my brothers's birthday is the day before mine.
So everybody would be drinking and partying during his birthday, even my mum - and then nobody would wake up on my birthday and be too hungover to do anything. :( happyseventyseven
G'Day....
GiphyNot mine, but I gave my husband his best birthday last year by taking him on a once-in-a-lifetime week-long vacation to Sydney, Australia, which had been a bucket list vacation for him for nearly his whole life. (I was only able to afford it because I had gotten a huge inheritance AND a huge bonus at my job recently.)
I got us a hotel right next to the Circular Quay with a rooftop swimming pool. We went up there one night just to watch the harbor and the city. The world-famous Sydney Opera House was beautifully lit up at night, and he was tearing up and getting emotional because of it. PianoManGidley
Good Times!!!
Worst was like 2017 or so? Didn't hear from anyone because my birthday on Facebook was unlisted. Can't expect anyone to remember it then apparently. Best was when I was maybe 10 and my mom made this huge survivor (the show) theme party for my friends and I. That was a good time. Kamon0253
The Mess....
All of my birthdays have been terrible. The worst by far was 2016, when I graduated undergrad. I invited everyone to a combined graduation/birthday party. Reserved half of a local restaurant to host the party, and no one showed up. It was just my boyfriend and I, and the staff watched me crumble into a sobbing mess.
They comped the meal, told me to forget the room reservation fee, and told me to order anything on the menu.
I was born on May 13, and the ones that fall on Fridays have been the absolute worst. bleuswann
Corona....
Giphy2020 was the perfect birthday for me.
It was during lockdown so I got to stay inside with my SO and do nothing all day, see no one and just do my own thing. SacredMug
"where do you want to go?"
My wife hates going to the movies so for my birthday one year she relented and took me to one I had been dying to see. This was all her idea and when she told me what we were doing I was super excited. As we are pulling up to the theater she starts guilting me with "do you REALLY want to go see this"? and guess what, we didn't. Two years ago she was going to cook my favorite meal for me but put it off until the last minute and so then made some crappy excuse about how she had plans to take me and the kids out for dinner.
We get all loaded up in the car and she says' "where do you want to go?" she had no plans. I was pissed but I picked a place but the wait was too long for her so we fought and I ended up eating a bowl of Chex for my birthday dinner. She will make elaborate plans for anyone and everyone else's birthday but when it comes to mine she uses it as an excuse to give me a big Screw You! Greatrnover
Ah 7....
GiphyBest was 7 years old. I remember my dad grilling and eating cake outside. Had an aunt and uncle show up and they gave me cash. Worst was 2 of them. In-laws had birthday parties for FIL which fell on my birthday (not his birthday). Had to drive 2 hours both ways to celebrate somebody else's bday. hdpeandpet
I had fun, but I don't remember it.
Best birthday was my 18th. My dad and I flew to NYC for my birthday to see Spamalot. When we checked in the hotel upgraded us to a two bedroom suite.
One of my favorites memories of my dad is from that trip. It was close to midnight and we were at the Virgin records store. I was running around and dad was ready to go. I was upstairs and Dad finally found me but he was on his way down the escalator.
So he turned around and ran up the down escalator. (No one on it at the time) He finally gets to the top and falls down. Right in front of a large Japanese tourist group. Who were quite obviously judging him.
The worst was first birthday after he passed. I had fun, but I don't remember it. In fact I don't remember much for a few months after he passed. lovelesschristine
I cried and cried....
My tenth birthday. We were having a pool party at my house for my birthday. My birthday is during the summer when we were out of school so not many people normally came to my birthday parties. That year I wanted all my friends there and I had remained in better contact with them after we got out for summer break. So I had about twelve friends coming for the party.
My mother was very abusive to me while I grew up. She got stressed out about the party and wanting everything to look nice. I didn't help her as much as she wanted so she sent me to my room. I wasn't allowed out of my room to see my friends. My mother told them to take my presents back home because I didn't deserve them. I didn't get to blow out the candles or have any cake.
Everyone thought it was cruel to keep me in my room for the party. My mother was adamant that I was being punished for misbehavior. I cried and cried knowing I was missing my birthday party. After the party was over I had to remain in my room. Later that evening she told me that my gift was not having to clean up after the party was over. skyscan1
Not so happy.
My worst birthday was when I turned 16 and my family let me choose the restaurant we ate at. They then made fun of me for what I ordered and took turns telling old embarrassing stories about me. Then while eating a close friend of my texted me that he's going to the hospital because he took a bunch of pills. vPaladin81
I still severely suffer from this experience.
GiphyMy brother died in a car accident, the 4th December in the night (~11pm). The next day I was waked up by cops at 2 am to ask me to confirm the identity of my dead brother . 2 days later my brother's girlfriend committed suicide (the day of my birthday). The funeral was only several days after the new year.
I still severely suffer from this experience. Chicano-
the 14th....
It was my 14th birthday and nobody in my family was around, my siblings were all out and my parents were on vacation, neither my family nor my friends called or texted me a happy birthday, I called up 2 girls (lets call them A & B) I was friends with (who also forgot it was my birthday) I asked them to a movie, so I walked about 3 miles and met up with them at a movie theater. I paid for all our tickets and I paid for all their food, so we got into the theater and Girl A's boyfriend was there with his friend who Girl B found attractive.
They all started a conversation to which I was left out of, during the movie they only paid attention to the 2 guys, about halfway through the movie I walked off, unnoticed (of course) and I began walking home, now broke and forgotten I got to experience a 3 mile walk home at 9pm in the pouring rain. IdellOdowd
Bye Auntie....
My 11th, not only did my Aunty die but I got my period. This birthday was especially bad because in my country when someone dies it's incredibly common to stay with your ENTIRE family (extended family and family friends) and spend the entire week with their deceased body. Let's just say little me was a bit to shy to ask FOR A LIL FEMALE HELP. the hormones and mood switches were driving me crazy. Swello-Fello
Throwing Cake..
GiphyThis might make sense but it was my best and worst birthday. It's my 14th birthday and I invited most of my friends, but only two came to the party. I blew out the candles and both of them threw cake at my face and we ended up throwing cake at each other and laughing and smiling. After that we jumped into a pond and cleaned off and we raced back and forth seeing who could go across the pond the fasted. I was very sad that only two of my friends came, but it was still a lot of fun because they made it better. kai__kai_
My 18th probably fits into both. Had probably my best birthday having a good time with both friends and family. Definitely became my worst when after my birthday dinner my parents broke up after 20 years of marriage. They are still separated. Slater-Slater
Oh Corona....
GiphyI think my best birthday was my 30th. Just a great party, loads of shots. A real good time.
My worst birthday just happened ~2 weeks back. My fiancee, myself and our toddler were all down for the count with coronavirus. Not much of a party :P at least we all recovered. Barl0we
Redditor H5N1BirdFlu wanted to discuss the moments in life that left us haunted and shook, so they asked:
"What is the creepiest or most unexplained event that you have ever experienced?"
I've seen so much creepiness I wouldn't know where to begin.
Deal
Walter White Wink GIF by Breaking BadGiphy"One car from one direction, and another car from the other direction stopped in front of my house. Both drivers got out and one gave the other a briefcase. Now that I am older I am guessing it was some kind of drug deal or something but at the time I found it very weird."
yapastaocho
'The Entertainer'
"We had a little copper music box that would start playing on its own. It was a man sitting at a player-piano and it would play 'The Entertainer' song. Now, I know that music boxes and such can spring (for lack of a better word) forward and play a few notes, but this thing would act like someone had wound it up and would play for a minute or two completely at random."
MercuryCrest
He?
"Me and and someone I used to know in high school way back when met to catch up. We were talking about our views on religion at some park. When we were walking back to our cars some guy said he had overheard us. We interacted a little and then went to our cars. I told her how awkward I felt knowing he overheard everything. She looked at me and said, 'He?'”
"After some comparing notes we realized we’d seen and heard entirely different people. She’d seen an elderly woman. I’d seen a middle aged man. Only problem is we only talked to the one person."
AccomplishedAuthor53
Overnight
"I usually go hiking and stay in the forest overnight, sleeping in a bivy and sometimes under a tarp. Now it's important to say I'm based in Europe. So no wild animals to be afraid of because usually they just boot it as soon as they notice you."
"So one winter night I'm sleeping under my tarp which connects to the ground on one side. It's in an area where there were fierce battles in the forrest on the border between Germany and Belgium in WWII."
"I hear something walking in the leaves, which is normal. There are always deer and ferral pigs on and about. But this time it comes closer and closer until I hear it right on the other side of my tarp and it starts growling. Its a noise I gad never heard and for a moment I was frozen trying to figure out what it might be and what to do."
"But I just decided to yell back and that did the trick. The animal walked a few steps and then turned back to growl once more before finally retreating."
"Let's put it this way, I didn't sleep for a while after that. I looked up the noise and think it was a badger."
Forest_Walkin
Devoured
Episode 4 Abc GIF by The BachelorGiphy"My family used to raise cattle. One morning I came out to check on them and I found one of the heifers had been more or less completely devoured."
"This same cow was perfectly fine the day before. There was nothing left but some hide, bones, and intestines. Thing is none of the predators that are in my area would be able to kill and eat an entire cow within the course of one night. Much less leave so little behind."
Aussieshepman
Poor cows. They live a rough life.
The Night Before
Get Out Omg GIF by Get Out MovieGiphy"When I was a kid, we lived in a kinda rural area. One night we came home late from an Uncle's house and there was a car parked up the road from our house with the headlights on."
"My mom suggested to my dad that we go see if they need help, he said no, so we went inside. Next morning police knocked on the door, a cyclist had spotted a body in the ditch exactly where the car was parked the night before."
Tpeest
Documents
"I have had a strange thing happen recently. I was waiting for my tax documents to come in so I could do my taxes. I had three documents that I put on my bedside table until I had the time."
"I decided to do it the other day and I couldn't find one of them. I tore the house apart, quizzed my husband (who swore he never touched it), checked the garbage, etc. I had resigned myself to the fact I would have to request another one, when it arrived in the mail."
"It was the same one, exact same information. I was really confused but grateful. I checked into it, it was not sent twice as far as the office could tell me."
"I don't know what to think. I KNOW I had that document because I had done some calculations with it. It's been itching at me like crazy."
monitormonkey
About 30 Feet
"A few months ago I was sitting in my living room on the couch, watching tv with a family member late at night. We have a high ceiling with a couple of rectangular windows at the very top of the wall just under where it meets the ceiling. The windows are so high (about 30 feet) we really only have them for natural lighting."
"So on the night in question, a green laser beam suddenly shown down through one of the windows, seemingly scanned the entire living room before stopping and pointing the beam right next to my family member for about 10 seconds and then disappearing entirely. It had to be either a drone or from some sort of flying aircraft. I live in a relatively secluded place which made the situation all the more unsettling."
0friday
Find Her
"Pretty sure I witnessed a kidnapping once and it still lives rent free in my head (the woman lost her slipper when she was trying to get away and i took a picture of it that i still have for some reason). I did indeed report it to police right after I saw it occur but they were pretty blasé about it and I never ended up being able to determine what they did to investigate."
ergaster8213
From Behind
the exorcist shadow GIFGiphy"I was in Jr High and had really long hair. I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and almost tripped on a shoe on the floor. I bent down to move it and it felt like someone grabbed my entire pony tail and yanked it. I also could not sleep facing the wall for the longest time because it always felt like someone or something was right there behind me."
cheeseburgerphone182
Never face the wall. Life lesson.
These were some harrowing experiences, and we're glad these Redditors made it out to tell the story.
Do you have any similar experiences? Let us know in the comments below.
Redditor NeedSomeSparkInLife wanted to know who would be willing to share, so they asked:
"What makes you not want to be intimate with your SO?"
I'm an easily turned off person.
So it doesn't take much.
Desire
Bored Season 5 GIF by The OfficeGiphy"Taking a moment to realize I'm the only one that makes sexual advances in the relationship. Makes me not want it. People think men only want sex for face value but a lot of men actually want the feeling of being desired more so."
Relative-Hour-9359
Anger Issues
"I've always heard of fighting then having sex after. Fighting has always made me not want it. The last thing I want to do when someone pisses me off is have sex with them. What made it worse is she always wanted to when we were arguing which made the argument worse when I refused."
DaMoonRulez_1
"I think you're supposed to resolve your fight, realize that you care for each other a lot, move past it, then have the passion because of that. Not fight right into sex."
Ksp-or-GTFO
Take a Shower
"My ex and I were together for nearly 7 years, but his hygiene never improved, so we stopped being intimate like, 3 years before I finally broke up with him. He showered only once a week, but he worked in kitchens, so he was sweaty and greasy all the time."
"He had an infected tooth, so he constantly had bad breath, but he refused to visit a dentist, even when he had the money to afford dental work. He stopped working out within the first year of us being together, which sucked because he would get jealous if I went to the gym by myself or with my girlfriends, but he refused to come with me."
GreenChorizo
Sober Time
"Personally, the only issue I have is my SO's drinking. He just becomes an unattractive person when he's drunk. It's one thing if we're both out socializing and drinking together occasionally, but he drinks almost every day, sitting on the couch in front of the TV and to the point of sloppy drunkenness way too often. His face changes, his posture changes, his personality changes... I just get so turned off."
WeptSiren3113
Hang Up
Art Hello GIF by LINDSEY L33Giphy"When they are glued to their phones non stop! Put that s**t down and look at me before we go to bed!"
Palmwine
"I really dislike this too. Makes me feel alone in the relationship."
RealBrownPerson
No phones in bed. Hard rule for many of us to follow.
Step Back
Be Quiet Go Away GIF by Ryn DeanGiphy"When I make a move, and then get the feeling she's not really in the mood/would only do it to please me. I want us both to have a good time, not only me. So when she seems not into it, I take a step back."
Level-Plate8372
Calm Down
"To be brutally honest, her anxiety and insecurity makes sex such a hassle. She doesn’t believe anything I say about wanting her, she can almost never relax during sex, she doesn’t take time to enjoy it, and if God forbid I have any trouble finishing, she takes it more personally than anything, which of course puts more pressure on me to finish, which then makes it almost impossible."
Ben_Franklinstein
When at Wal-Mart
"When they’ve done something really nasty/unkind that day. Cruelty is the most ugly thing a person can show, in my eyes. I had a boyfriend that I went to Wal-Mart with and he ended up flipping off and storming right past the sweet little old man that checks the receipts at the door."
"It was partially about how I used to check receipts and I remembered how I felt when people treated me like that- but I also remember the look on the little old man’s face and just how disgusted I was with my partner being so nasty about it."
"I couldn’t touch him after that and I got grossed out when he touched me. And then I started to notice how he was nasty to other people as well. It eventually led to our break up."
spxdergirl
33 Years In
"My husband used to dislike his job - he’d come home and do nothing but bi**h. After awhile, I just gave up trying to cheer him up with sex - you can only try so long. So, we had a long dry spell - like, whatever you think a dry spell would be, it’s longer. When someone is constantly annoyed, well, it’s hard to feel amorous."
"Anyway, he early retired (54) like a month before Covid kicked in and by autumn that year, well, let’s just say we’re back to what we were like when we first met. He’s not pissed off all the time. (I’m retired as well, and let’s just say, afternoon nookie is such a perk, as is morning nookie and 3am nookie because you can sleep in!) I’m glad we stayed together. Going on 33 years and we’re just so happy."
NicInNS
Rage
Angry Inside Out GIF by Disney PixarGiphy"Feeling angry. I hate feeling angry. I don't like being around other people when angry. So I'll go for a walk, a drive etc, and just clear my head."
jackfaire
It seems like "dead bed," as some folks call it, can stem from many things, from mood, attraction, hygiene, and more.
Do you have anything to add to this list? Let us know in the comments.