Who Cared?
Happy Birthday Reaction GIFGiphyNo one ever made it special. So I stopped caring about it when I was much younger.
Overhype....
As a kid mine would be hyped up to be special and then limited to a few kids allowed, typically ended up being me and my craphead cousin that would steal my presents and open them without repercussion. I don't know if I ever hit him for it, but I probably did.
I don't remember most of the crap he pulled, but I know he did it because the year I got a Home Alone style TalkBoy Walkman he took it and recorded me crying and asking for it back. Decades later I rediscovered the toy and hit "Play" only to be hit with some PTSD style flashbacks.
The stuff I do remember only breeds resentment.
Don't Look at Me
Uncomfortable with the idea of being the center of attention for no reason other than existing.
Also realized something a bit screwed up recently. When I was a kid most of my little playmates were people who lived in our area seasonally because their families were vacationers. (My family was in the tourism business.) I wanted to invite them to my birthday party but Mom said no, because we wouldn't be able to return the favor of giving them gifts and going to their parties when it was their birthdays because they would be back at their homes.
So I got this idea that parties were just to get other people to do something nice for you, and it was rude to invite someone to your party to give you gifts if you wouldn't be able to reciprocate. With the way my life was structured, I didn't really have any local friends I cared to invite. So I never wanted a party beyond just having a cake and something good for dinner.
As an adult I let them slide by unnoticed until I married a guy who has the same birthday as I do. I don't want to ignore his birthday so we tend to make plans to go out for dinner or something, for both of us. Kind of forces me to celebrate mine too. Other than that, parties don't happen.
Ordinary
Bored Episode 15 GIF by The SimpsonsGiphyAt my age I really just don't care anymore. It's just another day to me.
COVID Celebration
This year was the best because my birthday fell during the week in March after stuff got crazy and everyone was scared to leave home. I got lots of phone calls and texts that day from friends and family wishing me a happy birthday, but no one expected me to attend a birthday dinner or party. I sat in my pajamas all day watching TIGER KING and eating junk food.
Loved it. 36 years it took me to get such a gift.
Pizzazzlessness....
I get more joy out of my children's birthdays than my own. They tend to appreciate and respond to the effort of the party more. At 40yrs old, I have had enough wild birthdays that when they come around now.. It is just me, the wife, and the kids, going out to dinner. No pizzazz or anything. Just the family.
Everybody Hurts
I remember when I discovered this myself.
One year, I ended up going to the cinema with a single friend, which actually turned out great. It was heavily snowing and we walked there alone as the roads were so bad, and it was empty as nobody could get there.
Then next year he moved away. I made new "friends", and everything seemed great on the surface.
Then I arranged a meet-up for my birthday, but leading up to it they all dropped out one by one (the last 2 on the day), leaving me alone. I realized that they weren't real friends, even though they acted like it at school, and I ended up pretty isolated.
Ever since then, I prefer to not even tell anyone when my birthday is, because if they don't know, then they can't forget and disappoint me.
I Forget
sad birthday party GIFGiphyIt just reminds me how lonely I am so i completely pretend it doesn't exist.
I hate this day....
- Very few people to celebrate with. I dont have a ton of people who actually give a crap. I know a few people who would probably send me a gift if I asked but who wants to freaking ask someone for a birthday present?
- Inconvenient timing. I was born very close to Christmas so any attempts for a birthday celebration over the years has been thwarted by people always having family events or Christmas plays on the same day.
- It's just a particularly lonely day. If I had a partner or someone that considered me family, I'd probably be down to celebrate, but since I don't it doesn't really matter to me. Girl_You_Can_Train
More like Enemies....
Woo Hoo Season 7 GIF by FriendsGiphyI invited like, 10 of my "friends", and literally none of them showed up, even though they RSVPed. Even my "best friend" didn't show up. Then, maybe the next week, I see on snapchat, all my "friends" at one of their birthdays, so thats when I quit trying to have parties for that.
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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
u/NerdInABush asked:
What unfortunate things have happened to you on your birthday?
Here were some of those answers.