Birthday Woes

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How do people cope with Birthdays? Do you find it difficult keeping the uproar to a minimum or have you found a way of embracing it?

Not being fond of social situations it's difficult navigating the slew of phone calls and drop-ins and even more difficult trying to keep composed when family overcompensates for the lack of social activity that "should" be taking place.

My plans this year were to disappear for the day.

I've never had a slew of phone calls and drop-ins for a birthday. I don't have any friends or family who are all that fond of "uproar", so I've never had to put up with it. The one annoyingly "social" thing that happens is that my in-laws insist on calling me from the other side of the world to wish me happy birthday. They are the type of people who like to talk on the phone for two hours and saying the same thing over and over. I'm the type of person who can't stand talking on the phone. So I just let the answer machine get it, and the in-laws just think we're out "celebrating".

I actually celebrated my last birthday. It was fun. I invited some friends from my art club and we spent the afternoon and evening sitting in my kitchen, drawing, talking and drinking lots of tea.
The year before, I celebrated together with a friend who happend to have her birthday in the same week, and we didn't want to celebrate in the middle of the week, so we waited until the weekend and organized a party. Fun as well, though that was a bit overwhelming.
The year before that, I forgot my own birthday.
People know by now not to call me on the phone. Ever. They learned to send text messages, and I don't mind those.

My birthday comes and goes like any other day. No phone calls, no messages, no drop-ins, nothing.

I get quite depressed by that alone, it would be nice to know at least ONE person cares.

I would gladly trade you, perhaps you should be more grateful for the reception you get? cuz there are people like me who get nothing and suffer terrible depression and loneliness because of it.

I usually get family round and one close friend for a buffet or something.
On my 16th birthday I went for a meal to my favourite resturant (and chose my favourite lasagne from there) with a few family and one of my friends.
Next day also to celebrate my birthday me and my best boy mate went on this big wheel thing like a mini version of the london one, I got scared when it first started moving I was like "ah no stop the wheel!" and my friend was like "calm down soph I'm here" but I loved it after though, then me and my friend went back to my house and he stayed till 10:30 ish. Fun it was, nothing extravagant but nice. I was going to invite a bunch school mates but didn't get anything planned and felt too shy to ask them over anyway.

The only birthday I remember actively avoiding was my 21st birthday. I do not care to get drunk but many people wanted to get me drunk so I went to a dry county for my birthday.

Never had that problem--just the opposite. My birthday is December 26th. Friends are away for the holidays, so it's just me and my (hung over from Christmas) immediate family. Extended family forgets entirely, and my friends are absent.

"Disappear for the day". If that what makes you most comfortable--do it. It's your day, after all. Celebrate it the way you want to.

Never tried to make a big fuss over my birthday, with my birthday being in mid July (July 20th to be exact) somewhat helped.

I just wish everybody would forget mine. Even while in Germany, I still got cards. I want everyone to forget about my birthday and let me be.

That'll never happen though. Being married... now you have another person that'll want to show their love for you by celebrating your birthday. So depressing.

I can understand that it's a way for them to show their love and appreciation for you, but every year I ask that everybody forget it. I even have breakdowns trying to explain why, but it seems to not matter, I still get a party and stuff. One time I didn't go home, but went to the mall and watched people for a good four hours. My wife was mad to say the least.

I don't expect them to forget my birthday, but I wish they would.

One note- my wife one day asked me when my birthday was because she didn't remember. I gave her a day about a week after my birthday. On that day, she had a little party and invited her family. I started laughing hysterically. She asked why, and I told her that my birthday was last week.

She was ticked off at me for a good month and a half.

Take my advice, never tell your wife your birthday is a week after your birthday.