The Twelve Posts of Christmas - #9 (2013 Edition)

Of course today is LBA's birthday.  We have worked very hard to make sure that he has a proper birthday in addition to regular Christmas festivities.  However, there will not be tacos for Christmas Dinner tonight.  We will spend our day in church this morning followed by having friends over for Christmas dinner this afternoon.  Tomorrow we will head to NY for a few days to celebrate with the extended Brave Astronaut clan.

LBA manages pretty well with a Christmas birthday. BuzzFeed posted a list a while back with reasons why a Christmas birthday is the worst - but I maintain it's been OK for him.

1. All your friends are home with their families, so you can forget a birthday party.
2. Or if they’re around, there are so many holiday parties people don’t want to celebrate.
3. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, you still get screwed. (Everything is closed and your friends are busy. Nothing better than hanging out alone to celebrate your birth.)
4. You get combo presents from everyone and it’s not OK to point out that if your birthday was in July, this would be an outrage. (As someone with a December birthday - I often got combo presents and never really contemplated the injustice.)
5. On top of the combo presents, your birthday presents are always wrapped in Christmas paper. (That is the cardinal rule - birthday presents must be in birthday wrap.)
6. You have to save up a list of what you want all year. Hopefully your dream present doesn’t come out in February, otherwise you will be waiting 10 months.
7. On the plus side - And people like to decorate really well for your “birthday.” 
8. People also like to remind you it isn't only your birthday.  (When LBA was very young, Mrs. BA took him to the pediatrician and a little girl came over to admire LBA.  She asked when his birthday was, Mrs. BA replied, December 25.  The little girl looked up at Mrs. BA and exclaimed, "Just Like Jesus!")
9. If they even remember at all. (We may have forgotten to give a present or two to SoBA, but LBA has always done well.)
10. People always start to call you the Grinch since you’re sick of all the holiday cheer.
11. This is what your birthday dinner looks like, even if you don't like turkey. (Again, there will not be tacos this evening.)
12. Your birthday "cake" looks a lot like cookies. (LBA always gets a birthday cake.)
13. You are always forced to do some horrible holiday activity on your birthday whether you want to or not.
14. And you are always getting upstaged by a fat guy in a big red suit. And you are always getting upstaged by a fat guy in a big red suit.