When pregnant with my son, I was told his predicted due date was February 10. Then, people told me that first children were typically late. I worried (because what pregnant woman doesn’t need more to worry about?) he’d be born on Valentine’s Day. How awful for a boy to have to share his birthday with Valentine’s Day. He’d never be able to go out for a birthday dinner without joining the hordes of romancing couples eating prix fixe dinners. He’d be barraged by pink hearts. He’d be dating someone on his birthday and have to worry about his date’s gift instead of simply anticipating the loot he was getting for his birthday.

I told my son about this fear recently. He said it was good he wasn’t born on Valentine’s Day because it is a holiday “for girls.” Six can be so smart, right?

My husband is a Dec. 30 birthday. That’s another birthday that sucks in my mind. He’s always had to share his special day with Christmas and New Year’s Eve. It’s challenging to host a party for his birthday as every one is already getting primed for the 31st and can’t afford babysitters or travel two days in a row. So, it needs to be a combo event. How does one not get upstaged by J Lo in a unitard on national television? Of course, my husband would tell himself she was dancing for him alone.

What I wonder, though, is: Are there advantages to having a birthday on or near a holiday? What about sharing your birthday with another family member? What’s that like? Am I really just selfish or does sharing your birthday suck as much as I think it might? Please fill me in below!