December Gift Giving (Non-Holiday Edition)

Not actually Erin. But let’s all pretend that it is.

Erin, the December baby on our staff, writes…

Ah, December.

Who doesn’t love December? Even if you hate cold weather like I do, there’s just something about December that just gets you right in the heart, regardless of what, if, or how you celebrate. Maybe it’s the lights, the music, the end of the semester, or just the general spirit of good cheer that accompanies the darkest month of the year, but most people find something to enjoy about December. I like December so much that I even have a special name for it, one that my Skylark friends have kindly (if, perhaps, halfheartedly) accepted, as well. So, let me begin again, if I may.

Ah, Erin’s Birthday Month.

That’s right. It’s my birthday month.

Those close to me, and quite a few not-so-close acquaintances, know that my birthday is December 27. I know that they know this, because when I sent out The Most Important Text Of The Year on June 27, which read, “HEY, GUESS WHAT?!?!” my family and friends knew exactly how to answer – “Six months till your birthday!” Clearly, they are well-versed on how this goes, and each month on the 27th they are counting down with me (or at least to humor me) to that most important date, December 27, (which is in just a couple of weeks, by the way). I have been doing this as long as I can remember (in fact, there was a countdown on the chalk board in the band room of Louisville Male High School during all four of my years there, because people should just know), and no matter how old I get, I will continue to advertise my birthday.

You may laugh or roll your eyes, and that’s fine. However, it’s not easy being born so close to the Sagittarius-Capricorn cusp in a society that pegs December as a holiday month. Those of us born during this time know the annoying irritation that comes from being given a pair of anything as a gift and being told, “one for Christmas and one for your birthday!”

This does not work for us.

Though my parents were always good about differentiating between the two, they did try to celebrate my birthday in January for several years when I was young. Their reasoning was that they didn’t want me confused about the conflation of days. My brother and sister, both born in July, still ridicule me when I remind them of my birthday, but they have nothing else in July to compete with. My own children have birthdays in August, October, and May, so they will never know the real struggle that we late-December babies are forced to endure yearly, so this post today goes out to my late-Sagittarius and early-Capricorn cohort because I hear you, I feel your pain, I support you, and we deserve the best birthday gifts of all for being forced to share our birthday with no less than four major holidays this month (I’m looking at you, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Yule).

The biggest question birthday shoppers face this month is HOW DO WE LET OUR DECEMBER BIRTHDAY PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE RECOGNIZE THEIR BIRTHDAY AS A DISTINCT AND SEPARATE HOLIDAY, and that’s an excellent question that I would love to answer. Skylark Bookshop comes to the rescue here with two fantastic gifts that your book loving Sagittarius or Capricorn will appreciate more than anything – the monthly book subscription and the Skylark Reading Spa.

Both are based on the recipient’s preferences, so there is very little work for the buyer to do. These are truly gifts that keep on giving long past December and are nice reminders to your December birthday friends that you remember their birthday all year long, because trust me, we need that. Both are like giving your loved one a personal book shopper, and who doesn’t want that? Email, call, or stop in to find out more about these unique gift ideas that will keep all of your December-born friends feeling remembered and loved this month and beyond, and know that, from the bottom of my heart, I am wishing you and yours a peaceful and lovely Erin’s Birthday Month season.

Oh, and one more thing: do not wrap my presents in Christmas paper.