<p>Mine is coming up soon. Over the years, it has becoming less and less of a deal. </p>
<p>I would make sure I call my Mom to thank her and buy something I like for myself. Last year, I got myself an Omega seamaster (2531.80.00).</p>
<p>What about you and yours?</p>
<p>Not very frugal of you there, LB. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>I might be poor, but I’m not poor enough to settle for a $2,000 watch. Sheesh, what a cheapskate.</p>
<p>I love celebrating birthdays. It’s the only time I eat cake.</p>
<p>On a related note, I got a call from my son a few days ago: “please give me the recipe for your spice cake.” “Okay, you buy the Betty Crocker mix…” “Oh my god, my faith in humanity is gone” “and add extra cinnamon and ginger” “oh, that’s okay then, if you add something to the mix.”</p>
<p>I’m still laughing at that one. I can’t believe he spent all those years thinking I made cake from scratch!</p>
<p>When my kids were younger and all over me, all I ever wanted on my birthday or mother’s day was an hour to myself, like for a hot bath, so my husband drove them around in circles in the car. </p>
<p>Now I like it when they email or phone in.</p>
<p>Now that we’re all mature and stuff, we always have a pie at dinner and make sure the dinner food is favorite. Since I do all the cooking, when my birthday rolls around, I get to choose to either be taken out to a restaurant or eat at home but not lift a finger. </p>
<p>Some years my H and I go out to a concert (rock or symphony, however the mood strikes that year) or theater together, quite nice.</p>
<p>And we ALWAYS, at the dinner table, exchange words that are positive and appreciative. It’s getting very “Little House On the Prarie”, corny, but we like it. </p>
<p>Long ago I had my kids write little poems, or skits for their Dad. One year I had them each draw a picture of him and got the 3 pictures put onto a T-shirt with the word “Dad” on it, and each of their names under it. At the time, they were 5, 10 and 12 years old, so their drawings reflected the age differences very strongly. He wore it a few times, but then hung it to keep it nice.
This past year, my H turned 60, I took that T-shirt and put it into a shadowbox. Then each kid (now late teen, early 20’s) drew a picture of him today, and I scrapbooked it and had them present it to him. So now he has the 2 sets. He likes it.
I guess we’re either sentimental, creative & frugal these days still. Loving.</p>
<p>Normally, we go out to dinner (with whatever kids are home). We usually go to the same restaurant because we all really like it, but the decision is up to the person who’s birthday it is. One of my sisters and I, who are normally the ones at home, are pretty generous with gifts (though not at the $2,000 level…). Sometimes we buy separately, and sometimes we go in to get something really nice from both of us. If it’s a weekend, we might go out and do something together. When kids aren’t home, my parents often go out to dinner with a small group of friends and celebrate together. We call and either give gifts once we’re home, pay for a special trip out somewhere, or make the next gift opportunity extra nice. My older siblings call and/or send cards. Sometimes we do cake, sometimes we do dessert at the restaurant, and sometimes we skip it altogether (depending on the ever-changing state of their diets). I think we do pretty well with birthdays.</p>
<p>We go to dinner without kids. Some place fancy and nearly always some place we haven’t been before. Sometimes we combine it with a play, but not usually as it makes dinner too rushed. We usually make our own cards and give flowers and small presents.</p>
<p>My b’day is mid summer and my 2 best friends and I (we’ve been a trio for more than 30 years) go to the county fair (just off the Pacific Ocean), and enjoy people watching, going through the “hall of crap you can’t live without” and always a concert that night. Last year it was Chris Issak, this year Weird Al, one year was Bill Cosby. The day culminates in one of those gigantic cinnamon rolls (which puts Cinnabon to shame!). We always go whale watching for one of the others (it’s mid whale season), and on a museum jaunt for the other (mid fall). </p>
<p>So yep, still celebrate birthdays. No presents though. Just each others presence.</p>
<p>My birthday is four days after Christmas. I’m so sick of sweets by then, the last thing I want is a cake. My two best friends and I always do a special birthday lunch and day out when it’s one of our birthdays, and our families get together in the evening for dinner with lots of yummy food. We have fun playing board games after dinner and just enjoy the time together. My family and friends always use birthday gift instead of Christmas wrap, something that is greatly appreciated. My sister’s birthday is close to Christmas, too, so we always try to ensure that each of us gets as much birthday attention as we would if our birthdays fell at another time of year. For those of you who have friends or relatives with birthdays near Christmas, let me share a helpful tip … do not spend a “little extra” and give a combo Christmas/birthday gift … everyone likes to feel special on their birthdays, but when it’s combined with another holiday, it’s just not as special. I milk the entire month of December … wedding anniversary, Christmas and birthday … I like to think of it as the “month of SplashMom” :D.</p>