December Birthday

People usually cringe when I tell them that my birthday is in December. Maybe they react that way because they think about how busy they are in December, getting ready for Christmas or whatever, and they can't imagine having to jam into that madness something like a birthday. Then they say something along the lines of how I must have gotten screwed out of presents as a kid because of the closeness of my birthday to Christmas.

On the contrary, I tell them. It was (and still is) great to have a birthday so close to Christmas. I mean, as a kid, waiting for Christmas and all those great presents can be tortuous. But for me, just when the pressure was at its greatest, I would get a bunch of presents to tide me over until the Big Day.

I guess what I'm saying is that people born in December often have the ability to turn lemons into lemonade. Today we're celebrating the birthday of our December baby, Owen, who turns seven today.

Owen's bright and curious and fun to be around. He's easy to pick out in a crowd, because he's the one with the biggest smile having the most fun.

And yes, that worries his mother and me tremendously as we picture him in his college years.

Happy Birthday, Owen!