Thursday, October 8, 2026
It’s time for another Global Writing Challenge and I picked this topic – birthdays! I chose this topic because mine is next month and I love my birthday and I also love all birthdays! I also love to hear how others choose to spend their day!
Of course, my birthday has changed in adulthood from when I was a child, but I can remember enjoying having a fall birthday. I liked being in school and getting the attention. My birthday is November 2nd. I never felt like it was that close to Halloween as a child but obviously it was! I never had a Halloween themed birthday party, either.
As an adult, I tried to take off work if I could. I was a high school Spanish teacher and knew I would be mad if someone was rude to me on my birthday. How dare they? IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!
Other rules as an adult:
-no housework – I work hard to get all the housework done the day before so I could be a diva
-something pampering or self-care planned like a pedicure
-shopping perhaps
-breakfast, lunch, and dinner out if I could – no cooking
-wear something new that makes me feel good
*I used to go around and collect birthday freebies from retailers but then realized they were all food related and I didn’t need them. I still do the Kendra Scott 50% off piece most years.
I like to go out with Tom and my friends if possible but sometimes my birthday falls on a weeknight, so I just go out with Tom on that night. I try to do a friends night as close to the actual day as possible.
Some birthday photos:
Last year we went to Malone’s with friends and they already had Christmas decor up:
They have a fabulous chocolate layer cake that you can choose!
The year before that we did girls shopping and met the guys at a rooftop bar and then went to dinner. It was so fun!
Nice dinner with just Tom:
This was really fun and a funny picture of me. I rented a private karaoke room for 8 people and we sang after dinner next door!
Here my sisters, my mom, and I are celebrating my 50th birthday:
What traditions do you have for your birthday?
Please go here to read other entries!
Amy
Fun! It looks like you know how to celebrate and of course we know you have a joie de vivre at almost all times so why would your birthday be any different :)? It’s good that you like when in the year your birthday is. Mine is in April and I always liked it growing up because it meant that the end of the school year was coming up… Great pictures! The cake looks really good. THAT is a piece of cake!!
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That is such a nice compliment that you think I have joie de vivre! April is a great time for a bday! I sometimes order my own cake because I want cake, darnit!
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Aw, all your celebrations sound fun! I try not to do any housework or cooking on my actual birthday either. Since it’s in the middle of summer it’s easy for the husband to grill and take over cooking duties. I hated having a summer birthday as a kid though as I rarely had any friends show up to celebrate with me since they were often off on vacation. I do remember a few years in middle school though where my mom offered to take a few friends to the local amusement parks with me and we’d all spend the day riding rides and hanging out together or else we’d go to the roller skating rink for a few hours.
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Thank you! I’m glad I’m not the only one! Grilled food is great and that’s a great idea. I somehow would end up directing it or doing clean up. Oh, that is sad. I always thought summer bdays could be fun, too. It’s funny how my sister’s birthday was always considered summer at August 13 and now she is well into the school year!
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I love that you embrace your birthday and celebrate! So fun! My birthday is on Valentine’s Day so my hubby has absolutely no reason to forget it! LOL! It’s a great day to have a birthday – everyone remembers it. However, the down side was that everyone also had lots of things going on that day and, as a teacher, I always hosted a classroom party that day (and in the days of half day kindergarten, I’d host two) with room parents and lots of sugary sweetness! I was typically wiped by day’s end so we’d tend to celebrate my birthday on another day – besides, being frugal like we are, it made more sense to go out on a different night. I also remember my birthday when I was in second grade – I ended up with the mumps and missed celebrating completely!
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Thank you! Oh, that’s a great day! You feel all the love! True. That is a tough day if you are a teacher. Oh, we never go out on V Day anymore. It’s too crazy. That is a downfall. Mumps on your birthday is horrible!
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I take the day off work for sure because even if I have nothing big planned it’s nice to have nothing I have to do!
I am still trying to figure out what the perfect day would look like and then plan it. The one thing I have learned over the years is that it’s up to me to make those plans and not rely on someone else trying to figure out how to celebrate me. It’s much better that way!
xo,
Kellyann
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You have helped me to see that, too! You are so right. Tom is not a great planner so I have to be specific and bossy. Lol. I have to order my own cake. That’s ok. He has other gifts!
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Love this- your last birthday was such a fun one and those leather pants, once again, on point!
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I’m also one of those who has always taken off on a birthday. It was always the first date in our team calendar 😉
It’s great you enjoy celebrating your birthday so much. That cake looks amazing!
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I loved reading this! I am always curious to know how people celebrate. Mine has changed since I’ve gotten divorced. It used to be a really big deal for it, and I always wanted to be with my ex and my sons. The first year without him in my life, I scheduled a dinner out with all of my best friends. To this day, they’ve all become friends and have exchanged phone numbers! I love this so much. Last year I spent it with Chris, but I don’t remember what we did. I don’t know what I’m going to do yet for this year, but I want a big celebration, because I’ll be 50! I had other plans before, but now it’s all changed, obviously. It’s a work day for me, so I can’t go too wild, but I’m excited. I love making a big deal out of people’s birthdays!
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So you won’t be in NYC for your actual bday? I will help you plan the perfect day in town, then! Let’s talk! I loved the year that I made a text evite and did dinner and private karaoke. I think that would be fun for you!
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I always make a list of birthday freebies or discounts. My favorites are Madewell, Starbucks, Kendra Scott and Sephora. I love to celebrate at a restaurant and then come home for a favorite dessert. We aren’t cake people with the exception of Nothing Bundt Cakes so it’s usually cheesecake especially the banana cheesecake for me.
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