Share & Share Alike

by Susan Sey

This is going to be a quick one because I'm in the process of adoring my new nephew, & it's time consuming. That new baby smell is mesmerizing. Hours could go by while I inspect his teeny weeny fingernails. He is coming home today so I confess right up front I will be busy. We have business, this child & I, so it's likely I will be scarce. Sorry.

But I did want to mention this odd bit of coincidence: Robbie was born July 2. My mother's birthday is July 1. My mother is from Ireland, and St. Patrick's Day is a big holiday for our family. My latest niece (the equally adorable Claire) arrived the day after St. Patrick's Day. My oldest child was born on my parents' 38th wedding anniversary, & my sister shares a wedding anniversary with my parents-in-law.

My birthday is August 29, the same day as Hurricane Katrina. Another of my sisters' birthdays is September 11. My father's birthday is the day after Christmas, a birthday he shares with the new baby's father, my brother-in-law.

This seems like a lot of coincidence. We're not an extraordinarily large family, so odds don't favor this kind of overlap. Are we just lucky? Or do all families have this kind of share & share alike mentality for important dates?

How about you? Are there any big dates & seasons of celebration in your family? What are they? Do you make a point of giving each person their own celebration, or do you go in for the One Big Party?

Have yourself a Merry Little....Birthday?

For those of you with June birthdays, you just don't know how lucky you are. Today is my birthday. For about the last...oh...29 years or so (Ha! Ha!), I've had to compete with the big guy in the Red Suit for attention. There's no going out for girl's night in December. Nary a table or a waiter to be had. As a child, the parents got to jaunt about to holiday parties - or worse yet, HOST ONE - on my birthday. Aaargh! Humbug!

Now, lest you think I'm following in Aunty Cindy's footsteps and being a Grinch, think again! I'm not against Christmas at all. In fact, if you were to ask me what my favorite season is, it would be Winter in all its gorgeous snowy glory. I love snow. I love cold weather. I love winter sports, snowball fights, sledding, hot chocolate, lots of quilts piled on the bed, roaring fires in the fireplace...you get the picture.

This year is starting out great, by the way. It's not even truly Winter yet (December 21 is Yule or the Winter Solstice), but already we've got snow. Now, mind you, it wasn't SUPPOSED to snow. But it did. Ah, a birthday wish come true! Ha! And its good snowball fighting snow too. Heh-heh-heh. How do I know this, you wonder? Guess.

So why am I whinging and whining, you ask? Well, sometimes it would just be nice to have a birthday without any of the "tinsel, trimmings, and bells" that come with a holiday birthday. My DH and children are both thankfully holiday free when it comes to their birthdays (unless you celebrate Flag Day in a big way) and I'm happy about that. As for me, it would sometimes be fun to have the balloons be birthday balloons, the flowers be roses and not poinsettias. This year, I get to share my birthday with Hanukkah too. Ah, the agony...snicker....not really, but it's often weird.

However, since I love Winter, and I really do love my birthday - but NOT the combining presents thing! - I try very hard not to complain. In fact, I usually count my blessings and try to remember the GOOD things about my birthday, even though it IS in December.

1. The already mentioned possibility of Snow for my birthday.

2. My parents could have named me Noel, Holly, or some other seasonal name (thanks, Mama and Dad for your astonishing restraint!) which isn't bad for some, but wouldn't suit ME.

3. Although I don't like the "combining" thing for presents, it does sometimes result in bigger presents!

4. I get to be a Sagittarius, one of the more rollicking signs in the Zodiac.

5. I'm in good company (James Thurber, Queen Mary Tudor, Flip Wilson, Quintus Horatious)

6. There's such wonderful food this time of the year!

7. Birthday Snuggling under the aforementioned quilts.

8. Great dress options for a night out...thanks to the holidays, you can ALWAYS find a special occasion dress for the birthday date-night with the DH!

So, there you have it, 8 great things about a Holiday Birthday. I'm sure others can attest to the bad things - and some good - about the whole deal of being a Holiday Baby. Hey, it could be worse, I could have been born on the 24th or 25th! So, I'm grateful.

Oh, and just for the record, my favorite holiday is Halloween!

What is the best thing about your birthday? The worst? What's your favorite Holiday, and why? If you are a Holiday Baby, or have one, what's the craziest thing your family has done to celebrate your birthday, or in what way have they made it stand out from the rest of the Holiday fol-de-rol?

Oh, and it keeping with the Bandita Holiday Fun...here's a great recipe from a lovely friend of mine. I make it often around the holidays and always think of her fondly.

Pineapple Casserole

1 stick butter (you know its going to be good, just starting with that, right?)

4 slices of white bread, crusts removed, cut into 1" squares

2 slightly rounded teaspoons of flour

1/2 C white sugar

3 eggs slightly beaten

1 (14 or 15 oz) can of crushed pineapple

Lightly grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. remove the crusts from the bread and cut it into 1" pieces. Mix flour and sugar together, then stir it gradually into the beaten eggs. Pour the can of pineapple into the egg/flour mixture. Pour into casserole. Cover the top of the mixture with the bread until the whole surface is covered. Thinly slice the cold butter and dot it on top of the bread until all the bread is covered.

Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. Let stand for at least 45 minutes before serving.

Dig in and enjoy!