Birthday Celebrations and Other Diversions!

I grew up in a family where birthdays generally were regarded as "no big deal," and the gift of a book and a pat on the back — and maybe a nice dinner — constituted the extent of celebration that would take place.

Granted, I was also born to significantly older parents... my mom was 39 and my dad 43, when I was born. And that was pretty much considered ancient, when I was born in 1960. So now you know how old I am...

Anyway, being married to Mrs. Denmarkguy has shown me a completely different aspect of birthday celebrations!

Not only does she come from a family that goes in for huge celebrations surrounding everyone's birthday... but birthdays are often "extended" to last an entire week, or even the entire month someone was born.

This weekend, our adult kids (now in their 30's) came over from Seattle to visit for the weekend because it is Mrs. Denmarkguy's birthday this coming week... and so, we got off and running with an outing to a part of the nearby forest where there's a mineral hot springs.

After the return home, there was dinner and family time, followed by an evening of playing board games.

The whole thing really helped me realize how much I never really had a childhood, at least not in the sense of the word most people associate with being a kid.

As a sidenote, I am very much an introvert, so loud surprise parties would not have been very comfortable for me when I was little... but at least being acknowledged a little it more would have been nice, in retrospect.

I'm not complaining about my upbringing, mind you. But I do feel a bit more appreciative of how other people observe holidays and festivities... and I am definitely not as subdued in my response, as I once was.

And so, I am very glad to be part of "making a big fuss" over Mrs. Denmarkguy's birthday... which I have a feeling we will be celebrating all week long!

There's still a couple of months to go before my own birthday rolls around... and old feelings still arise in me, occasionally wondering whether or not anyone will even remember. Those are unfounded fears, of course... but it's remarkable how "stuck" our memories can be!

Thanks for reading, and have a great remainder of your weekend!

How about you? Do you go in for celebrating birthdays in a big way? Or would you just as well forget about them? Do leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

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Created at 2023.06.04 00:33 PST
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