Write On

I’ve never liked having a December birthday, a time of year when it turns dark early, when it’s cold and overcast and seasonal affective disorder is the annual gift that won’t stop giving (in my case, until at least April).

But the past two years have been the most deflating birthdays of all. Pre-pandemic, I’d kick out the winter blues by going for a swanky dinner one night, then host a party another night, filling my little rowhouse with my dearest friends.

In 2020, those plans got thrown out like an old Christmas tree. Instead, my birthday was spent at home, like every other day for the past ten months. My boyfriend served up homemade deep-dish pizza and a chocolate martini to help me drown my sorrows.

This year we could go out, but with Omicron on the move we didn’t feel all that great hanging out indoors. Instead, we enjoyed dinner al fresco. Or rather, al freezo and perhaps “enjoyed” is too strongly stated. Despite the propane heaters a’blazing, the tips of my fingers grew so cold I thought they’d break off and fall into my food. We kept it a short affair— one drink, no appetizers, no dessert. It was too cold to splurge.

So with 2021 ending, I decided to take to social media and check in with friends and neighbors about how they celebrated their 2020 and 2021 birthdays. Most folks were in my boat, spending 2020 at home and celebrating 2021 with slightly more pizazz. There were disappointments, but also silver linings:

• • “In May 2020, turned 40. Instead of a kid-free trip to Puerto Rico, my husband threw me a surprise Zoom party (before everyone got sick of them) and about 30 people went around and said how they met me and what the love about me. It was super meaningful and people from all times of my life and all over the world attended.”
  • “In May 2021, I was vaccinated but many folks were still waiting on theirs. I returned to FDR park with some friends for a guided walk and meditation. I got on a train for the first time in more than a year and hugged my best friend for the first time in more than a year. I also narrated a Zoom reading of A Princess Bride, which was amazing. And had some photos taken, because 40 is a big deal.”
  • “I turned 35 in April 2020 and originally had front row seats to see Company on Broadway (the best musical about turning 35), which was going to be a dream b-day scenario. Instead, my husband got my friends & family to record video messages for me and edited them together with one of my favorite songs (it was wonderful and made me cry!). For 2021, I took the day off work and we went for a little drive out towards Lancaster, getting some pizza and beer from a small brewery we like, then stopping in Hershey for chocolate. Both were more memorable than previous celebrations, honestly.”
  • “For my bday in 2020 it was spring during lockdown. I was quarantining completely alone for quite a few months so I placed a huge delivery order w/Scoop DeVille of every ice cream, cookie, and cake I wanted and ate the day away with zero regrets.”
  • “i ate a broken m&m off the floor and said “yeah this is an appropriate metaphor for my life””
  • “In 2020 I walked for hours in FDR on my own. I’d never spent a birthday alone, but amongst the trees and sky it didn’t feel too bad.”
  • “Lol my birthday is March 18, a day after the city shut down. I drank champagne on the couch all day in my pjs and watched my favorite movie scenes/sports moments. It was my 30^th and I had plans to throw down, but sh*t was okay all things considered?”
  • “I celebrated my 42^nd birthday on my 43^rd birthday. On my actual 42^nd, I ate outdoors at a restaurant for the first time in almost six months. For the fake 42^nd, I had the small Douglass Adams themed party I’d planned for the previous year. I was only interested in the cake anyway. I reasoned that we’d all ‘spent a year dead, for tax purposes’.”
  • “2020: The Big 40. Did absolutely nothing for my pandemic birthday. 2021: came down with Covid… yeah!”
  • “In 2020, my sister threw a surprise birthday party for me and I got to see friends I hadn’t seen in years. And then I went to brunch and a babysitter stayed with my kids! It was grand! In 2021, my immediate family made a cake for me and set the table pretty. You can probably take a 1 out of 3 guess as to what month I was born in.” Answer: March 1!

   

  How did you celebrate your birthday?