Let Them eat Cake- Shared!

It's funny how some things happen to certain people, and it simply amazes me that history can repeat itself in completely different circumstances.
As I may have lamented lightly about before (Heh!) -ie: Merry Birthday, Baby!- I have the very distinct and individual pleasure (?) of having my birthday fall upon Christmas Day. Just a little something to make me, mysuestories, a little bit different than the average person. A little SPECIAL, if you will. Boy I can't count the times I've been that. Yep, it was quite the honor, being the sole Christmas baby in my classroom, in my home, as a youngster. Then the world began to expand for little mysueshortstories (as I was known at the time- or would have been, had there been a blog ville then).

Yes, the world turned and I became aware of extended family. At some point in my young years, I learned that I had both an uncle and my cousin, (his son) also were born on the Most Wonderful Day of The Year. So much for basking in the adoration of my family as a birthday cake was proudly brought out during Christmas dessert bearing my name. Oh, the cake was still there, only my name was written a lot smaller, as it now included the names of both my uncle and my cousin (hi, Eddie!). And so, the golden years of youth and limelight diminished for my Christmas/Birthday.

As the world turned, and people grew apart, there came a time when my cousin and uncle were no longer a big part of our holiday celebrations, and, much to my delight, my name was again center stage on the ever present Christmas/Birthday cake.

Fast forward ten years, and I meet and marry the man who will 15 short years later hold the dubious title of having been "my then-husband". (Trust me, it takes A LOT of work to get to even that much affection here). Christmas time rolls around, and as Christmas Eve approaches, I am quick to learn that my then-husband's brother had the audacity to be born on MY BIRTHDAY. Granted, he was born a good ten years before me, but it was still MY DAY, dammit. Once again, the lettering got smaller as my anger increased. The only small consolation was that said brother-in -law's wife shared the same birth date as MY then-husband. Take that! Order one more cake with small lettering!

One Christmas Eve evening, my then-husband and I stopped at a local pubbery for a hot toddy or two. If you have the pleasure of knowing both my then-husband and myself at this period in time you are probably saying, "A pubbery? How shocking!". Yes , it's true, we WERE known to imbibe on rare occasions. In any event, we find ourselves celebrating the impending holiday with a few of our nearest and dearest unknown bar tender and patrons. It so happens that on that particular Christmas Eve, a birthday party was being thrown for one of the patron's by his wife. Upon further investigation (which I'm sure included plying the guest of honor with alcoholic beverages), I learned that this patron's birthday was actually On (yep, you guessed it!) Christmas Day!

Well, we continued to revel and celebrate his AND my approaching birthdays with many a good "Happy birthday to you, my good lady!", to which I would reply with a clink of our respective cocktail glasses, "And Happy birthday to you, kind sir." (Although truth be told, it probably sounded a lot more like "An apeee Birfday you, kinda", by this point.

When Mrs. Birthday Boy started taking pictures, I made it a point to manage to stick my face/ head/ other assorted body parts into each and every single picture taken. After all, it was my party too, dammit. Wasn't it? OK, maybe it wasn't, but it WAS my birthday, also! The night ended, and I don't think we ever revisited that pubbery or saw my birthday buddy again.

Spin the globe another decade, and I am now estranged from my cake-sharing brother-in-law. I know, I didn't divorce him, but you'd be surprised how divorce no matter what the reason cuts those family ties like a knife in the back. On the lighter side of things, My name was center stage once again on that cake!

One relationship fails and another blooms, and with it a new love springs eternal. Or something like that. All i know is that our first holiday season together, I actually asked my mountain man hubby if he had any relatives born on Christmas. Nope. Not a one in sight. "Break out the cake," says I.

Our first Christmas together, and two weeks before my birthday, hubby has his annual work Christmas party- a lovely catered affair, something akin to being "and Guest" at a wedding, where there are way too many drunk cousin Ned's. Mountain Man proudly introduces me to his colleagues and cohorts (more of the second, I'd say). And half way through the rounds, I am face to face with my birthday drinking buddy from the pubbery of Christmas past. "mysuestories," says the mountain man, "I'd like to introduce you to my best friend, Mikey. His birthday is on Christmas, too!"

As I sighed heavily in defeat, Mikey's wife exclaimed in a not so quiet, let everyone over hear voice ,"OH MY GOD! You're the girl from all of Mikey's birthday pictures! We couldn't figure out who you were!"

Well, of course you couldn't. I share a birth date AND a cake with half of the population of my county alone.

Well, Mikey's wife is having a big birthday this year. And she's throwing herself a surprise party. Turns out Mikey of shared birthday status isn't much for putting one over on her and has admitted defeat before botching the entire thing. So, we'll be reveling in her birthday at the same pubbery of Christmas/Birthday's past. And the real kicker? Her birthday is on the same day as the Mountain Man's! Heh. Enjoy that cake with the small Birthday name lettering. I'll be over there. I think someone is taking out a camera!