A Joyful December Birthday

 

Growing up, my birthday was never really mine. My Dad’s birthday was two days after mine, so it made sense to do a combined celebration. The dinner, gifts, cake and candles were always shared. 

The dinner was my dad’s pick: pork, potatoes and peas. None of them were my favorite. As a child I hated pork and peas. The cake was a mix from a box: white cake and chocolate frosting. Again, not my favorite.  

In my family, everyone got their pick of dinner and dessert for their birthday, except me. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my Dad. But as a child, I always felt a little cheated while I watched my brothers get everything they wanted for their birthday dinners. 

Let me eat cake!

This year, I had my very first ‘made for me’ birthday cake! My darling daughter asked me what kind of cake I wanted. Then she went to work creating a cake just for me. 

It was beautifully decorated with her own homemade fondant and inside was a rich, dark chocolate cake with melt in your mouth frosting. She crafted the outside in white fondant with black and white dots. Inside was a rich, dark chocolate cake with chocolate espresso filling.

A tale of three birthday dinners. 

My husband took me out to dinner for my birthday. At a local restaurant, I had a delicious halibut and bites of his steak with lovely red wine. On my birthday, day, my son made me a wonderful traditional pot roast dinner. 

Later in my birthday week, my husband fixed me this favorite dinner: lamb, baked potato with sour cream and broccoli. My sweet Gram used to make this dinner especially for me. And it always made me feel so loved. Another day, I had cake for breakfast!

Non Christmas flowers.

I love plants and flowers around this time of year: poinsettias, Christmas cactus, pine wreaths and rosemary trees. And I love filling my home with the colors and scents of the season. But I don’t consider them my birthday flowers. 

My true favorites were delivered by my true love. My husband arrived home with bundles of red and white long stem roses! Filling the vases with these beauties was such a joy. 

December is a joyful time

But it was made even more wonderful this year 

With food, flowers and a cake 

From my husband, son and daughter

All for me on my birthday. 

Happy December to You

 

As I sit here on the window seat watching the winter sun set, I wonder. What will tomorrow bring? Sun? Rain? Warmth? Cold? Does it even matter?

Watching the clouds softly moving in a light blue gray sky, I sigh. Even though it’s the end of another day, it doesn’t feel that way to me. I see layers of clouds and light sky and deeper blue clouds and distant trees pointing upward. There are streetlights turning on. A stop light blinking red and green through the trees. And strings of colored lights on a rooftop a few streets over. 

There’s a lot of light to see as the sun sets. 

Life hasn’t been easy for many of us these past few years. I thought this year, it would be easier, brighter, safer. Didn’t you?

Red light. Green light. 

As the stoplight changes through the trees, I remember that childhood game. I loved playing it. 

Do you remember? Red light. Green light. 

When it was a green light, I ran around joyously. Laughing. Just feeling the breeze, the ground and freedom. When someone shouted, ‘Red light’, I stopped still. Feeling my feet on the ground. Holding my breath. Waiting. Wondering. Still. Eagerly waiting for the change, the chance to go. 

This last year has been a very long game of red light/green light for me.

Birthdays and funerals. 

This is my birthday month. It was also my Dad’s birthday month. In fact, the dates were just days apart.  That meant for most of my life, my birthday was a dual celebration. I’ll admit, as a kid, this was hard. No special party for me. No special cake for me. It was, most of the time, what my dad wanted. I just tagged along. 

My dad is gone now. I miss him always but especially this month on our shared birthday week. I do get to ‘do my own thing’ but I miss being able to share it with him, too. Ok, I don’t miss the pork roast but we did agree on chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. 

Let’s all make a wish. 

We are all still dealing with covid. Vaccinations. Masks on and off and on again. Waiting for everyone to get their vaccines. So we can all go out into the day and on with our lives. 

Since it’s my birthday month, I’d like to invite you to help me celebrate. 

Picture a cake or maybe just a slice with a candle on top. 

Wherever you are, light a candle. 

Look at it and let its shine brighten and lighten your heart just a little. 

Make a wish for yourself, your children, your family, your cat or dog or fish. 

Then, blow it out. 

Happy December to you!