By CHRISTINE RAPPLEYE
christine@du2.byu.edu
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the home, not a creature was stirring, except for dear Mom.
She lay awake, tossing and turning that night; she was a full nine months pregnant and the end was in sight.
Her other kids were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.
But she lay awake, same as most nights that week, wondering how their checkbooks had sprung such a leak.
When from down below there arose a great noise, she rose from her bed to go quiet the boys.
She took the stairs slowly, each one at a time, and as she looked at the clock, all she could do was sigh.
Then suddenly, from out of the blue came the signs; the baby was coming and they needed to fly.
To the hospital they went, her husband not quite awake; the nurses, how they scurried, preparations to make.
The baby came quickly, her grand entrance made, and the doctors pronounced, 'She is born Christmas day.'
Mom looked at her daughter, she was finally here; the perfect yule gift, to be remembered for years.
As Mom and Dad looked at their new child sublime, they were thrilled at her arrival and amazed at its timing.
The stork chimed in with Santa as they flew out of sight, 'Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.'
OK, maybe that's not exactly the way it happened, but I was born on Christmas day. On the day the rest of the world exchanges gifts to celebrate the birth of the savior of the world, I celebrate my own birth. Don't apologize, I've learned to deal with it. In my family, everyone likes my birthday best.
One year I received a card that read, 'I didn't know whether to say 'Happy Birthday' or 'Merry Christmas'... so 'Happy Christmas.''
I'm sure my friend meant well.
Having a Christmas birthday does present a unique set of problems.
I must begin by saying that my cash-strapped parents and siblings always meant well. In their struggle for equality, my siblings claimed that I got more presents than they did. With time they realized that I actually received LESS. My friends played this two-for-one deal for all it was worth. Take a normal Christmas present, scribble 'Happy Birthday' on the card right under 'Merry Christmas' and VOILA: two gifts for the price of one.
When I was younger, I always thought the lights, trees, and other decor were for my birthday. Boy, was I wrong. Of course the extravagant decorations were not for me at all, but were for Christmas.
I've also had to deal for years with the unrealized desire for a chocolate birthday cake with deep chocolate frosting, when my candles were always on a white cake with white icing and red and green designs.
Family tradition dictates that ALL presents go under the tree, including birthday presents, especially the ones wrapped in Christmas paper. Christmas morning creates an interesting problem: which presents do I open now and which do I save for later? In our half-awake state on Christmas morning, my guess was as good as theirs.
Birthday parties for me were never an option. The famous sleepover never occurred, and my birthday was generally spent celebrating Christmas with my family.
But having a birthday on Christmas has its good side, too.
I never have to worry about being in school on my birthday, though I've chosen a field of work that will probably require me to work on Christmas at some point.
Another plus is that people never forgot my birthday. In fact, the only person I'm aware of who has forgotten my birthday is me.
Last year I was so busy worrying about school, Christmas and the end of the semester that I totally forgot my birthday was coming up. When my roommates and I went shopping for Christmas presents, they would go off to a different part of the store. That didn't bother me because I was buying things for them.
Later, when I asked them what they got, they wouldn't tell me and kept giving me funny looks, like I should know what they were doing. It wasn't until a week later that they blatantly hinted someone's birthday was coming up and it wasn't any of theirs. Then I remembered that it was my birthday that was next.
There is also a whole line of cards for Christmas birthdays. I've seen most of them, and my favorite is the one with the stork and Santa, both with their precious bundles, staring at each other over the chimney.
Hey, whatever works.
But many parents express concern about their children's birthdays being so close to Christmas.
One worried parent posted an Internet plea for advice about what to do to help a son who was born Dec. 26. The response came from parents offering solutions as well as people raising new concerns. Advice included moving the birthday celebration to sometime in the summer as a half birthday, to combining Christmas and birthday presents into one celebration.
My birthday was celebrated in the evening, because that is when I was actually born and because, by that time, the Christmas celebration was pretty much finished.
A Web site called 2BBOC (To be born on Christmas) deals with people who have birthdays on or near Christmas. To visit the site, go to http://www.sonic.net~~~~ and search for 2BBOC.
The site lists some rules about how to treat someone who has a Christmas birthday. The advice includes giving the birthday person some quality time, wrapping birthday presents in non-Christmas paper and keeping them separate from Christmas presents, and wishing people a 'Happy Birthday' before wishing them 'Merry Christmas.'
As you celebrate Christmas this year, remember that some of us gave our parents -- and not just gave them, we actually WERE -- the best present they ever received. At least that's what they tell us.