I have always loved to give and receive presents. Gift-giving is something that I do for friends and family when the mood strikes, without the need for a holiday or birthday. My birthday is January 28, and as a child, I always wished it could be in the summer – say June or July, perhaps. This is mainly so it would space the present giving a little more evenly throughout the year, instead of just over a month after Christmas. Now, I have never felt that my gifts from my family were last-minute choices and still don’t. No, they were, and still are, inspired and special, which, of course, is as it should be since I’m the youngest child. (And my family will read this column!)

  While talking with my good friend and co-worker, Nick, we both revealed that we’d always wanted a summer birthday. This shouldn’t have been a surprise to find out, though, since his birthday (December 20) is even closer to Christmas than mine! We commented on how funny it was that we’d both thought about this subject, but if you know us, you’re probably not surprised. This led us to discuss what it would be like if you could pick when your birthday took place. We decided that January is too close to Christmas, and everyone is broke from shopping for that holiday, so that was out. After people receive their tax returns would be a pretty good time, perhaps. You probably wouldn’t want it around Halloween, since having to share your day with all of the trick-or-treaters might not be good.

  Probably having it around any holiday wouldn’t be the best choice, since your day might be overshadowed by the occasion. Just think about all the preparation for holidays, both big and small. One of the biggest preparations is food, including setting the menu and deciding who’s bringing what. Then move on to guests and travel arrangements, coordinating times, both arrivals and departures. There is just too much going on during holidays.

  Now you can see what kind of predicament this brings up. I could just choose some random day through the summer, being careful not to select the same day as a friend or family member. Then I think about the typical weather during the end of January. It is cool, the crappie are in early pre-spawn mode, and my birthday has the distinction of being close to the date of the Crappie Madness Sale at Bass Pro Shops. During this time, I usually find myself taking a trip down to Macon, due to my slight fishing tackle addiction.   The more I think about it, I believe that my birthday already falls at the perfect time for me. I enjoy the weather coming into spring and the promise of all the plants greening up and leaving the starkness of winter behind. So, maybe instead of wishing to change things, I’ll just enjoy my birthday exactly as it is.