It Must SUCK to Have a Birthday Close to Christmas

Today is my younger brother’s birthday and after all these years I have come to the conclusion that it must really suck to have a birthday today! I mean Christmas is almost here and everyone is busy buying gifts and celebrating that day. So much so that birthdays sometimes get overlooked. I remember growing up whenever his birthday came around he was allowed to pick a present from under the tree and open it. However he couldn’t pick the biggest one.

 

 

Now we try to make sure that we buy him something particular just for his birthday and celebrate it in some fashion. I will admit to using Christmas wrapping paper to wrap his present but in all honesty…there is just so much of it left! Today I we are celebrating it by me making him his favorite dinner and cake. Although he doesn’t eat sugar that much any more. In years past I always just make his favorite cake (or whatever one he told me he wanted at the time) and he would come by and pick it up. He was very busy!! After all he had women to see about!! Thank GOD he married my sister in-law who is fabulous!! 😉 He also has to work today which I know sucks but he doesn’t seem to mind. 

 

He’s 34 today which means he is getting old but he will tell you that I was born during the age of the dinosaurs so he isn’t that old! He also has more gray hair than me which I love (thank you Clairol;) )He is my favorite sibling and yes the others know it. He and I just have a bond that I am certain developed much deeper when our father was sick and dying. During that time Charlie was still in high school and with Daddy being in the hospital so much and Ma always there with him  Charlie and I began to depend on one other to take care of things. I wrote his excuses for school, he picked me up from work in the snow and ice. When the dryer broke and he had to have dry clothes the next morning I put those bad boys into the oven and charred his socks for him. We had Christmas dinner together alone that year and let me tell you it was a sad little dinner. I’m talking canned ham because I didn’t know how to make a regular one but we ate it together at the table and he told me how great it was. Now we go big and even know how to make a turkey!