I’m a December baby.
For my fellow birthday-challenged Sagittarians, you’ve known the drill since childhood. No cookies or cupcakes at school (it’s holiday vacation), no pool parties (it’s winter) and the inevitable “combo gift” (it’s for your birthday and Christmas, see?). The struggle is real, and nothing brings it home like someone actually forgetting your birthday in the holiday shuffle, full on Molly Ringwald style. While this has never happened to me personally, I’m sure it’s happened to someone. And I want you to know: I feel your pain.
As a kid, I envied those Spring and Fall babies, with their holiday observances all doled out at a reasonable pace.
As an adult, I’d occasionally threaten to move my birthday to June, as December trips to places like New York or Chicago or Washington, D.C. were deemed ill-advised during frigid temperatures. I once spent a birthday evening during an ice storm celebrating with a dinner of buttered bread by candlelight, where the entertainment was guessing which tree limb might ultimately come crashing down on the roof. So it wasn’t until fairly recently that I began to appreciate the unique pleasures of having a December birthday.
I don’t remember exactly when it started, but I stole this idea from a friend. She had extravagantly decided to celebrate her birthday for an entire month. I was shocked and appalled and immediately jealous, so I came home and announced to my family that I too would celebrate for more than just one day. I reasonably downgraded the concept to a week, similar to Mardi Gras, and “Angel Gras” was born.
It turns out, planning an entire week of festivities around our fair city in the month of December is ridiculously easy.
By the time December arrives, some of my favorite nonprofit arts organizations are already in full swing. Cast and crew at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre and the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre have been in rehearsals for their holiday productions since November, spending Thanksgiving, Christmas and sometimes even New Year’s together as they bring tidings of comfort and joy to thousands of audience members. Last December I enjoyed “Elf” at The Rep and “The Velveteen Rabbit” at the Arts Center.
My favorite restaurants are also in on the merrymaking. The holiday décor at the Capital Hotel would make the Grinch starry-eyed, and last year included a magical child-sized gingerbread house. All edible I was told, just like a fairy tale, a fact seemingly supported by the teeth marks I observed on several of the perfectly frosted shingles. Last December I had dinner with a longtime group of girlfriends in the elegantly renovated One Eleven restaurant. On my way out, I was handed a complimentary jingle bell on a green lanyard, and my heart grew three sizes as I jingled all the way home.
Opportunities for jubilation abound in Little Rock in December, from Ballet Arkansas’ “Nutcracker” to “Holiday Pops” with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra to the “Big Jingle Jubilee” (who wouldn’t love a parade on their birthday?) and so many more. The cultural experiences available to us are an embarrassment of riches.
Each year, my week of revelry includes office parties during the day and holiday parties at night, catching up with friends and family and entire cities on both sides of the river adorned with twinkling lights at every turn. Not to mention all the cookies and cakes and candies (oh my!) and a general sense of goodwill, happiness and appreciation for the truly important things in life.
Rather than being overlooked in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I now have the distinct feeling of joining in on an entire month of merriment, of which my actual birth day is only one of many wonderful days worth celebrating.
So, I’m perfectly fine with my designated assignment on the Gregorian calendar. I’ve decided I’ll take a parade over a pool party any day.
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ANGEL GALLOWAY lives in North Little Rock with her husband Guy, a cinematographer, and works at the Arkansas Arts Center as director of marketing & communications. Galloway was born on her maternal grandmother’s birthday, leading her Ma to proclaim, “You can name her whatever you want, but I’m calling her my little Angel.” She’s been sharing her December birthday ever since. |