Why? Just cuz.
No really...why? Because!
Seriously, why???? Because facebook happy birthday postings are annoying!!!
OK...don't get me wrong. I am a huge supporter of making a big deal out of people's birthdays. I spent an entire year terrorizing the women in my Sunday school class with what stupid thing I would do next, just for the sake of their birthdays.
Blindfolded and kidnapped for ice cream? CHECK!
Kitchen cabinets and drawers re-arranged? CHECK!
A birthday breakfast in bed for the night owl among us? CHECK!
A car full of balloons and shredded paper? CHECK!
A Happy 40th birthday message on the sign at the grain elevator when the birthday girl was only 37? CHECK...wait...they did that to ME!!! (Payback is a bitch)
A properly celebrated birthday is a joy forever. I love when people make a big deal out of my birthday!! This year's desk full of "stephanie" confetti was the highlight of my day!
Facebook happy birthdays aren't the same thing though, are they? ARE THEY? Facebook makes it too easy to wish someone a happy birthday. They remind you about the birthday for a week. On the day of the birthday, they remind you to comment. (You don't even have to go to someone's wall anymore, they have a quick add feature where you can just cut and paste "Happy Birthday!! Have a great day" as many times as you need, click enter and done.)
Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!!
TOO EASY!! And now they have facebook gifts...so you don't even have to think about what to buy.
I am a traditionalist. I feel that birthdays should be an honored part of the annual "Transfer info to the new calendar" ceremony. They should be handwritten on squares that are too small. They should be written in ink as an act of love and commitment to a friendship. (Except for my husband's. His is written in pencil. One time...ONE TIME...the first year we were married...I wrote his birthday on the wrong date. 18 years later and I still haven't heard the end of it, and now I always have to second guess myself when asked when his birthday is...the 22nd? the 25th? Crap...) Keep in mind, I love my google calendar that is synced to my phone. And all the birthdays are in there anyway, so I have a back up...but those people that are handwritten in...those are the special ones.
And there are those that you may not actually write in the squares any more...time and distance and circumstances might not require you to celebrate. But you should remember them. I remember that November 17th is Cindy's. She was my best friend in 1st grade. March 22nd was my friend Beth's. She passed away a few years ago. October 19th is a big one. I have 3 friends with that birthday. Haven't seen any of them in at least 10 years. November 25th is my sister in law's...which I forgot to put on the calendar on my refrigerator, but remembered every single time that I walked passed it for a month...then was appropriately chastised by my 7 year old son for not writing it on there when she was visiting for Thanksgiving. Monica, it is on there now...in crayon. I love you! Remember all the things I do right, OK??
So, while I appreciate all 67 birthday greetings I got this year, I doubt that the cousin of a high school friend who needed more neighbors in farmville 2 years ago REALLY cares whether or not I had a great birthday. She probably has me hidden from her news feed anyway.
My co-worker sent me this last week...after listening to the verbal form of this post in its original form. Classic. Brilliant. Truly a laugh out loud moment:
Precedent! The mother's milk of, you know, makin' your point and bein' right!! - Donna Moss
Happy Birthday...I hope you had a great day! - Me
hmmmmmm Did not even notice you did not wish me Happy Birthday on my B-day. What does that say for your experiment???? HA
ReplyDeleteThat's why I took my birthday off of facebook. If you have to be reminded that it IS my birthday then you don't care enough about me to tell me to have a happy one...and that's ok, because I don't care enough to tell you Happy Birthday either probably. :)
ReplyDeleteSee, this is why we're friends...and also why I did not wish you happy birthday on facebook...I did it through text, like a normal person. Ha!