How Do You Celebrate Your Spouse’s Birthday?
June 3, 2007 by Bald Man
Filed under Relationships
I’m still in a birthday frame of mind, so I’m gonna ask a quick question before I head over and order myself some TiVo!
How do you celebrate your spouse’s birthday?
Do they like you to make a big deal out of it? Surprise party with a bazzilion guests? Embarrassing songs by untrained waitstaff at Appleby’s TGI Steakhouse?
Or do they prefer you to let it go without much notice? Just the normal daily routine with perhaps a quick song after dinner among the immediate family?
Free Bonus Tip #1! If you don’t know the answer to this question, ask… then write the answer down so you won’t have to ask again next year.
We went with a middle ground for my birthday this weekend. Kerri made a pancake breakfast; we went to the Summer Reading Club Kickoff Block Party at our local library; and topped everything off with a home cooked meal among the rest of the in-town family. (That made for a total of nine including the five of us.) If you’ve tasted Kerri’s cooking you’ll know why I didn’t opt to go to a restaurant. She’s a mighty fine cook!
To answer my own question, however, I suspect Kerri would like a little more of an event made out of the day. She wants a break from the day-to-day. I’m far more likely to take the day off work for her birthday than for my own. I try to give her a bit of time to sleep late, a gift worth perhaps as much anything else I could give. I think she gets torn between wanting a quiet dinner out – like a date – and wanting to include family. Family normally wins.
Mostly, she doesn’t want it to go by without notice. The world doesn’t necessarily need to know it’s her birthday, but she certainly wants those who love her to let her know they’ve remembered and to make her feel special.
I’ll let you know if a couple months if this is the right answer.
Free Bonus Tip #2! If your spouse asks you, answer honestly. Don’t make them guess, and don’t berate them for not knowing… unless you want them to get it wrong in which case, don’t hold it against them for getting it wrong. Seriously, no matter how long you’ve been married, just answer the question and you’ll be much more likely to get the birthday your hoping for.
