Until approximately eight years ago, one of the most beloved birthday traditions in the United States was illegal to portray in public media without paying Warner Chappell Music. Thankfully, Happy Birthday to You entered public domain in 2016, but it is still odd to think that some TV shows paid thousands to play what we sing every year. For me, it will be sang this upcoming Tuesday.
For me, birthdays have always been a delayed event. With me and my sisters all having late autumn or winter birthdays, and with my family celebrating Yule (if you’re confused about what that is, check out the linked article!), my family gets very short on cash. Living in a 7-person household is expensive enough without even considering special events, so me and my family generally celebrate my birthday between late January and early March.
Per tradition in my household, everyone celebrates two to three birthdays; the day our extended family visits, the day our friends visit, and the anniversary of their birth. Sometimes the first two get merged, but that is most common with younger children. When your friends and family visit, we play games, we eat a meal of the birthday person’s choice, and then we eat cake. Then gifts are given. On the day of one’s birth, you generally don’t get presents, but still eat cake and have a special meal. For me, I usually went somewhere for my birthday, such as a bookstore. This year will be a bit different because my parents are going to try something new. We’re going to play Dungeons and Dragons as a family instead of going on a trip.
