However, birthday parties with friends don’t happen too often at the holidays, said Claudette Swensson of Moline, who turned 70 on Christmas Eve.

December birthdays can also teach a kind of selflessness. RayShawn Payton-Kilgore, who turns 30 on Dec. 31, has only tried to throw two birthday parties in his lifetime.

I felt like my birthday was overshadowed by other celebration. When my twins were born on December 23rd, I apologized to them for the date.