To Share a Day

Marcus Anton didn’t celebrate his birthday. And it’s not what you think. There was no calamitous event that did it. He felt no ill will towards others who celebrate their birthday. Except, his just happened to be on Christmas Day. Yes, the day with the least birthdays anywhere in the world.

He saw his younger brothers and sisters. “Aren’t you going to open your presents?” his cousin Peaches asked. As an eighteen-year-old and grown man, he just encouraged her to open her own. In the past, he didn’t mind when the candles danced like high-steppers against the wall. Or when his family sang both the “Happy Birthday to You” and Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” songs with middling emphasis or glee. He said they just wanted to get to their gifts.

For years, his parents propped him up and urged him to eat cake and ice cream with other family members, but he just wondered…why does my day have to be shared with Jesus of Nazareth? In truth, according to most scholars, His real birthday originated some time in the spring.

But we can’t say that because Easter takes place around this period. Why is His death and alleged Resurrection even celebrated before his birth? He looked down at the gift. He asked for a Swiss Army knife so he received a smartphone instead. Gotta love my family’s sense of humor, he thought.

It’s still a happy birthday despite the fact no one, after all these years, gave a gift for Christmas and his birthday. He didn’t sweat it at all. He knew that this season is supposed to be about peace and goodwill towards men. He, however, knew also that this time concerned commercialism, which was a beautiful thing. Anton enjoyed giving gifts, so he made sure they earned them.