Happy Half Birthday to Me!

Today I am 40 and one half years old! Not many grown women count their ages in half years, do they? That’s usually reserved for six-and-a-half-year olds and six-and-three-quarter-year-olds.

But as with everything, there’s a story behind my Half Birthday.

As soon as I could count and knew the months of the year, I realized that my Half Birthday landed on St. Patrick’s Day. (For those of you counting on your fingers, my Whole Birthday is September 17th.) I thought I was pretty special to have my Half Birthday on St. Patrick’s Day and I wanted everyone to acknowledge it. No such luck.

I still think I’m pretty darn special to have my Half Birthday on St. Patrick’s Day because I’m the ONLY person in my family to have red hair, blue eyes, and freckles. None of my parents, siblings, children, nieces, or nephews has my glorious genetic trifecta. I look Irish every day of the year! But mostly I’m a Heinz 57 with big splashes of French and Scottish. Of course, it’s not that glorious during dermatology appointments but that’s another blog post altogether.

Anyway, for the better part of my childhood in Pines Lake my father commuted in and out of Manhattan every day. One St. Paddy’s Day when leaving the city, a flower vendor pressed three green-tinted carnations onto my father. Pops really didn’t want them but the vendor just wanted to be rid of the flowers and go home.

As per our custom, Schnapps (Miniature Schnauzer) and I greeted my father at the back door when he arrived home. I can’t remember how old I was but I zeroed in on the carnations my father had completely forgotten he was holding.

“Who are the flowers for?”

My father paused and looked at the flowers as if it was the first time he saw them. He recovered nicely by presenting them to me.

“Happy Half Birthday!”

That sealed it! My Half Birthday was official!

Ever since then my parents have done special little things for me on my Half Birthday such as: a green carnation, a St. Paddy’s Day card, a shamrock cookie, chocolates, or a dinner of corned beef and cabbage. My special extra day during the year makes up for all the stories my older siblings told me about being “adopted.” What started off as a little girl looking for attention turned into a family joke and eventually evolved into a family tradition.

The boys’ Half Birthdays land on special days as well. Mr. A’s Half Birthday is my mother-in-law’s birthday and G-Man has the ultimate date – Christmas Day.

What interesting family jokes / traditions do you have that have evolved or continued through the years?