If you have no one to be with on your birthday?

Question

due to unforseen circumstances, what would you do? All my friends are either sick, busy or unavailable. I am going to be 55 on November 15 and I am single. Thanks to all who participate.

Hi All,

I want to tell you that I am deeply moved and touched by the outpouring of sharing, caring, compassion and kindness that all of you have shown in your answers. Believe it or not, I felt it was almost a kind of love - as if we really are a community. That I reached out and that you were there for me.

There were many great answers and it will be very difficult to pick just one. Again, I want to say I greatly appreciate all your answers and how you tried to help me or should I say comfort me with your beautiful answers.

Answer 1

Thanks for the memory. Most of my life I was a pastry chef in various hotels and have decorated hundreds of cakes. No one ever made me a birthday cake. For my 50th birthday all I wanted was for someone to make me a birthday cake so I could find out what it is like to be on the receiving end.

I was just out of the hospital, broke and desperate for a job. So I went to work on a tuna boat as the cook. I spent my 50th off the coast of Peru with a bunch of Portuguese fishermen. Most of whom could not speak English. So I spent the day doing what I did best. Watching others enjoy the fruits of my labor. In retrospect it was a good day. That job was one of the greatest adventures of my life. You do not need friends to make the day. Make the best of it yourself. Dare to do the crazy thing you want to, but never have. To the others it will be just another day. To you it will be a memory to last a life time. Some times the best gifts are the ones we give ourselves.

Answer 2

I would treat myself to one of my favorite dinners, and I'd even
have dessert. Birthdays aren't meant to be stuck at home.
So this time around do something or somethings just for
you alone to splurge on. Maybe it would be a lobster dinner.
And if not dessert there, then go to a trendy spot you've
longed to try and didn't. Sometimes going into a popular
new place for a latte and a sinfully delicious slice of cake or
ice cream dessert is just the right way to celebrate yourself.
Most of us don't get dessert when we eat out, so a splurge
is definately in order on our special day.
Then I'd rent a CD you've wanted to see, but no time for,
and make some popcorn before wanting to see it. Then just
snuggle up in your favorite couch throw and snack the night
away while watching the movie.
Or you could go shopping and buy a special dress or top
to give yourself. And then go for a special lunch after. If you
can think of some other thing you've wanted to do, and just
haven't had the time or the inclination if it would be a splurge,
just do it. And you'll feel a whole lot better for it, since it is
your birthday after all.

Answer 3

It's my day.....I pretty much celebrate alone even when people are around. No one around me seems to enjoy birthdays like I do anyway. So it's the one day of the year I take for just me. I've gone and had a splurge at the hairdresser or had fake nails put on or got the something I've successfully talked myself out of for months because I really didn't NEED it. Sometimes it's been nothing but a book or a stack of magazines and spent the day in bed or watched a few of the movies that no one else likes or thought was stupid. One year I made long distance phone calls to friends I hadn't talked to in years. I will usually order MY favorite pizza with the toppings I like. Thinking about a pineapple one this year....I hear it's good and I've never tried one.

I used to wait for someone to remember or do something special but waiting and being disappointed got old. Pressure is off everyone because they know it's my day and I'll entertain myself. My birthday is in Feb. around Valentines Day and by that time people are pretty burnt out on "celebrating".....weathers usually cold and dreary and not many are in the mood for yet another event. If anyone does anything it's blended in with Valentines day as a side note. LOL

Answer 4

Personally I think that when you *expect* special things to happen on certain days you are setting yourself up for possible disappointment. Birthdays and holidays are nice but they can only be perfect when everything else in your life is perfect. People lose the *magic* of birthdays, anniversaries and other holidays all the time due to illness, death of a loved one, financial difficulty, loneliness, divorce etc etc.
Learn to enjoy any part of any day that you can. Treat yourself well and pamper yourself when you can. Seize the opportunity to have fun everychance you get.
I know that it is not the answer you wanted. You could try going out somewhere that you have not been before. Museum, dancing etc and see what happens. Look for an adventure on that day and the rest of the weekend too.

Answer 5

I have been in the same situation, able to do my favorite things on my birthday. If I have my birthday to myself this year, I will go to a museum; take a swim; have a massage; eat dinner in a great restaurant; and then return home to light scented candles, put on a Mozart CD, and sip on a glass of wine while soaking in a bubble bath. What indulgence! What a way to start a fresh year!

Answer 6

Double-Nickels! Happy Birthday!

If I were on my own for my birthday I'd treat myself:

I'd roam the aisles of a bookstore or music store and buy myself new books and CDs.

I'd go to a spa and splurge on something I hadn't tried before.

I'd grab my camera, pack a grand lunch, and head for the beach or a preserve on a photo journey.

I'd take myself out to the movies and then for ice cream-to an ice cream shop that makes their own ice cream onsite.

I'd cook myself my favorite meal, bake myself some brownies, take a bubble bath, put on my favorite PJs, and use DVDs for a movie night.

or

I'd open up a chat room and throw myself a virtual birthday party.

Answer 7

Give yourself a birthday gift of something you'll always wanted to do and never have, like some type of class or lessons. Then you'll meet new people to do things with.

Also, I've had to spend Thanksgiving alone a couple of times and I went and helped serve meals to those who needed them. If you do something for others it makes you think more of them and less of what you're missing. Happy Birthday!

Answer 8

Check the movie listings in the newspaper, and go to a matinee -- an afternoon movie, even when one is alone, can be very enjoyable. Buy some flowers, and enjoy the day for what it is. Being alone on a birthday does not mean it cannot be meaningful, and I hope yours will be pleasant.

Answer 9

I was 56 last May and spent my entire birthday by myself. I got up early and went to Walmart and bought myself a great steak and bottle of wine. I came home & enjoyed the day grilling out & drinking the wine.. It is Thanksgiving and Christmas that I am dreading the most.Happy Birthday!

Answer 10

Why don`t you book yourself into a beauty parlour. Spend the day being pampered and treated good.I wish you a happy birthday on the 15Th of November. I hope you have a nice day.