The Woes of The February Birthday

The Woes of The February Birthday

February, being the shortest month of the entire year, is also the rarest birth month. It also happens to have next to nothing fun to do for a birthday celebration. People born in summer months get the joy of being able to plan anything outside to celebrate their birthday;  they can choose from theme parks, picnics, or even outdoor concerts to enjoy. Then people born in the fall get the happy medium of not-too-hot but also not-too-cold so they can celebrate nearly anywhere, possibly having a campfire party or the ever festive apple picking. People born in the spring can enjoy the world coming back to life around their birthday, fresh flowers blooming and birds returning, and can celebrate with the reopening of warmer weather activities. Even December and January have their strong suits, with the world often being decorated for the holidays and covered in fresh snow, making these people’s birthday celebrations beautiful.

 And then there’s February. Cold, dark, wet, icy February. February is the season of icy slush, cancellations of planned activities because of random snow storms, and of course getting sick. So for the few people who share in the misery of the February birthday with me, I’d like to share some potential celebrations that hopefully won’t get snowed in.

5.  Stay overnight at a hotel with a heated pool. Sometimes nothing makes the bitter cold outside feel better other than being able to float in a heated pool and pretend you're in a tropical location and not subzero New England. Find a nice hotel and stay for the night, then enjoy not being outside.

4. Go ice skating. Maybe you’d rather be in the cold but your birthday falls on that weird week in February where everything is warm for some reason. Luckily there are several indoor ice skating rinks in New Hampshire, and specifically one here in Exeter. 

3. Go to an indoor concert. While February weather is not suitable for an outdoor concert, seeing a band or musician you like perform somewhere where you aren’t surrounded by snow is always exciting. If you’ve never been able to see one of your favorite musical artists perform live, I would highly encourage it as it is always an amazing experience. With Boston just a train ride away, there are many venues to choose from. You can go to a large venue like The TD Garden right at North Station, or a small venue like the Brighton Music Hall.

2. Binge a TV show. Maybe a loud concert with lots of people isn’t your thing, that just means you can spend your birthday doing some self-care. Make yourself a hot chocolate or some popcorn and sit down on the couch with a good TV show, movie series, or book. Sometimes taking time for yourself is the greatest gift you can get, and a good series can be like comfort food for the soul. Some of my personal favorites would be Demon Slayer, which is streaming on Hulu, and The Good Place, which is on Netflix.

1. Just spend time with your family or friends. This is the perfect low-budget celebration, because you don’t have to pay for the fun. Call me corny, but sometimes nothing beats the winter chill more than spending time with those you love. February is also the month of Valentine’s Day, so celebrate both by spending time with those you care about. And chocolate.