What do you like best about birthdays?

Birthdays are my favorite holidays, by far. They're the most authentic, the least contrived, the most essential, the holiday-that-makes-all-other-holidays-possible holiday. I love being here on the planet, and celebrating the anniversary of that makes me smile just thinking about it. I love that my friends are here with me and love celebrating the anniversaries of them too. I don't care about gifts or about numbers of years, but I love parties. A couple of years I've given myself surprise parties, and told everyone to do something surprising. One year I told everyone that if they brought a gift it had to be something they didn't buy and that was great - I was gifted a box of leaves and rocks, a tiny slightly used pocket set of watercolors, a piece of wood that looked like my dog, all kinds of wonder-full treasures. Lots of years I give away food and presents on my birthday. When I met Krissy she introduced me to the idea of birthday boxes and I love those, especially the first one she gave me. I highly recommend birthday boxes. I always try to celebrate the moment I was born, and that moment for other people too if I can. I think of birthdays as my own personal New Year's Day and make resolutions and eat wonderful food and I try to always take the day off work if I possibly can. I love to go around saying "I can do anything I want, it's my birthday." I love love love birthdays.