I stopped celebrating my birthday several years ago.

It actually began when I was in middle school, when I would want to invite friends over and I’d be grounded, or my friends wouldn’t be allowed to come over for whatever reason. Then in high school, I’d go all out for my friends’ birthdays and only a couple of my friends would even remember; I even had a boyfriend once who flat out refused to even wish me a happy birthday (we broke up shortly thereafter).

And once I had babies, my birthday became just less and less important to me to celebrate. At this point, receiving a store bought gift actually makes me physically uncomfortable most of the time – gift receiving is definitely not my love language! Maybe it’s because I feel like whenever someone buys me a gift, they’ve always thought of things for me that they liked, instead of actually getting me something I liked? One time my grandma bought me a butt purse – literally a big old purse made out of the butt of someone else’s jeans.

A.) What?!

B.) I don’t even like purses.

I wish I had a photo of me with it because it was as terrible as it sounds. It’s just things like that, that totally make me cringe at the idea of celebrating my birthday.

But this year, I kinda want to celebrate – not in a “throw me a surprise party” kind of way (because I do not like surprises), but in a way that honors the last year of my life. So many things have changed, I’ve changed – and I feel like acknowledging that gift.

So when people ask me, “ooh, what do you want for your birthday?” I will not tell them, “nothing, please don’t get me anything” like I have over the last several years. This year, I’m asking for the gift of time.

Your time. My time. Together.

If someone wants to give me something, give me the gift of your time.

Let’s go out to lunch and try something new.

Let’s go for a hike around the ruins of St Simons.

Let’s grab coffee and talk.

Let’s go see a funny movie together at the theater.

Let’s have a BBQ with our families together.

Let’s go to the beach.

Let’s go explore St. Augustine.

Come over and let’s watch a cheesy Christmas movie together.

I don’t want anything you can buy in the store. I don’t want anything that will put you in debt. I don’t want anything that you have to wrap or put into a gift bag.

I just want your time.