Summer birthday celebrations are almost always happy ones.  There are so many options.  Whether you have a swim party or outdoor picnic, the sun may be shining, and people can wear light, comfortable clothing.  Winter birthdays can be a problem.  I know, because my oldest daughter when born in the midst of a January blizzard and power outage.  Birthday parties in the northern part of the United States  are often canceled due to bad weather, and nobody is really in the mood to celebrate.  Are winter birthdays happy?  Well, of course, they can be. But the truth is, those who were born in the winter get short shrifted..

December, apparently, is the worst month of all.  People are  caught up in Christmas shopping, decorating, baking and partying.  A family member’s December birthday may seem like an annoyance. Who wants to worry about birthday cards and presents at a time like this?  And the birthday person gets birthday and Christmas gifts all bundled up together.  They may even get fewer of each.  The closer to Christmas, the worse it is.

January has it’s own unique set of problems.  It’s too soon after the holiday, so no one is really in the mood to party.  And then, there’s the weather.  Planned parties and celebrations may have to be canceled due to ice storms, snow and blizzards.  It’s not very festive to celebrate on a gloomy, dreary winter day. If you decide to have dinner at a restaurant, you’ll have to get bundled up in boots and heavy coats. (Unless you live in Florida or California).

Freezing weather is also a problem in February. .  But it gets worse.  Valentine’s Day is looming.  Florists are busy, Everyone’s planning something special for their spouse, partner, girlfriend, boyfriend, whatever.  A February birthday pales in importance, and  is an interruption to all of those plans.    And what if you were born on Feb. 29th? You only have a real birthday every four years.

Now for the good news: According to a European study reported in The   Atlantic, people who are born in the winter are  easy going. They have fewer mood swings and depression.  They’re also less likely to be irritable. That’s good, because  maybe they won’t get mad if you forget their birthday.

If you were born in December, January or February, Happy Winter Birthday!