Grace Massoud published this article in MTV website:

Birthdays are a happy occasion for some, and a dreaded event for others. My birthday was on the 23rd of November and I could hardly contain my excitement from the start of November till the very end. After speaking to many people on the subject, I couldn’t help but wonder: why is it that we have such mixed feelings about birthdays?

The lot of us that choose to dismiss them altogether are in denial about getting older and nearing our deaths. People generally don’t like to think about their mortality and the fact that with each passing year the clock is ticking on their lives. 

Another possible fact that repels individuals from birthdays and birthday celebrations is childhood trauma. Absentee parents can permanently scar their children by not showing up to the events that matter most to their kids. No amount of money or gifts can replace the physical love and care that actually prove to us that we are valued.

On the other end of the spectrum are people like me, who start celebrating early, who get psyched about that date before it comes. We figure that being alive is reason enough to party it up. It’s a blessing to grow older, to get a few wrinkles here and there, our battle scars, to get to experience more life, more joy, more of what the world has to offer, even more heartache and sadness.

Excitement and delight are key components to living well. When you’re in a constant state of awe at each new day, you purposefully look for joy in the mundane. That excitement multiplies when it’s your special day because you know there are many surprises and delightful simple pleasures that await.

The people you love and who genuinely love you show up for you to celebrate your day. You get a rush of exhilarating feelings when they express through their actions and through their displays of love how much your presence in their life is cherished and adored. What greater or more precious gift can one ask for?
To cut to the chase, the moments where we’re happy to be alive and where we take delight that there’s breath in our body should be infinitely multiplied. Call it a birthday, call it Christmas, call it Hannukah, whatever you want to call it, just grab that opportunity to eat, dance, and be merry with the people you love.