​“HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!”

I confess. I’ve said those words too many times (emphasis on the ‘belated’). I hate to admit it, but it’s true. When life is busy, my schedule is chockablock or I’m just distracted by a million things on my to-do list, I do forget. You may be my best friend, my brother, even my child for heaven’s sake! Yes, I still love you as much as I say I do, I may rely on you like my life depended on it, and still, I forget! In case I’ve lost you in my dramatic introduction; I’m talking about your birthday. Now that I’ve spilled the beans, please don’t be ashamed that you have also forgotten your bestie’s birthday. It happens to the best of us.

I always think I’m so organized when I get a calendar for the new year, because the first thing I do is insert all the birthdays of my friends and family. True story! I page through each month of my old calendar and transfer all those important dates on to the new, untouched pages of the months ahead. It’s so brilliant. Problem is that I seldom open my calendar to check on the upcoming birthdays.

I’ll tell you when I do open it: When I want to pat myself on the back for all that I’ve accomplished- but then I see it- staring me in the face like an animal on the prowl. June 21, ‘Sarah’s birthday’. Just two little words that manage to get me light a deer caught in headlights, cause my chest to tighten and then bring about the downward spiral that makes nothing good happen. I beat myself up (I thought this was going to be a ‘pat-on-the-back’ session?!) and then I obsess: what to say, what to do, how to fix this. Nothing. There aren’t great ways to make up for missing someone’s birthday. Especially when it’s your best friend who skipped town to be with you to celebrate your birthday, just a few months prior and will do anything for you (sweet, I know!). Then I get angry. Why couldn’t she just remind me that it was her birthday? Was she secretly hoping that I’d forget? Does she want me to feel bad? How strange that she didn’t say a word about it when I was speaking to her ON HER BIRTHDAY! It can get really maddening, but the reality stays the same. I still forgot her birthday (even though it may somehow be her fault).

Enter the absolutely genius Birthday Board. I know you feel like tuning out right about now. Please don’t! This beautiful rustic wall hanging is simply brilliant, and you won’t even need to open your calendar. Just put those names and dates on the small discs, hang them under the relevant month and then - voilà - you have a striking reminder of all the birthdays of your favorite people.

The only problem (some people always need to find a problem): you have no excuse to forget those birthdays (yes, that’s the only problem). Not your busy schedule, not your long hours at work, not my dog ate my calendar defense. This is the ‘no-excuses-birthday-calendar’ that will get your attention each time you pass it. All I suggest is that you hang it near the front door, so you can check exactly who to shop for when you’re on your way to the mall.

Happy shopping!