As a person who has autism, this is how I celebrate my birthdays. 🎂 In this blog post, I explain how my difficulty with sound (sensory overload) plays a role in how my birthday is celebrated.
How sound shapes my birthday
Because I have hyperacusis, loud noise has always been an issue for me when it comes to celebrating birthday parties. Hyperacusis is a condition in which the sense of sound is increased and unusually loud, with moderate-level sounds being considered “too loud”.
Due to the problems of hyperacusis, instead of a lively birthday party, I have a quiet gathering. This reduces the amount of stress I normally would receive from a lively party. 📢
Because I don’t like more than 8 people in the room (otherwise it is too noisy!), I prefer to greet my guests one at a time in my study (a quiet space). The guests will stay for a short amount of time with me for a lovely chat before leaving the room on a rotational basis. This means that one guest will come in, and when that guest leaves the room, another one can come in, which reduces the chance of sensory overload.
Leap Years & Birthdays
An individual that was born on 29 February is known as a leapling or a leaper, because a leap year happens only once every 4 years. Next year (2024) will be a leap year. A leapling will usually have fewer birthdays than their actual age, often being around a quarter of their age. (Wikipedia contributors, 2024).
About my birthday and Lilli’s birthday
When we celebrate Lilli’s birthday, it is just a small family party with her owner and carer. 😸
The weeks and months leading up to my birthday party on September 28 are exciting for me because I receive new gifts, get to eat a lot of junk food, and get to be with family and friends and have a good time. This excitement and anticipation starts in July.
During the months of July & August is a good time for me to pick out a party theme and send an invitation, which I design and that matches the theme of the upcoming party which we then celebrate.
Party Themes
Each party has it’s own theme. This can be difficult to decide on, as once we have used a theme in a previous party, I don’t use it again. However, this challenge is all part of the fun. 🎉
Here is the list of party themes that we have had so far:
- Bugs & Insects
- Cats
- Pokemon
- Space
- Elmo
- Harry Potter
- Sonic
- Minecraft
- Dinosaurs
- Farms
Since I am a coeliac, I am unable to eat the gluten cakes that non-coeliac people can buy from the cake shop. My carer makes a gluten-free cake instead each year, which matches the theme of the party. 🎂
What does the weather look like during my birthday?
Because my birthday takes place on September 28 in Australia, which falls on the season of Spring, the weather can be quite changeable during this time. Maximum daytime temperatures in September will usually range from a cold 15C (59F) to a warm 28C (82.4F). The weather also ranges from completely clear skies to stormy, windy weather as well. Spring starts on the 1st of September and ends on November 30th in Australia. 🌸
Over the other side of the world, the seasons are the opposite. My birthday takes place in autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. Like Spring, Autumn is a very changeable season. 🍁
Fun fact: My birthday was originally meant to take place on January 5, however I was born 15 weeks premature! If I had been born on my due date, it would be very hot (47C, 116.6F) on my birthday as the season would be Summer in Australia. (Which is just too hot for me! 🥵) In the Northern Hemisphere, temperatures would be very cold, as it would be Winter over there, as opposed to Summer in the Southern Hemisphere. ☀️❄️
Cake Picture
Enjoy looking at a cake slice created with Blender 3.4.2 made by Zachary Wright. Copyright © Zachary Wright:
Lilli’s Birthday
What is Lilli’s birthday like?
Since Lilli’s birthday takes place on January 16th, it is usually 47C (116.6F) in mainland Australia. In the island state of Tasmania the temperatures can be 25C (77F) or lower in Summer due to the fact that the island is closer to the Antarctic, and it also has a temperate climate. Many longhaired breeds of cats like Lilli are more suited to temperate climates because their fur traps more heat in than the average shorthaired cat does. We have to take special care of Lilli in the Australian Spring and Summer seasons.
In the Northern Hemisphere however, Lilli’s birthday is in Winter. This means that Lilli could either have snow or rain on her birthday. However, almost all cat breeds do not like water. ❄️🌧
Princess Lilli Lilac
Lilli does play a role in my birthday and my parties, as she helps to keep me calm, and loves to be cuddled. We have been inseparable from day one, and we love each other very much. 💜 She also gives me a gift for me on that day, and we give her a gift on hers too. 🎁😸
References
Wikipedia contributors. (2024, August 17). Leap year. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 04:07, August 24, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leap_year&oldid=1240775349