I was born on Christmas Eve. To dilute my birthday further, my older brother was born Dec. 21st. While my mom was great and always made me feel special, my parties were always overshadowed by one of those two elements, and my friends most always had plans to be with family.

On the morning of my seventeenth birthday that all changed. I woke up to see my tiny room packed with my best friends! They dragged me out of bed at dawn and took me to one of their houses, where they had completely redecorated for my special day. We spent the whole morning playing all the traditional birthday party games that I had missed on, but mostly I just basked in the love they had shown me with their wonderful surprise. By lunch, it became Christmas Eve once again, and my friends returned to their families - the house returned to its Christmas splendor. But I never forgot the gesture.

Rachel