RECORD STORE TALES #963: Birthday Man

At some point in the mid-80s, I realized my little sister had crappy birthdays.  She was a December 28 baby and it seemed she got decent gifts for Christmas, but only boring dresses and clothes for her birthday.  So I decided to invent a new character to the pantheon of imaginary gift givers:  Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy…and now, enter Birthday Man.

The only problem was at that young age I didn’t own any money.  So I’d re-gift little things for my sister.  “To Kathryn, From Birthday Man”.  She believed in Birthday Man for as long as I could find pencil erasers or pens or other assorted “gifts” for her.  She did question me as to why none of her friends had heard of Birthday Man.  She seemed to be the only one.

Even as we got older though, I wanted to make sure she got good things for her birthday.  It did appear in my experience that kids with birthdays around the “big holiday” seemed to get shorted.  So I tried to outdo myself every year, getting bigger and grander birthday gifts for my sister.   I hope 2021 is no exception!

So happy birthday to Dr. Kathryn Ladano.  Hopefully we can see you soon.  Enjoy some takeout, Nintendo and the company of furry friends.