Birthdays are those days on which you feel especially entitled, and no one else really cares.
Come one, you know it’s true. Don’t you wake up kind of feeling like things must go your way, that everyone should be especially nice to you and lavish you with attention all day? It’s my birthday, you think. And if given the chance, you try to inform every stranger you interact with that it’s your special day, be it the person checking you out at the grocery store or the bank teller handling your transaction. But in reality, it’s just another day out of 365 of them. Everyone else has busy lives, just like you did on their birthdays. So why do we expect five million birthday wishes on facebook, or greeting cards from our grandparents, or cheerful calls of well wishes from our friends? Or maybe that’s just me.
It’s kind of sad, really.
But I know it’s not the only way to do birthdays. There are other cultures where the birthday person (birthdayer, if you will) actually gives gifts to all their friends and hosts a party. Instead of expecting gifts and well-wishes, you give them to others! Now that sounds like more fun to me. I love giving gifts to my family and friends, especially if I’m able to pick out something I know they’ll like (I admit, I wish I were better at this).
So, in honor of my birthday, I’d like to have a little surprise giveaway. The prize is either a $200 value 16×20 Standout Print for your wall (which is a fine art print on a light-weight board ready to hang), or a $50 Gift Certificate to Amazon.com. Obviously, I like my clients more and want to give them more.
Here’s what you’ve got to do (ah ha, there’s the ulterior motive!):
1) “Like” Birchtree Photography on Facebook, or, if you’re already a fan, suggest that your friends “like” Birchtree Photography
and/or 2) Wish me happy birthday in the blog comments, giving a valid email address. Be sure to let me know you “liked” me on Facebook or suggested it to your friends.
If you do both things (and let me know in the blog comments), I’ll enter your name twice. If you just want to wish me happy birthday, I’ll enter your name once. Be sure to let me know you “liked” me and comment. Then I’ll randomly assign a number to everyone and randomly pick a number (Jay will help me with this…he does this all the time in his research). The winner can choose their prize–either the 16×20 Standout Print or the gift certificate to Amazon.
And speaking of surprises, I got a lovely one in the mail this weekend from my sister in England. Yes, it was an actual Kinder Surprise (illegal here in the US)–I always pronounce it with the Russian accent, “keender suh-preese”–as well as a few other fun goodies, including my favorite candies and a cute bracelet. Thanks Martha!
Now start liking me and sending me birthday wishes! You have one week starting today!
by mary
Bobbi - Hey Mary! Just saw you yesterday, but didn’t know it had just been your birthday!! You know I am a fan already! Hope you had a great birthday. (I’m a Libra too!)
Lindsay - Hi Mary! Happy Belated Birthday! We also suggested our friends like you on facebook – especially those who were with us at the wedding last weekend! PS – My dad used to supply us with Kinder Surprises when we were kids and he traveled to Germany a lot – AWESOMENESS! Take care – Linds & Aaron
Jackie - Hi Mary! Happy Birthday (Belated) and I like you on Facebook and of course your amazing work! You did my friend Susie’s wedding and she has some of the BEST wedding photos I’ve ever seen! Thanks!!
Brie - I’m a little late on this Mary (as I am now catching up on emails post honeymoon)I hope you had a wonderful birthday! Happy Birthday 🙂
Hannah - I forgot to say, I, “liked” you on Facebook!
Hannah - Happy Birthday Mary!!!! Have a great day! I love all your photos. You do such a great job!
Kara - Happy birthday! I like to think that calling on your birthday counts for something even though I didn’t post this until today. I told some friends to “like” Birchtree Photography, too. 🙂
Lindsay - Happy Belated birthday!!! You should try to get a free ice cream cone from Minitalia in honor of yourself! Save a whole $1! I like you on facebook as well 🙂
Abbey D - Happy belated Birthday Mary (better late than never)! I also Liked you on Facebook!!!
Katie Sedam - Yay! Happy Birthday from me too! (Sorry its a day late) I also liked you on facebook – turns out i’m a grandma and didn’t know how to do this before… Hope you had a wonderful bday!
Brent Beddis - Happy (Belated) Birthday, Mary! Hope you had a great day. I had already “liked” birchtree, so I emailed my family to all like you too. So pumped to have you at our wedding day.
Derick - Happy Birthday! I also liked Birchtree on Facebook.
(And the wedding album is incredible! Thank you so much!)
angela walter - happy bday!!! hope its a great one!! and i “liked” ur page a couple months ago 🙂
Abby - Happy Birthday, Mary! Hope it was a good one. See you in about a month on our wedding day! 🙂 (P.S. I’ve been “liking” you on FB for a while now!)
Sarah Breisinger - Happy Birthday Mary!!!! Have a great day!!
Ashley - Happy Birthday, Mary! We are so excited to shoot our engagement photos with you this month! I was already a fan of yours on Facebook, so I suggested your page to my friends. Many of them are newly engaged.
Lindsey Wright - Happy Birthday, Mary! We just got our pictures and they are lovely as well! SOOO magazine-worthy 🙂 I have friended you and will recommend you to my friends!
Alexis Lento (soon to be Duffy) - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY! Must be the day of birthdays – you share it with my pap and little cousin 🙂 we will all celebrate together in just a few days!
I suggested you to all of my bride-to-be friends on FB! woohoo
Rita P - Happy Birthday Mary, and many many more. I also do not do facebook, but I do “like” love visiting your blog and seeing your wonderful work ever since you did my daughter’s wedding this summer
Donna Gray - Happy birthday Mary. Also sorry you had to see the Aggies lose!
I do enjoy looking at all your beautiful pictures. I like when you give Jay credit for the ones he took.
Amanda Nedzinski - Happy Birthday!!! I also liked Birchtree on Facebook….hopefully I did this right?! My blackberry is really something else!!
Evonne - Very happy birthday, Miss Mary!!!!! And always like you on FB! Hope you have a wonderful day. 🙂
Wendy - I already liked you on fb so I suggested you to some friends, Happy Birthday!
I use to love getting kinder eggs when I lived in Italy and Germany, and never knew why I couldn’t find them over here…….. now I know! Thanks for clearing up that mystery for me!
Nancy Zeiger - Hey happy birthday (no backs)! I enjoying looking at ALL of Birchtree posts!
Jen Todd - Happy Birthday Mary!! Only 18 more days until the wedding!!! And I didn’t just ‘like’ you on FB, i love you on FB and of course I always recommend you to my friends, not just on your birthday!! lol Have a great day!!!!
natalie - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY! You share a birthday with one of my best friends and bridesmaid 🙂 Hope you’re having a great day! Of course I already “liked” your page and I just suggested it to several fb friends. Hope you get lots and lots of fans! 🙂
Hannah - Happy Birthday, Mary!! And of course, I liked you on facebook!
Ashley W - Happy Birthday Mary!
I liked your page on facebook and suggested some friends to like it too! Your photography is so well done, really beautiful and simply elegant. Again, happy (late) birthday!
marfa - Happy birfday, lil’ sister!
Lia S. - Happy Birthday Mary!”I liked you on facebook”
Carlyn - Happy Birthday, Mary! I hope it’s a fabulous one … I “like” you 🙂
KatieF - Happy Birthday Mary! Can’t wait to work with you! Ps- officially “liked” on fbook 🙂 Happy to do it!
mary - Just one prize–winner get’s to choose which one they want! Obviously, if the winner doesn’t want anything, I’ll pick another random number!
Brad Chappell - Happy Birthday! I also liked Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers Birchtree Photography on FBook. I also just helped with SEO…haha.
Are you giving away 2 awards or just one? If two, is it random numbers with or without replacement?
Erin Gray - What I great idea Mary. I love reading your blog. Hope you have the happiest b-day (liked you on facebook too!) Erin
Laura Stiller - Happy Birthday! I also liked you on Facebook. Yea!
Paula - Happy Birthday, Mary and many, many more! (Sorry, Facebook is not for me, but consider yourself “liked.” It’s only because I agree that people should be treated especially nicely on their birthdays that I’m even posting a comment!)
Mark - Happy Birthday Mary, I’m going to miss visiting your site during the day. I have a new job on the way and getting online everyday may be difficult.
I’ll check on ya as much as I can. I like you and your style. Thanks for sharing all you know and helping “us” out
alice - i “like” you!
happy birthday!!
i did this once before but don’t think it worked. so here it is again!
Emilie - October birthdays rock!! Happy Birthday Mary. I was planning on wishing you a happy birthday today regardless of this (also liked you on FB).
Will Burns - Hey there girl I have liked you on the FBook and now comes the Happy Birthday part! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY! I thought I would say it louder to add dramatic effect. 🙂
Lindsay - Wishing you a Happy Birthday, Mary!! I hope your ‘likes’ reach the quadruple digits today! I suggested to friends, but can’t believe I hadn’t before! p.s. this is a little embarassing, but I don’t think I ever knew that ulterior was spelled with a ‘u’! :/ Learn something new every day 🙂 Thanks!
Jeremy G. - Hummmmmm. Like you on FB… Pfft been there done that. . . wish you a Happy Birthday… pffft, I was the first one on FB. . .
🙂 Enjoy your day with Jay. . .
Laura - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY!!!!! 😀
I also ‘liked’ you on facebook! (I think I did it right!!)
Kateri - Happy birthday, Mary! 🙂