680: December 25th

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
Jump to: navigation, search
December 25th
If you're turning 27 and were born in the Northeast, maybe you were conceived in the April blizzard of 1982. Imagine: snowed in, candles, massage oil, your mom sporting nothing but her early 80's haircut and a smile... aren't you glad you read the title-text?
Title text: If you're turning 27 and were born in the Northeast, maybe you were conceived in the April blizzard of 1982. Imagine: snowed in, candles, massage oil, your mom sporting nothing but her early 80's haircut and a smile... aren't you glad you read the title-text?

Explanation[edit]

On Christmas Day, most kids whose families celebrate the holiday get Christmas presents. And kids who were actually born on the 25th may feel a little put off because they don't get a special day all to themselves like their siblings and friends do. A lot of families alleviate this by celebrating the child's birthday on a day other than the 25th, so the kid will still get their own party. Unfortunately, the child may not get double presents, but may instead end up getting one gift per gift-giver as both a Christmas gift and a birthday gift.

In the title text, Randall provides a "lovely" image for the people turning 27 on this date (Christmas Day, 2009) that would surely have them reaching for the brain bleach. He describes the prospective 27-year old reader's mother naked, immediately before the sexual encounter in which the reader was conceived. Such a sexual encounter may have been expedited by the (compulsory) seclusion enforced by the blizzard that ravaged New York and New England (where Randall is from) in April 1982 - the blizzard left some people trapped in the houses by snow-drifts and blocked transport for days on end. Given the severity, unexpected nature and location of the blizzard, Randall might well have heard about it as a child, as he was born a mere four years after the event.

Transcript[edit]

[On one side, a family of four gathered around a Christmas tree, the daughter and son looking excitedly at the presents under the tree; on the other, a character wearing a party hat, sitting dejectedly before a birthday cake. The panel edges are decorated with holly and a wreath.]
Happy Birthday
to those of you born on the 25th!
Sorry you get kinda shafted
by the overlap with Christmas.


comment.png add a comment! ⋅ comment.png add a topic (use sparingly)! ⋅ Icons-mini-action refresh blue.gif refresh comments!

Discussion

Trust me. Even being within 30 days of Christmas affects ones birthday. You get fewer presents they're usually not very spectacular (those are reserved for the 25th) and parties are sparse or non existent. (Due to weather concerns and people are doing their Christmas shopping and can't be bothered.)

Here's the thing though if the only thing you do for your birthday is sharing a ce then you can complain 172.68.47.6 00:39, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

My advice to parents is don't "do it" in March. Okay?Jakee308 (talk) 18:27, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

My birthday is December 22nd so I get a small overlap. -- Thejohnfan (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

The Hungarian version is "Imagine being born on the 24th of December, and being called Adam or Eve." In Hungary people celebrate Name Day, the day of the year associated with their given name. Evening of the 24th is the usual time of giving presents here. Also the day of Adam and Eve. 172.68.215.86 12:27, 6 December 2017 (UTC) q

Hey! What's so bad about women's early 80s haircuts? Brenda (talk) 10:25, 13 June 2018 (UTC)

Nothing, dad. 172.68.38.44 00:06, 25 July 2020 (UTC)