You wake up, run to the living room and there are balloons everywhere, streamers hung along the walls, a big birthday cake freshly baked on the table and the day revolved all around you.

“When you were really little, you got all excited for your birthday,” senior Allie Rome said. “It was a reason for your family to come over. When you get older you don’t really need all the presents and stuff anymore.”

Birthdays tend to be much different as you get older and evolve to be not as important.

Senior Lieacha Cook said she thinks only a few birthdays really matter.

“I think it really all depends on the birthday,” Cook said. “If you are turning 13, you are excited to turn a teen, then you have your sweet 16, 18 you are old enough to vote and then once you turn 21 you are legal.”

According to some students, birthdays were seemingly more important when younger.

“I remember when my mom would invite all my family over and have cake and ice cream and have a lot of presents, but it stopped when I was about 10,” Rome said. “Now my mom will just put up some decorations and make a cake, but it’s not a big deal anymore.”

Students believe sometimes it can be difficult to think of things we might want for our birthday or even just getting someone something for their birthday.

“If I am put on the spot, I can’t think of what I want right away,” senior Haley George said. “But if I have time to think about it, then I can normally think of something I want.”

Depending on the person who gets a gift for you, the gift may be very casual like money or more meaningful like jewelry.

“My parents normally get me something more sentimental like a necklace or something, but from my friends, I normally just get money or something like that,” George said.

Senior Trenton Potter is a bit different, however.

“I normally get thoughtful gifts like things that make me laugh or cool t-shirts,” Potter said.

Although Potter does get more sentimental things at times, there are times he can’t really think of what he wants for his birthday.

“Normally I just don’t know what I want,” Potter said. “A lot of the times if I can’t get something on my own then I don’t think about getting it. So then if I get an opportunity for someone to get something for me, I don’t want them to spend the money or I just don’t think about what I want.”

Though birthdays vary depending what age you are, everyone looks at birthdays different and overall they can be important to the individual.

16hbaxter@usd489.com