comment: >
  
  I look at it as an excuse to celebrate life and spoil yourself or letting other spoil you and appreciate your presence in their lives.
context: Personally I don't really care that much about having big  celebrations for my own birthday, but opinions like these always carry the energy of someone that wants to give off the vibe of "edgy" and "different". Not saying that's what your doing, but that's the general vibe it gives off. 
  Birthdays are a celebration of life. A nice little reminder of your growth and existence in the world. 
  You tend to celebrate it with people that love and care about you, and they want to be there to celebrate the anniversary of your arrival in the world and by extension your presence in their life. 
  And it may not seem like much, but sometimes it's nice to just ground yourself and say "wow another year of existing, there were some good times and some bad times, but here I am still kicking away, that's pretty nice." 
  Life isn't easy, it can be chaotic, overbearing, and crushing, but it can also be wonderfully complex, joyful, and downright beautiful. 
  So I can see why people would like to celebrate the fact that they were able to live to experience everything that they have. >
  
  Wow. I came here to say something similar, but your inference here completely blew mine out of the water. Thank you for such a wonderful comment. Cheers to you random redditor. >
  
  Much appreciated! >
  
  It's excuse to make someone feel special And to have a gathering. Same with literally all holidays. >
  
  I prefer the term reason instead of excuse.  Excuse implies that it shouldn't happen but we found some loophole.  Humans are social creatures and our well-being is boosted by positive emotions; parties and celebrations are good for us. >
  
  You're right. Birthdays aren't special. But any excuse to celebrate something and see my friends. The older I get the less time I have for that. So it's nice to have an excuse to get to hang out with the people I love >
  
  Why do you need an excuse? >
  
  Idk because business and responsibilities. So usually we meet for holidays and birthdays. An occasional random Saturday. The random times are fewer and far between because everyone has different schedules. >
  
  Oh weeee you must be fun at parties. >
  
  Heh. Over the age of 12, your birthday isn't special to you. It's special for the people who enjoy having you in their lives.
  A birthday is a rough measure of your impact in people's lives. >
  
  Reminds me of a bit of life advice I picked up:
  Call your mom on your birthday; after all, it's a special day for her, too. >
  
  That's fair. >
  
  God you people are so annoying sometimes. Do you want gifts? Do you like cake? Many days are doomy and gloomy, why not sprinkle in some useless celebration >
  
  Seriously. Bitching and moaning about not wanting positive things in life.