Hey, Sagittarians and Capricorns: Here’s how to get psyched for your holiday-season birthday

If your birthday falls during the holiday season, I have to wonder whether you pissed off someone important in your past life. Like, you weren’t necessarily a serial killer or anything, but maybe you committed some sort of old-timey, horrific fashion faux pas? Because it seems like having a holiday birthday would be the worst and, based on what my friends who were born between the end of November and January say (AKA my Sagittarius and Capricorn pals), that’s pretty accurate.

When your special day of birth is eclipsed by the likes of Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and the 1,456 holiday parties people are invited to, it’s easy to feel left in the festive dust. After all, everyone is already celebrating everyone else—giving gifts to all the people they know—so how do you make your birthday stand out and feel important?

The doubled-up presents, couldn’t-be-more-belated birthday wishes, and general existence overshadowed by the holidays can be enough to make even the most practical and reserved of Capricorns want to scream. With that in mind, I tapped astrologer Juliana McCarthy, author of The Stars Within You, to share tips for keeping yourself and others psyched about your very special holiday birthday.

If you’re a Sagittarius

Poor Sags: Your birthday falls either around Thanksgiving, or when it seems like everyone you know has holiday-party plans basically every weekend. If you’re a Sagittarian (November 22 to December 21) whose bday is closer to the November end of the calendar, you may get lucky and not have your presents lumped together with the late-December holiday hauls. (Still, you just know you received fewer presents you would have if your birthday were, say, in June). But this means coordinating people together to celebrate you, not the holidays, which can feel like a Wonder Woman-worthy feat. But McCarthy says you may be better off just doing less.

“Sagittarius is all about being present for the journey, thoroughly enjoying and exploring the path before them. So part of the advice for a Sag is to relax and enjoy themselves, taking delight in whatever unfolds around their birthdays,” McCarthy says. Read: Try to go with the flow. You’ll be happier that way.

“Sagittarius rules travel and nature, so traveling to new and novel places or spending ample time hiking or outdoors will also help them feel celebratory and happy during their birthday/holiday season.” —Juliana McCarthy, astrologer

“Sag rules travel and nature, so traveling to new and novel places or spending ample time hiking or outdoors will also help them feel celebratory and happy during their birthday/holiday season,” she adds. So perhaps instead of planning a birthday dinner or a party, gather a group of friends to do something outdoorsy, and get in touch with your Sagittarius nature. Planning an adventure, rather than just a party, will help keep you psyched for your special day. (Also, maybe make a note to friends and family that wrapping paper should be purely birthday themed—no snowflakes or penguins or Santas, please!)

If you’re a Capricorn

Many Capricorns have it rough, because their birthday (December 22 to January 19) falls within a few days of Christmas or New Year’s. If this is you, fielding questions like, “Do you want several small presents or one big gift?” has probably been an annual thing since you were old enough to read a calendar. Odds are, your birthday and holiday presents are lumped together. Furthermore, if you’re a post-New Year’s Capricorn baby, your birthday is when many are in the throes of celebration fatigue or are sticking to New Year’s resolutions that may not include the usual festive subjects of cake and staying out late for cocktails. Basically, start plotting your Whole30-compliant bash now, you grade-A planner, you.

But if laying low is sounds good to you, lean into it. “Capricorns enjoy going slow and taking their time. They’re also excellent planners, so they might not be too unhappy with holiday fatigue, taking advantage of the downtime to organize and work on their latest projects,” McCarthy says.

“If Capricorns can plan to be near family or a family of friends, it will help assuage any potential forgetting of their birthday.” —McCarthy

Furthermore, Caps are family-oriented, so being surrounded by family—whether blood or chosen—is pretty perfect for their birthdays. “If Capricorns can plan to be near family or a family of friends, it will help assuage any potential forgetting of their birthday,” she says.

And, if all else fails, spike some hot chocolate and rewatch The Office, because TBH that’s how everyone actually wants to spend their birthday. (I may be projecting here, but show me someone who doesn’t think that’s a beautiful plan, and I’ll show you a liar.)

The holiday season comes with a lot of family time. Here’s how to cope with the stress that can accompany it, plus here’s an unexpected way to bond with your fam.