I didn't see this post in June!
" I just think this is bizarre....it makes the buttons and the whole "I'm celebrating something" meaningless."
Why does it feel that way to you? Because it doesn't to me. 1 person or 100 people celebrating doesn't feel any different. Actually, 100 feels better because it's even more awesome.
The point I was trying to make, but failed, was that if everyone has to feel special, then there's no room for specialness.
But how in the whole world can that possibly be true?
The people that are quoted to illustrate that feeling are from the Incredibles. The quotes that people think are great truths...
The characters are a 10 year old boy who is SULKING because he isn't being allowed to do something...and a superVILLAIN. Mr Incredible gets in on it with the 5th grade graduation, or something like it. He's depressed and sad and in hiding. I bet he doesn't feel that way at the end of the movie, once he has his joyful life back and isn't encased in a grey cloud of doom.
Those are not the people we should be emulating....
And they are wrong.
...a very funny CM decided that she should have one too so he went and wrote "UN" on the Birthday button. So hers said she was celebrating her "Un-Birthday"
We've had that, too.
However, if you're wearing a birthday button and someone wishes you a happy birthday, I'd think the proper response would be "Thank you," not "It was six months ago."
Absolutely.
Just like the proper response to "you look lovely today" is "thank you", not "oh I feel gross". Or the response to "what a lovely dress" is "thank you", not "oh this old thing?"
But no one knows how ot take a compliment, and no one knows how to deal with it when they are wearing a button and someone says happy birthday. They also FORGET they are wearing such buttons, sometimes, and part of the response is bewilderment, not annoyance.
I mean, if you're going to wear the button, you must be expecting something. Like acknowledgement at least. Or maybe they're not interested in that. Maybe they just expect free stuff like cupcakes at dinner and what not?
Or they forget they are wearing it, or they didn't expect anyone to notice, or whatever.
Buttons at this point are like every team getting a trophy.
And what's the problem with THAT, anyway? The winners know they are the winners. The ones who didn't win know that, too.
I rowed in college, and the very last race of my college career, a few boats had dropped out and so there were 4 boats. We came in 4th. Awful race, couldn't get it together, we all nearly punched each other when we got out of the boat. Ugly ugly end to my rowing career. We got 4th place medals.
The next year they decided to not give those medals if there were only 4 boats. I thought that was SAD. We all knew we came in last. We ALSO came in 4th. Didn't keep us from telling the story. Almost made the story better.
I run. I LOVE my finisher's medals. The winner gets something extra. I get something, too. Makes me happy.
And my point is, lying is lying, no matter what the cost. If its not your birthday, and you wear the button, where's the integrity? Integrity shouldn't have to cost something in order for it to be observed.
There's no need to lie. "Can I have a Celebrate button? I'm celebrating my birthday which was 2 months ago". Boom, button. No biggie.
The ONLY thing you would lie about is if you are celebrating xyz. but if you aren't celebrating, then you wouldn't get the button.
As I said before, I'm not walking through the park looking to rip buttons off of people. But now if I happen to see a birthday button I probably won't offer a Happy Birthday.
That's really sad. Just because someone doesn't know etiquette on saying "thank you" or doesn't remember they have a button or whatever, doesn't mean you have to stop saying nice things.
I worked in MK in 2004 as a custodian. They encouraged us to keep extra Birthday buttons in our pouches. I would often hand them out to kids an adults alike who "had a birthday this year!!!"
I love that.
How about an "I'm not celebrating anything" pin?
Sounds good to me, but ONLY if you are celebrating not celebrating anything.
At which point one's head might explode.
Do people still get freebies? I suspect that the numbers aren't that high. But that is just a wag. I don't believe that all the people running around with buttons are getting freebies.
We never have. Anniversary, a couple birthdays (both ON the birthdays), reunion...nothing. And that's OK!
So unless you're bringing back the Spanish Inquisition (which we know no one expects LOL)...
Back when the buttons said "TODAY is my birthday" I really enjoyed wishing young and old "happy birthday". It was met with a smile and thanks. Now older children and adults seem embarrassed and mumble it's really not their birthday. CMs say "happy birthday" with no real feeling behind it. It's sad that what was special for the button wearer and for me has been ruined.
Robin I adore you, but I disagree. If you enjoy the wishing of the HB, then keep doing it. If your enjoyment hinges on a proper response, though, you should stop, because almost no one knows how to deal with stuff like that. Even if it's their actual birthday, people don't know how to deal.
Wow. Just wow!. 266 posts about what people write on a free button while on vacation. Next thing you know, people will have to prove that the person walking next to them really is stupid if they are wearing a T-Shirt that says:
I'm With Stupid--->
And what happens if you switch sides accidentally and your arrow is pointing to someone who is not actually stupid? could you be sued?
I still want to know why the cm at
disneyland gave me a hard time for wanting to write Smidgy as my name instead of my actual name. all of the dissers I was meeting up with know me as smidgy, and my family still calls me smidgy, never calls me by my given name.
why such a stickler? and yes, mybirthdya was that week, but I wore the button the whole week.
Maybe they used to be an embroiderer-of-hats?
Maybe "smidgy" means something awful? Have you checked urban dictionary to be sure?
I wondered if I should say anything about my anniversary when I go down in October since our anniversary is also in October, but now I'm glad I didn't put any celebrations on our online check-in, since we won't be there on the exact day! I didn't realize that it was so important to anyone to have it be an exact day or anything since you rarely get more than a Cast Member smiling and telling you "congrats" anyway. It's rarely that much of a perk.
If the people that run the place WANT you to celebrate, don't let people who don't run the place keep you from it.
-- we don't care if they are not noticed but they will be visible in the PICTURES!! So every time i look after the fact i can sigh with contentment knowing we made it 30 years AND lucky enough to afford WDW for our celebration!!
That's pretty much how I feel about it, too. We are headed to Disney to celebrate DD's 21st birthday. No, we won't be there ON her birthday- we are taking this trip to celebrate her birthday. For years she's wanted to celebrate 21 by going to Food & Wine, and because of everyone's school schedule, Columbus Day weekend is what works best. The last time we went to F&W over Columbus Day weekend, we weren't celebrating her birthday, so no button and note on the ADRs. This time the trip is specifically FOR her birthday (it's her present, no other b-day party or dinner, etc.), you bet we'll get her a button!!
