Christmas Baby in July

Poor Ashley’s birthday falls just after Christmas. Every birthday, her friends were busy with their families or away on vacation. One year, Mom took pity on her and let her have a birthday party in the summer. Ashley got to invite some friends over to camp in the yard.


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76 responses to “Christmas Baby in July”

  1. skippingstones Avatar

    Oh, that’s just terrible!! But funny.

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Ashley has always had pretty terrible luck, I think.

  2. Miranda Gargasz Avatar
    Miranda Gargasz

    Wow, I’ll feed my kids anything that makes them go to sleep early! How bad would I be if I fed it to them everyday?………….Skunks are the worst!

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Well, I think that depends on your local serving laws :P That skunk smell hung around for days.

  3. on thehomefrontandbeyond Avatar

    creative and funny – a good combo

  4. Russ Nickel Avatar

    I got sprayed by a skunk once! What an adventure that was. They were in my grandma’s basement and we herded all 6 of them into a box.

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Yikes! Ashley had a childhood friend with a pet skunk who was “de-skunked,” as Ashley put it. I was always incredibly jealous that I never got to meet it. AND my parents refused to even consider getting one for our household.

  5. morristownmemos by Ronnie Hammer Avatar

    I love the picture of the girls singing and dancing before the skunk struck. Such a happy, carefree scene; such a contrast to the terribly sad end.

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      :) You can be sure that the rest of the girls were looking dolefully out the window, hurting as only children uninvited to the party can hurt. Am I saying Ashley deserved it? Noo….

  6. Charlotte Belanger III Avatar
    Charlotte Belanger III

    Ashley singing in the backyard in her pj’s…I want a t-shirt with that screen on it.

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Hahaha! I’ll see if I can make that happen.

  7. becomingcliche Avatar

    Awwww! Poor thing! I bet grasshopper pie could make her forget all her troubles.

    Squish and I both have birthdays in the December dead zone. I feel Ashley’s pain. But I must say, we never experienced the skunk thing. She must be a Capricorn.

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Grasshopper pie is so delicious and wonderful. It could make anyone forget their troubles…. especially if they ate the whole pie! Chrissy’s birthday is also in December. There are a couple weeks in December when Ashley and Chrissy are the “same” age. Chrissy would crow about it and make Ashley so mad… I’ll have to do a comic about that this December! :D

  8. Paprika Furstenburg Avatar

    Great idea to celebrate a Christmas birthday in the summer!

    I grew up with dogs who got skunked at least once every summer. The smell of tomato juice and skunk never truly leaves. Great post!

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Yeah, I don’t remember tomato juice working very well… I just remember that lingering smell.

  9. muddledmom Avatar

    So funny. Why on earth would it spray them if they were in the tent? Stinking skunk. My son’s birthday is in early February and even then we always deal with winter weather or sickness. One year he’s going to need a summer birthday party.

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Who knows? Those skunks have some attitude. I’m hope your son will have a more successful summer party :)

  10. missemmalou Avatar
    missemmalou

    oh no!!! poor baby! how long did it take for the stench to go away?

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Days. We lived near a large patch of woods and had many animal visitors. The skunks, unfortunately, were frequent callers.

  11. The Simple Life of a Country Man's Wife Avatar

    oh, yuck! As a post-Christmas December baby, I love the idea of a birthday party in July. But overall, December birthday were pretty fun, too (and usually skunk-free). :)

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Ashley’s December birthdays got better in time, so I think she’d agree with you :)

  12. Carol R Craley Avatar

    I love the dance party in the second scene… are those little tiny skunk eyes behind the stone wall in scene 3?? These stories are absolutely awesome!!

    1. pegoleg Avatar

      Carol, what sharp eyes you have!

    2. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Good catch :) Thank you!

  13. Ashley Edits Avatar

    This is why I never stray from tradition anymore. Also, I think I love mom and dad the best in cut-paper. You nail mom’s haircut.

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Mom’s haircut was very important to me. I still have to tell the story of the time mom got a pixie cut and dyed her hair red…

  14. anyapop Avatar

    Oh no!!! I feel so bad for Ashley! But it still is pretty funny!

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      :) It was an unforgettable birthday, at least!

  15. eatzybitzy Avatar

    Seriously, very funny!

  16. Angie Z. Avatar

    I’m just glad it wasn’t a badger ;)

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      They are also lucky it wasn’t the neighbor’s ram! He often escaped from his pen. Dad would leave the house for work only to find that damn ram standing on top his car. It was wonderful!

      1. Angie Z. Avatar

        What a great childhood memory!

  17. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    Really? One skunk incident, and no more summer parties? Summer is MADE for fun, cheap birthday parties–at the park, at the beach, in someone’s backyard pool, or just a simple barbecue/picnic type setup with outdoor games. It’s not as if camping is the only option. Please say that Ashley didn’t get cheated out of friend parties forever just because of that one little mishap.

    1. Ashley Edits Avatar

      Where we grew up, there weren’t too many people with backyard pools. Unless you count the plastic kiddie pool kind. We were more of a lake-going people. :) I liked my December birthdays, don’t worry! Plenty of rollerskating/tea party/sweater parties!

      1. Emily Avatar
        Emily

        Oh, okay. By the way, I forgot the most obvious alternative–indoor sleepovers. Did you and your sisters and friends ever do that?

        1. Ashley Edits Avatar

          Of course! We liked to build “forts” that took over the living room!

  18. pegoleg Avatar

    At December parties you always have to worry about getting sprayed with penguin pee.

    1. Go Jules Go Avatar

      LOL Peg! Dang. I can’t think of anything clever to respond with (which kills me on Nikki’s blog because her posts are so intricately fabulous). Case in point, my current thought: “Well, that party stinks.”

      I’m sorry, Nikki. You deserve better. Luckily you have Peg.

      1. Go Jules Go Avatar

        Nicki! Gah. Two k’s is a habit from another Nicki/Nikki I know.

      2. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

        That’s okay, I can’t always think of comments for blogs, either, even if I loved them and reread them!

  19. Somesh Mahanty Avatar

    :D :D :D :D …..

  20. timmer Avatar

    Oh dear, I just noticed the titles of the images when I hovered my mouse over them. It’s like inception, a story within a story. Amazing.

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      :D Not always, though. Sometimes, they are just terrible puns.

  21. Barbara Backer-Gray Avatar

    Love it! Great how the parents are holding their coffee cups.

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Thanks :) When I think of my mother, I think of her holding a coffee mug. I think having 5 children really drove her caffeine habit.

  22. Barbara Backer-Gray Avatar

    Can we get the recipe for grasshopper pie some day?

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      I’ll have to ask my mom…

  23. John-Paul Avatar
    John-Paul

    Tell your sister to holiday in the southern hemisphere over Christmas. New Zealand’s nice, and we have a summer Christmas. Sucks to be Santa but it’s ok for the rest of us.

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Oh, that sounds very nice!

  24. Geek 20/20 Avatar
    Geek 20/20

    Oh dear, I can’t imagine what that must feel like!

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Poor little Ashley.

  25. Dominique Vaz Avatar

    Haha oh no that’s awful! There are skunks in our neighbourhood sometimes and I’m always so terrified of getting sprayed on my way home.

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      They do seem to be a little jumpy and spray-happy.

  26. aschoettler Avatar
    aschoettler

    Hahahat that’s terribly unfortunate! But I can absolutely relate because my birthday is actually on Christmas. Everyone’s busy. I did the same thing once. My mom let me have a summer swim party with a magician and it was the greatest. There had to be a reason we only did that once though…

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Everyone I know who did a summer party for their December birthday only did it once. Maybe it’s just not the same?

  27. Michelle Gillies Avatar
    Michelle Gillies

    I’m thinking the Grasshopper pie recipe needs to become known. I’ve never heard of it but if it can knock out some rambunctious tweens I’m all for it. If it works on husbands…even better.

    1. Nicole Smeltzer Avatar

      Hehehe… It’s pretty great. I’ve found recipes similar to my mom’s online, but hers is so pitch-perfect, I’ve never tried the others.

  28. barbdsykes Avatar

    oh my, that’s terrible. I love the drawing.

  29. beckysaysthings Avatar

    As someone whose birthday falls mid-January, I can quite happily boast that I have never been plagued by a skunk in the middle of my birthday party. That is why January birthdays are great. (PS. The picture of the girl munching away in the tent is literally genius.) :)

  30. Ms. Jolly Blogger Avatar

    Where I live, we have a skink problem too. Especially in the summer. Imagine living in a non-air conditioned house, having to rely on opening every door/window to let what little summer night breeze to cool off, and then having some random punk skunk decide to take a leisurely night stroll. Next imagine me and hubby frantically running to each and every door/window and slamming it in attempt to keep the skunk smell out–and then sweating our butts off in the heat of our now breezeless home….

    Skunks=Jerks!!!!

    :)

  31. mindfuldanijoy Avatar
    mindfuldanijoy

    wow! i just stumbled across your blog. i love it! good work!

  32. russelllindsey Avatar
    russelllindsey

    Reblogged this on Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde and commented:
    This one has to go out to my little sister E., whose birthday is also just after Christmas. Poor thing, every year she had to celebrate her birthday before Christmas with her big sister (me – my birthday is Dec. 18). This post is just too funny!

  33. whatimeant2say Avatar

    Yet another reason that I don’t do camping.

  34. asoulwalker Avatar

    There is an order to things and it just doesn’t pay to disrupt it.

  35. ashleypatterson21 Avatar

    Hey! I’ve nominated you for a Lovely Blog award, clearly means that I love your blog! Do visit here http://lifeofmee.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/lovely-blog-award/ to check it out

  36. Winn Avatar

    LOVED the dancing girls panel – especially of the sis in the footies pjs. Yes, I’m sitting here with a cup of coffee as I’m reading this! :) Hope you are having an awesome summer Nicki. :)

  37. riatarded Avatar
    riatarded

    hahah oh my God! LOL

  38. Pete Howorth Avatar
    Pete Howorth

    I’m glad we don’t have skunks in England, at least I’ve never seen any.

  39. sj Avatar

    Um, I realize I’m months late to this party, but i don’t know how I missed this one.

    Grasshopper Pie sounds amazing. I need to force my kids to eat some. Right now.

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