Christmas can be a time for celebration, presents and good cheer. Children rush into the living room searching under the tree, shaking parcels ripping paper, to squeals of joy. It’s like it is everyone’s birthday all at once.
    … Except for those whose birthday is actually on Christmas. What happens when the most celebrated day of the year is on … well … your day.
    Virtually by chance it’s going to happen sooner or later and when it does, what’s it like?  Is the birthday missed? Are they showered with twice as many gifts? Does Uncle Bob (There’s always an Uncle Bob) skimp out and buy a “combo-gift?”
    The Mail surveyed a few readers and found many families handle the conundrum differently.
    Larry Mastel’s birthday is on Christmas Day and he said it always worked out for him.
    “It was always good, usually we opened our presents on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas Day is when I opened up my birthday gifts,” Mastel tells The Mail.
    He said he usually wasn’t short-changed by frugal relatives and received presents for both his birthday and for Christmas and this continues today.
    Joanna Northover was born on Boxing Day and said there was clear delineation in her home growing up. She said the toughest part as a youngster was having a birthday party with her friends. Many times they were not around for the holidays. The memories are not all rosy.
    “Grade 4 was worst of all…I tried to arrange one for December 15. I had 10 invitations, because I was allowed to have as many kids as my age. One person, my best friend showed up, and then another girl from down the street came. Nobody else came,” she said. “All the party games I had planned we couldn’t do, so we went to a movie instead.”
    The result of this devastating experience wasn’t all that bad. She began to have “half-birthdays” in the summer to have parties.
    Things did get better for Northover. now she finds Boxing Day has become a good day for celebration.
    “Once I got old enough to go out and have a beer with my friends, it became more likely to celebrate on my actual birthday because the day after Christmas everyone is done their ‘thing,’” she said. “People who were gone to university would be back in town so would use it as an opportunity to catch up with old friends and new friends.”
    Leanna Mohan is a Boxing Day baby and  says she usually received presents for both Christmas and her birthday. In fact, her parents made sure to wrap presents in either Birthday or Christmas wrap. The only time she remembers getting a single gift was if it was something big, such as skis.
    One drawback, according to Mohan is that not many bars or restaurants are open to ring in her birthday. Mastel also said he has never been able to go out for a beer on his birthday.
One other drawback is that getting all your presents all at once makes it a long gift less year.
    “It’s not a good thing from the gift point of view, because you don’t get anything for 11 months of the year,” laughs Mohan.

    A request has been made that would see more RCMP officers on the streets of Drumheller.
    At the November 19 meeting of Town Council, Drumheller RCMP Staff Sergeant Art Hopkins requested councillors consider hiring additional RCMP officers and suggested joint funding with surrounding communities.
    He also made the same plea to Starland County Council at their meeting on Tuesday, December 11.
    “I’m always looking for more police officers. To provide a service to the public, the more officers, the better,” said Staff Sergeant Hopkins.
    There are two areas more officers would be needed. The first is to make up for a staffing shortfall.
    The Drumheller RCMP detachment currently has 11 members, but due to maternity leaves and other causes the detachment has been running with nine members. The hope is to run consistently with at least 11 members.
    The second need is for a community liaison officer, who could do more preventive policing.
    “It would be more involved in giving presentations to the schools or community for various types of crime or interests,” said Staff Sergeant Hopkins.
    It is hoped such an officer could visit schools and other community organizations in the area to give presentations.
    “There are a lot of things that can be done in the schools, but it’s not just restricted to them. There are presentations we’ve done with seniors about frauds or senior abuse. There are presentations we can make to various groups in the community,” said Staff Sergeant Hopkins.
    “We’ve got schools out in Delia, Morrin, and more where a police officer could show up there. There’s D.A.R.E., Duke of Edinburgh, and cyberbullying out there too. There are so many things being levied on us, which takes time away from other things.”
    Curtis LaPierre, principal of Drumheller Valley Secondary School, would welcome a greater RCMP presence at the school.
    “We have a really close working relationship with the RCMP in town. We’ve had them in quite often...and we’re more than happy to have them in the building,” said LaPierre.
    The decision to hire any additional officers rests upon Town Council. It is hoped a decision can be reached soon.
    “Right now, we’re trying to catch-up and we’re not doing any preventative policing,” said Staff Sergeant Hopkins.