Sitting down next to a pile of gifts, senior Cole Petters listens to the laughter that fills his house. He begins to tear off the colored wrapping paper that covers boxes marked with his name, and an hour later, they are replaced by unwrapped gifts. But while it is the holiday season, only half of the presents are for Christmas presents; another half are for his birthday.

While many may pity Christmas babies for having their birthday on the biggest holiday of the year, Petters has always loved having his birthday on Christmas, especially since it focuses on two of his favorite things: gifts and family.

The tradition of gift-giving for both Christmas and his birthday further makes his celebrations more unique, and he doesn’t know anyone else who has the same birthday as him. When he was in elementary school, Petters looked forward to receiving twice as many gifts as others did in the space of one day.

Petters recalls many fond memories from his past birthdays, including checking the roof for Santa.

One year, Petters received a gift from one of his good friends. He excitedly opened the box and when he looked down, he found himself staring at a lump of coal—a play on his name.

“It was a joke, and I'm a very down-to-earth guy who doesn't get mad at jokes,” Petters said. “I thought it was funny.”

As he has grown older, Petters has learned to appreciate the dual holiday for reasons other than the plethora of presents, too. Getting to spend time with his family members on such significant holidays has become increasingly important to him, as he practically spends the whole day with them through a busy yet exhilarating schedule.

“My day consists of me usually going for a run [with my family] at 6 a.m., because I like looking at everyone’s lights on Christmas morning while it’s still dark,” Petters said. “Then, after my run, I watch ‘A Christmas Story’ every year.”

In the evening, around 5 p.m., his cousins and grandmother come over to celebrate his birthday.

Although his day is packed with celebrations, Petters can pinpoint one negative part of the day — the lack of time he gets to spend with his friends to celebrate his birthday.

“All my friends go away during the holidays, and Christmas is sort of a ‘family’ holiday, [so] I have never seen my friends on [my birthday],” said Petters.

Over the years, Petters has learned to view the day as a time to be able to spend valuable time with his family.

“I could be happy without gifts honestly,” Petters said. “I just want to spend time with my  family, especially because I'll be seeing a lot less of them next year.”