People shared their worst ever birthday and it’s not just the gifts that were rubbish – 18 especially unhappy birthdays

When it comes to the social calendar, few events are bigger than birthdays. But not all of them live up to the pressure.

Reddit user gummibear853 wanted to know how people’s birthdays have not quite gone according to plan by inviting r/AskReddit users to share their worst ones. And they even got the ball rolling by detailing their own:

‘Today is my 40th birthday. Instead of going to Thorpe Park for the day as planned, I am tucked up in bed after being up for most of the night with a particularly nasty dose of gastroenteritis. Was up pretty much every half an hour. Oh yeah, and I lost my 50 day streak on Wordle.’

Here are the top replies of birthdays gone wrong…

1.
‘18 years old. My birthday was 31st December 1999. You thought it would be a big one, right? Wrong.

‘My mates decided it would be great to take me out clubbing. The problem being that I hated clubbing, and the idea of spending my birthday in a packed club where I didn’t want to be did not fill me with joy. And it didn’t.

‘I also had a random guy projectile vomit over me. After I failed to get it cleaned up, I told my friends I was leaving. I walked outside, only to realise my wallet had been stolen and the last bus home had left. So I had to walk 8 miles in the dark along a disused railway line to get home (the road was 13 miles).

‘The clock struck midnight around 5 miles in, as I saw the fireworks go up in my home town.’
-PurahsHero

2.
‘On my 40th birthday, I came downstairs and found one of my chinchillas dead. I tried to go out and celebrate by going to a Star Wars movie, but kept randomly crying. On the way home, found out that Carrie Fisher died.’
-alanaisalive

3.
‘Probably my 16th. I’d already spent four months leading up to it in hospital, but I was still there, still learning to walk, still needing help to pee and eat

‘Of course, I share my birthday with my mum, so I don’t think her 46th was any more enjoyable ’
-EnigmaMissing

4.
‘My 18th. I didn’t really have any friends so spent the day now legally able to drink with no one to do it with, never felt more pathetic in my life. For a teen it hit hard.’
-PMMeYourHousePlants

5.
‘I was really fucking annoyed that my wife did nothing special for my 50th. For hers I organised a huge 80s themed party, invited all her friends and family, we did fancy dress as 80s characters, I decorated the rec room like an 80s nightclub, put together an epic playlist, sorted out food, drinks, cake and it was a truly memorable night.

‘We’re separated now.’
-Roper1537

6.
‘Turning 21 stands out. I was the black sheep at that point, had left my girlfriend, given a crook lock as a gift by my parents and told to buck my ideas up.

‘It worked, but the memory endures.’
-you_aint_seen_me-

7.
‘Bailiffs turned up at 6am. I bought my own takeaway. It was shit. I got gastrointestinal, like you, but was the only one in the family who did. Then I found out two friends had died… It wasn’t connected. Just a coincidence.

‘That was a shitty birthday.’
-Long_Tall_Man

8.
‘Many years ago.. My 21st, I got to choose a massive present or massive party. I opted for the present.

‘Day arrives and I guilt tripped my parents so hard (I’m genuinely ashamed) I had a day long strop and non stop whining, called my friends and went out for drinks instead. Unbeknown to me within 3 hours my mum had arranged and organised a party.. not just a small do.. she had converted a pub into a sweetshop theme. Mum had been calling me and I was ignoring it.. anyway a few hours later she finds me..takes me to the location and does the reveal.. me and the friends I’d been with were the only ones there.

‘She had been calling me to get my contacts list and because I’d ignored her she didn’t have their details… hence the 8 people at my massive 21st. At the time I wanted to die from embarrassment but looking back at what an incredibly spoiled prick of a person I was and what my mum did to make me happy was incredible. She is the best.

‘Basically I got what I deserved and that lesson on karma humbled me. I’ve apologised many times over the years and even remembering my behaviour at that time makes my skin crawl. Lesson learned.’
-ImActivelyTired

9.
‘My 30th – I had big plans to go to London with my family, but it was the exact day Storm Eunice hit and everything got cancelled. So I spent the whole day watching crap daytime TV, had a fight with my mum and cried. And my rent went up that day too. Pretty terrible

‘My 10th birthday also sucked, I had some sort of bug and kept being sick so I couldn’t have any of my birthday cake. The ‘zero’ birthdays are clearly cursed!’
-ohsaycanyourock