it happens every year around this time

I'm not so sure about birthdays. Mine is coming up, and while I won't say no to a cake and a present or two, I'm a little uncomfortable with folks outside of my immediate family making a big deal out of it. So I survived another year; that's no great accomplishment in this age of modern medicine! Though I suppose I have to appreciate the sentiments. And really, I can't fault the first-graders for being interested: birthdays are bigger deals to them, because they've had so few. What, three or four that they can remember? For me, though, number thirty-two is old hat.