Today I’m grateful for another year and what better way to show my gratitude than to connect with my community?  This isn’t the first time I’ve blogged about birthdays. I pulled a little April Fools’ joke about my birthday a while back and I’ve also shared some fun facts with you about my special day, December 13th. Birthdays to me are always a great time for reflection and celebration. It’s also a day where you deserve to enjoy some special treatment.Well this year on my birthday I’d like to give you a gift by sharing some secrets with you on how to make your special day a little sweeter with the help of businesses and retailers who offer awesome birthday promotions.

Let’s face it. Times are tough so a lot of people aren’t giving as many birthday gifts as they used to. Also as an adult, the birthday party gifts you receive just aren’t as fun as they used to be. The My Little Pony collection or Hot Wheels set that gave us unlimited hours of enjoyment have turned into tchotchke items that end up in a White Elephant exchange (Hey I’m just being honest!). Well here are 13 fun birthday promotions from retailers that you’ll actually enjoy and appreciate. I have chosen the ones on this list because I have either redeemed them myself or feel that many of you will enjoy them and of course there’s 13 because 13 is my lucky number.

1. Aveda– This my favorite birthday promotion. It’s more for the ladies, but gentlemen you can also score this goodie and share it with your mom/sister/wife/lady in your life.  Become a member of Aveda.com and get a complimentary Personal Blends™, Pure-Fume Spirit™ or body care product ($25 value) custom blended with the aroma of your choice. Aveda’s Pure-Fume™ aromas are powered by pure essential oils, and 90% of them are certified organic. When you go in their store, they have an entire station dedicated to making your personal product and you leave with a full size product, not a tiny sample size.

2. Baskin-Robbins– Enjoy a free scoop of ice cream from Baskin-Robbins when you sign up for their birthday club. I’m not big on ice cream, I prefer sorbet which luckily Baskin-Robbins does have. Baskin Robbins also has a cool promotion to keep you at the top of their mind by offering a half birthday gift. It’s not as sweet as a free scoop. It’s a buy one get one free scoop, but I still think it’s awesome that they acknowledge your half birthday. I was definitely surprised but also happy when I received an email from them wishing me a happy half birthday in June.

3. Benihana- Sign up for “The Chef’s Table” email list and get a $30 gift certificate during your birthday month. The offer is good for those 13 and up and can only be used Monday-Thursday but $30 is a pretty generous offer. I treated myself to a nice little sushi lunch at Benihana.

4. Big Bear Lift Ticket– This one is for all of you snowboarders and skiers. Yep, Big Bear the home of real snow that’s man made gives you a free lift ticket on your actual birthday. If you aren’t born during the season, you can still ride on the Snow Summit Scenic Sky Chair for free on your birthday. Lucky for me the lifts are always open in December and I was able to redeem this promotion one year (On my 21st birthday to be exact). I had a group of friends who were happy to snowboard with me on this day. And below is an actual photo of me snowboarding while catching some air in Big Bear!

5. Catalina Express- Who doesn’t love to travel on someone else’s dime? Take the Catalina Express into Catalina Island on your birthday.  I have always wanted to come Catalina for a getaway and I’ve never actually had an opportunity to. December usually isn’t the prime time to visit Catalina either so I probably won’t be able to redeem their birthday deal which means I’ll have to come here for another occasion  But for your spring and summer babies, from what I hear, this is a great birthday getaway. Below is a photo my friend Chris Kirkman took on his recent getaway to Catalina.

6. Hooters– Join the Hooters Eclub and receive 10 free wings on your birthday. This is another club I’m not a member of but I’m sure there are some of you who will be interested.

7. iHop- Join the Pancake Revolution at iHop and you’ll receive a stack on your birthday. You’ll also receive a free stack just for signing up. I haven’t redeemed this one before but if you love pancakes, this is a pretty good deal.

8. Medieval Times- Just like Catalina Island, this is another place I have always wanted to visit but haven’t yet had the opportunity to. I just learned that if you sign up for the King’s Court you receive a free admission on your birthday. If anyone has been here, let me know your thoughts and if you feel it’s worth the trip. I love interactive performances so this place sounds like it’s right up my alley.

9. Noodles and Company– Sign up for the Noodlegram and you’ll receive a complimentary bowl of noodles you can redeem on your birthday month. I redeemed this last week and enjoy a tasty dinner. As they like to say “We don’t sing, we Sauté.”

10. Red Robin- Join the Red Robbin EClub and receive a free burger on your birthday. This is another deal I’m not signed up for but I’ve heard good things from others who have enjoyed their free burger.

11. Rubio’s- Sign up for the Rubio’s Beach Club and they’ll send you a gift certificate redeemable for a free meal (up to $7). I received mine a couple weeks in advance so I was able to redeem it this year. As an added bonus you’ll receive a free taco upon signing up.

12. Sonic– Sign up for Sonic Cruisers, Sonic’s official fan club, and you’ll receive a coupon on your birthday for your choice of a regular order of tots, a medium fountain drink or a regular cream slush. This doesn’t seem like a big gift but I’m including it on my list because it wasn’t until recently that a Sonic opened up near San Diego and I remember people swarming to the joint just to finally eat at a place that we’ve been seeing so many commercials for but never had a chance to try.

13. Victoria’s Secret– Another one that’s mostly for the ladies. If you get on the Victoria’s Secret mailing list they’ll send you certificate for $10 off a $10 or more purchase to use during your birthday month. This comes in pretty handy if you’re like me and shop here anyway. If there’s nothing you need here during your birthday month, $10 is definitely enough to score you at least 1 pair of nice panties so essentially you’ll receive a close to free product (you pay tax).

Tips for Successfully Redeeming Birthday Freebies

•  Read all the fine print! Some promotions are only good for the day of your birthday, others give you an entire week or month to redeem the promotion. Make sure your promotion hasn’t expired when you go to redeem it.
• If you have any doubts, call ahead of time to make sure the particular location you’re visiting is participating. Some businesses are franchised and not all owners have the same rules as others so there may be birthday offers that are only valid at certain locations.
• If you’re dining at a restaurant with a birthday promotion, tell the server before she takes the order, not after you get the bill. Oh and make sure to tip on the entire total that the meal would have cost rather than just the discounted amount.
• HAVE FUN ENJOYING YOUR SPECIAL DAY AND HAVE A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Well there you have it. My birthday gift to you! If you are wondering if there is anything nice you can do for me on my birthday, you can come take a yoga class. Yep I’m offering you another gift and that’s a complimentary yoga class! Just check out my yoga schedule and let me know whenever you’d like to come take a class. And last but not least, I must share with you my favorite place to make a wish list and that’s on My Registry. You can register any gift from any where all in one place. Everyone deserves to get gifts they actually want. So go ahead and get started with your very own registry.