It recently came to my attention that the location of my birthday calendar might be a little interesting to some people, nay, perhaps even strange. And of course, my antennae always up, this sounded like good blog fodder.
My husband grew up in Holland and his family brought a lovely tradition back home with them. Just about everyone over there has a Verjaardagkalender, which simply means birthday calendar. There are no days of the week, just a page for each month and a list of all the dates. You can simply write in the birthdays of all your family and friends one time and then use the calendar year after year as a reminder.
Nothing all that unusual, right?
What's particular to the Dutch is the placement of this calendar.
The bathroom. Right beside the toilet.
After all, you're surely guaranteed to spend some amount of time in there every day--the Dutch are not only very pragmatic, but also very regular. And who doesn't get a little bored and start wondering about family and friends while they're stuck in there anyway?
With this set up you're far less likely to let Aunt Fanny's birthday slip past without some acknowledgment (I know, there are just too many jokes). And, BONUS!, if you provide a pen any guest can write in their own birthday as they attend to other things. I've always been a sucker for multi-tasking myself.
An interesting cultural phenomenon? Certainly.
Strange? Perhaps.
Handy and practical? Abso-freakin-loutely.
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For anyone interested in bringing this little Dutch treat to their own bathroom, you can find authentic Dutch verjaardagkalenders at The Dutch Shop or more American style perpetual calendars at Amazon
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