My perfect birthday celebration is to take the day off work and stay home and potter around, perhaps reading a book or looking around online. Perhaps a dinner with one or two people, and an indulgent dessert.

My current workplace demands we celebrate everyone's birthdays with cards, cake, and singing. It feels very juvenile and very unprofessional. I usually "forget" to purchase a card, but conform enough to sing and stand around holding a piece of cake, nodding at the small talk, before pitching it and getting back to work.

Aside from that, my only obligation to recognize someone's birthday is to wish them "Happy Birthday" if so inclined.

My closest friend and I treat each other to dinner out and conversation. And a few card exchanged from distant correspondents.
Except for 55, when I gave a party, because I could RETIRE.

i wouldn't even notice it if other people didn't celebrate it for me. It doesn't bother me that they do, I just realize it is one of those little rituals I must observe with everyone else if I am to remotely fit in with the rest of the civilized world. I do like the attention. I make an effort to recognize b-day's of those close to me, as I realize it is important to other people. I wasn't so cognizant when i was younger.

My birthday is usually a time for reassess my life, goals and achievements over the past year. Perhaps it sounds corny, but I find it motivating and useful. The best gift I can give myself is a short vacation. I would stay home and read, or go on a trip somewhere. Clear my head, break the everyday routine, and polish my sheen a bit.

I rather enjoy celebrate (as in a party) my friends' birthdays. As long as that is what they want, I'm happy.

i'm pretty bad at getting presents to my friends and family in a timely manner around their birthdays.

as for what i like to do, probably go to the beach and the zoo then have a yummy meal with cake and presents. birthdays are fun! as for funerals and moments of silence, a big WASTE OF TIME.