Meet the Ulster folk who were born on Christmas Day

But, if you are one of the few, take comfort in the knowledge that you share your unusual birth date not only with Jesus Christ, but several famous people, including Isaac Newton, Humphrey Bogart, Annie Lennox, and the late Shane MacGowan who wrote arguably the greatest seasonal tune of all time, Fairytale of New York.

Birthdays are all about being the centre of attention, but do those born on Christmas Day struggle for the limelight, their own big day buried under the tinsel and turkey, marked only by a footnote on the Christmas card, or perhaps a candle on the Christmas cake?

An are they be short-changed in the presents department, as each one becomes a ‘combined’ Christmas and birthday present?

Shane Haslem said his unusual date of birth has invited a lifetime of sympathetic sighs from others, but the Co Down man, who turns 50 this Christmas Day, said he wouldn’t trade it for any other day of the year.

“Whenever I mention to someone about my Christmas birthday, they always say ‘Ah, God love you’, I get the sympathy vote, but it’s a great time of the year to be born. When I was growing up it always felt like my birthday on Christmas Day,” said Shane from Magheralin.

"My mum would always have made sure that the presents were separate, so I had my birthday presents and my Christmas presents. On Christmas Day before the dinner, there was always a big cake for my birthday.”

Shane added that having his birthday on Christmas meant he never had to go to school.

“There’s no doubt you were a wee bit different. Growing up, I didn’t know anybody else who was born on Christmas Day, but as you get a bit older you hear about more people.”

He added that people are also in a more generous frame of mind at Christmas.

“Some people think you might have missed out on presents, but growing up, what I found is that people tend to give more at Christmas.”

And, when he entered the world on the auspicious date, there was quite a bit of fanfare on the maternity ward.

“Whenever mum was having me the nurses were staying on shift because I was going to be the first baby born in the Lagan Valley Hospital on Christmas Day.

"I think I was born about 7.50am. Then the mayor came to meet me and my mother. I think my picture was in the newspaper."

However, as he’s gotten older Shane said his birthday is less of a big thing.

“I love Christmas generally, not just because it’s my birthday, but now it’s more about the kids, they just see it as Christmas.. daddy’s birthday is a second thought. Now, I would tend to celebrate it on a different day.”

Kyla Philips from Omagh will turn 35 this Christmas and said she loves her birth date.

"I think it's great. I would hate my birthday on a random Tuesday or Wednesday when people forget….and you have to go to work. It would be horrible. So, I love it.”

Growing up, Kyla, an event manager, said her birthday was kept separate from Christmas.

"My mum would throw me a party on the first weekend of December and that’s also when we’d put the Christmas tree up. My cousins and all my friends would come round. Then in my late teens when I started going out, it was just a great time of celebration, everyone was in great form and great mood.”

Unusually, Kyla opens on her presents on Christmas Eve.

"Because my mum went into labour early, everyone opened their presents on Christmas Eve and that’s just the tradition that’s carried on through. We do that every year.”

Kyla has been celebrating her birthday all this week.

"It carries right through until Boxing Day. On Christmas Day I celebrate with a Christmas Day swim with friends at Helen’s Bay, one of whom was also born on Christmas Day. I also run a roller skate group, so I’ll go for a roller skate and then it’s dinner and pretty laid back after that.”

Geraldine Burton was born at home in Toome, Co Antrim, on Christmas morning, 1960.

“I am the eighth of 11 children and we were all born at home. Our home was a small two bedroom house with an outside toilet and no running hot water at that time. Our next door neighbour was the local midwife who came to assist my mother during childbirth and the local GP attended after the birth.

"At each of the births my father left a box with a blanket in it outside the bedroom door and the other children thought that the doctor brought the baby in a box.....how sweet! After the birth my mother continued her Christmas day looking after the family.”

Geraldine, who now lives in Cullybackey, said being born on Christmas day has always been special for her.

"I have always to this day been spoiled by my family and friends......everyone remembers your birthday and makes a special effort to acknowledge and celebrate it!!

“I am now a retired midwife and during my career have delivered many Christmas babies.....every delivery is special but delivering a baby on Christmas day was always extra special.”

Belfast cafe manager Alison Pau will turn 43 this Christmas Day, and although she wasn’t that keen on having her birthday on December 25, she now has come to see the advantages.

”When I was younger I really didn’t enjoy it. People would say ‘happy birthday’ and give you a present, but it’s Christmas Day so everyone is running around, so you don’t really feel like you’re having a birthday. But as I’ve got older that’s actually been quite useful. In a way I don’t feel like I’m getting older.

“Quite often I genuinely do forget what age I am. I’ve never marked the big milestone birthdays, so that can make you feel like you’re not getting older too.”

Alison, who is one of four children, said her mum would throw her a party in the middle of December and she’d get two sets of presents.

She said these days her birthday celebrations with friends tend to be low-key, as “people are busy and skint” in the run up to Christmas.

Alison said her mum went into hospital on Christmas Eve to have her.

"I am not sure if she got out on Christmas Day, but she most likely came home and made the dinner!”

Louise Forsythe from Ballymoney was born on Christmas Day, 1975 in Berlin.

"My father was in the Army in Germany. We didn’t come back to Northern Ireland until I was in P3. Mum said that because we were in British Barracks they didn’t really have birthday parties.

"I don’t think I’ve ever had a birthday party – I’m used to it. Mum said that when I was younger, we had our Santa presents in the morning and then celebrated my birthday after lunch."

Louise said she never felt like she was missing out when her friends had birthday parties.

"I would say children born on Christmas Day now might not feel that way, because birthday parties are such a big thing for kids these days, but I didn’t because I didn’t know any different.”

And she said she has always made a big fuss of her own children’s birthdays, “right up until they were 18.” Likewise, they always get her a birthday cake.

Whilst Louise has no plans for her birthday this Christmas, she does plan to do something for her 50th.

“On my 21st birthday we went to the pub. When I turned 40 we did all go out for a family dinner on Christmas Eve and it was lovely. And for my 50th, I’m going to draw that one out!”