I know that it's pretty common in fanfic and probably the fandom in general to assume that John didn't really acknowledge things like birthdays or holidays. And the reasoning is sound.
But I don't think John was totally beyond doing something nice for his boys. Even soldiers have birthdays. Also, I wouldn't doubt that the days that Dean and Sam were born were probably two of the happiest days of his and Mary's lives. I don't think there is any way John would forget those dates.
Now, I'm not saying he'd stop in the middle of a hunt to have a party or anything. But he'd say 'Happy Birthday' and they'd celebrate somehow after the hunt was concluded. Maybe a cake, maybe a present, maybe a movie, nothing huge, but something. I think I said in another post in this LJ, that if he hadn't, there's no way that Dean or Sammy would even know when their birthdays were. Dean, possibly at four knew the date of his own birthday, but no way would he remember Sammy's.
I think Dean always remembers Sam's birthday and does something special. It might not always be something that SAM would think was special (I could see Dean hiring a 'lady of the evening' for Sam at 16 or possibly 18 *LOL*), But I think Dean always makes a big deal of it for Sam if he can. And for that matter, I think that Sam does the same for Dean, and they both try to do something for John.
So definitely Sam liked his birthday at least up until age 23, though some might have been bittersweet. But this year, I don't know. I don't think it's going beyond canon to say that Sam pretty much hates himself right now. He thinks that he was the cause of Mary's and Jess' deaths. He feels guilty about the way he acted with John. He thinks he's going to turn evil. He may or may not know that he tried to kill Dean when he was possessed. And if you hate yourself, then you're probably not too thrilled about your birthday.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2007-05-03 03:02 am (UTC)But I don't think John was totally beyond doing something nice for his boys. Even soldiers have birthdays. Also, I wouldn't doubt that the days that Dean and Sam were born were probably two of the happiest days of his and Mary's lives. I don't think there is any way John would forget those dates.
Now, I'm not saying he'd stop in the middle of a hunt to have a party or anything. But he'd say 'Happy Birthday' and they'd celebrate somehow after the hunt was concluded. Maybe a cake, maybe a present, maybe a movie, nothing huge, but something. I think I said in another post in this LJ, that if he hadn't, there's no way that Dean or Sammy would even know when their birthdays were. Dean, possibly at four knew the date of his own birthday, but no way would he remember Sammy's.
I think Dean always remembers Sam's birthday and does something special. It might not always be something that SAM would think was special (I could see Dean hiring a 'lady of the evening' for Sam at 16 or possibly 18 *LOL*), But I think Dean always makes a big deal of it for Sam if he can. And for that matter, I think that Sam does the same for Dean, and they both try to do something for John.
So definitely Sam liked his birthday at least up until age 23, though some might have been bittersweet. But this year, I don't know. I don't think it's going beyond canon to say that Sam pretty much hates himself right now. He thinks that he was the cause of Mary's and Jess' deaths. He feels guilty about the way he acted with John. He thinks he's going to turn evil. He may or may not know that he tried to kill Dean when he was possessed. And if you hate yourself, then you're probably not too thrilled about your birthday.