Every birthday is special, but how about being born on the first day of the year?
Lani Babin, born Lani Rae Dmytryshyn, was Lethbridge’s first New Year’s Day baby on January 1, 1975. She was born at 12:46 p.m. at the Lethbridge Municipal Hospital.
Babin’s arrival came with some fanfare, with an article about her birth featured in the local newspaper. A later piece featured a story about how Babin received gifts from the Chinook Pensioners and Senior Citizens Organization.
When she was born, Babin’s father was the assistant manager of Kresge’s in the city, which resulted in the family moving out of Lethbridge in her early years.
Although she mostly grew up in Calgary, Babin says she has been back to visit, as her parents moved back to Lethbridge for a time after their retirement.
“So, we kind of had a connection back to Lethbridge to visit and spend time with family and show my [two] kids where I was born,” Babin says.
LIFE AS A NEW YEAR’S BABY
Babin says having a January 1 birthday certainly garners interest. “I think the conversation comes up every year on my birthday,” she states.
“New Year’s is often a time of celebration for everybody and somebody new will find out [about her birthday] and ask questions about it.”
“It’s kind of fun to talk about every year and for years, I’ve sort of had my own interest in watching who the New Year’s baby is,” she adds.
However, Babin says it was tricky having a birthday so close to Christmas, especially as a child, when gift-giving and receiving is such a pivotal component of the season.
“Having a birthday so close to Christmas was never the best,” she says with a laugh.
“I always appreciated if my birthday gift wasn’t wrapped in Christmas paper. If Christmas wrapping paper was put away by January 1st, then I was happy.”
LIFE AFTER LETHBRIDGE
Babin says she has lived in Calgary for most of her life and works within the health care system. Additionally, she recently checked a big item off her bucket list.
“I just finished my master’s degree in public health. That was a goal of mine to accomplish before I turned 50, so I went back to school,” she says. “I was one of the older students, but it was on my bucket list. [I’m] glad I did it.”
“There was a year where me and both my kids were all attending university classes at the same time,” Babin adds.
50TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
Babin says when the clock hits zero for the New Year’s countdown, she hears a mix of ‘Happy New Years’ and ‘Happy Birthdays’. For her birthday this year, she was able to celebrate early, courtesy of a trip to Paris with her husband.
