You knew there was something that you needed to remember, but you just couldn’t put your finger on it.  Then someone asks you what you are doing for your girlfriends birthday.  Suddenly the blood drains from your face and you get that sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach.  You forgot her birthday.  Now what?  How do you rebound from this?  Don’t worry.  Follow these steps to save the day.

Don’t be too hard on yourself.

Everyone forgets things.  You probably have a million things on your mind and are responsible for remembering a lot of important dates.  If she hasn’t dropped hints or even mentioned her birthday lately then you simply forgot and it is not the end of the world.

Keep your mouth shut.

Don’t go around freaking out and telling everyone you forget.  Anyone who knows you forgot should be asked nicely to not say anything.  Your girlfriend will be hurt if she hears that you forgot, so it is best to try not to make it front page news.

Get a gift.

You may need to be a little creative about this.  If there is something that she really wants then go ahead and order it online.  Then get her a gift you can give her right now and tell you that the other gift in on its way and has just not arrived yet.

Set up an intimate date.

There is no time for a party, so make it about the two of you.  Set up a romantic date and tell her that you wanted to spend time alone with her on her special day.
Make her feel special.

The most important thing is that you should make her feel special.  She never has to know that you threw her birthday surprise together in a matter of hours.  At the end of the day if she is happy then you have truly saved the day.

A Few Tips:

• Don’t tell her you forgot if you have not been caught.  This may seem deceitful, but you really will be saving her feelings.  She will be much better off if she doesn’t know that you forgot.  Plus, it will help you to avoid the emotional upheaval that will come if she knows you forgot her birthday.

• Keep notes for the future.  If you have a habit of forgetting then write down a reminder about her birthday so that you don’t forget again.

• If you forget and days go by then you will have to admit that you forgot and put together something special to make it up to her.  There is no guarantee that she will forgive you, but if you are really honest about it and you show total remorse for forgetting then she should forgive you.

• If you don’t have the money to put together a last minute birthday celebration then don’t worry.  Think with your heart and go simple.  Your girlfriend will be just as happy with a candlelit picnic on the floor as she would with a dinner at a five star restaurant.