Kat --

One of the reasons Mother created the Octave tradition is to nearly eliminate the problem of "belated" greetings and gifts.

The birthday octave is also a time when the person of honor gets to take it a little easy -- an extra scoop of ice cream for desert, pass some of your chores on to someone else, etc., without feeling too guilty.

Also, since an octave always has a weekend in it, you don't have to give up the Big Party just because the precise anniversary of your birth happens to fall on a weekday, and nasty little Real World Obligations like work and school intrude. ... As long as the celebration takes place during those eight days, it's still "official".