What about pulling one card for the version of yourself you were on your last birthday, before you even touch the year-ahead spread? It’s a small addition, but it lets you greet who you were before asking what comes next. Feels like a good compromise for those who just want more of a future spread that just happens to be on their birthday. A bit of what they need and a bit of what they want.
I also add a ninth card face-down beneath the whole layout as a ‘seed,’ what quietly germinated this year that you won’t see bloom until next birthday. I only flip it twelve months later. I like knowing what was already growing instead of only ever reading the harvest.