How do I (F29) explain to him (M31) that I didn’t feel celebrated?

I (F29) don’t know how else to explain to my husband(M31) that he did not celebrate my birthday.

My birthday was last month, and ever since then he’s been telling friends and family how he “celebrated me for three full days.” He’s genuinely excited when he talks about the mini vacation we took, and everyone smiles and tells me how lucky I am. But every time he says it, I kind of want to cry.

The truth is, I paid for almost everything. I paid for the flights, the hotel, our meals, and 5 out of the 6 activities we did. He paid for one activity and one meal. I also didn’t get a birthday gift because he said the activities were the gift.

Before anyone says it’s about the money: it’s really not. He makes less than I do, and I don’t expect expensive gifts. What hurts is the lack of effort and thoughtfulness.

There were no flowers on my actual birthday, no handwritten card, no small surprise, no indication that he had put any thought into making me feel special.
The only way I can make sense of it is that our love languages are very different. His is quality time. Mine is thoughtfulness. I think in his mind, spending three days together was the celebration. Maybe because he was there and participating, he genuinely feels like he gave me something meaningful.

But from my perspective, I planned it, paid for it, and experienced it as a trip we took together not as a birthday celebration for me.

What makes this harder is that he seems so proud of how he celebrated me. I don’t think he’s being selfish or intentionally hurtful. I think he sincerely believes he did a great job. So when he tells people about it, I feel guilty for being hurt.

How do you explain to someone that you appreciate the time together, but still didn’t feel celebrated?