Children with a Birthday around Christmas....

L&ES · 16 October 2016 at 9:10PM

I've been looking through the forum boards for something similar but couldn't find anything.

My son will be turning four on Christmas Eve. This is the first year that he remembers anything from the year before and is actually excited about his birthday and Christmas so I can't wait!

My question to parents with children with a Christmas birthday is how do you make it special for them? He is so excited about both upcoming events and I feel bad for him that it's all going to be over in two days and he doesn't really get a day to himself (in previous years my family have used his birthday as an excuse to also exchange Christmas presents so they don't have to visit us two days in a row!)

I might hold a party the weekend before Christmas (he hasn't had a proper party before as he never really had any friends other than a few cousins before this year) but I'm struggling to think of something to do on his birthday that isn't too festive!

His younger brother also has his first birthday two weeks after Christmas (terrible timing on our parts I know!)

Savvy_Sue · 17 October 2016 at 1:32AM

Well, nothing very helpful, but at least you won't have the problem my mum had. I'm one of five, we have birthdays in May, June x 2, October and December.

So, one sibling has a birthday. Two weeks later another sibling has a birthday. Two weeks after that another sibling has a birthday. And the December child practically explodes "It's not FAIR! When is it going to be MY birthday?"

I know some families celebrate half-birthdays, and it makes a lot of sense to me!

Money_saving_maniac · 17 October 2016 at 2:10AM

Have an Official Birthday in June or July, and a low key 'real' birthday.
Good enough for the Queen, good enough for you

fairy_lights · 17 October 2016 at 10:00AM

MY OH has a Christmas birthday and even now, pushing 30, he's still bitter about the non-birthdays he had as a child. Most people gave him joint Christmas-birthday presents, he could never have a birthday party because all his friends were busy doing Christmas stuff with his families, and he never even got a proper birthday cake - he got the Christmas cake with a 'happy birthday' sticker stuck on it!
So we've decided that if we have a child with a Christmas birthday we will do 'half birthdays' too, and move their birthday party to June or July so they get a day to look forward to.

warby68 · 17 October 2016 at 10:09AM

My son's friend was born on Christmas day but his family have always celebrated his birthday on a fixed day in July!

My son's is 27th December and we've always celebrated then as a family but held any parties etc a couple of weeks later when Christmas has passed (and scowled meaningfully at anyone who tried the combined present thing when he was little)

I think Christmas Eve is sadly the worst day of all as everyone is 'getting ready' for Christmas and so hard to coordinate a special alternative event.

I had a planned c-section for this son and was offered 24th or 27th - I chose 27th as lesser of the evils. His due date was New Year's Day so he couldn't win whatever!

GlasweJen · 17 October 2016 at 12:44PM

Our family has birthdays on 24th, 26th and 31st December.

The emphasis has always been about enjoying the day. On the 24th it's uncle Ts birthday, we celebrate with birthday cake, we wrap his birthday gift in birthday paper and yes it's very exciting that Santa is due tonight but let's wish uncle T a happy birthday.

The 31st is a joint birthday, 2 cousins born years apart on the same day. The rule is its their birthday until 11pm and then it's Hogmanay.

The let down is my brother got a bike for his birthday and couldn't enjoy it for months due to snow but I got my bike in the summer at my birthday and could ride it straight away.

Lucyxx · 17 October 2016 at 2:43PM

I am a Christmas Day baby. When I was little I would have the occasional party joint party a week or so before with my cousin who was born on Christmas Eve!

Every year on Christmas day we would have the morning/afternoon as full on Christmas, then the evening was always a birthday tea. I have left home and am 34 but go over every Christmas, and my parents still put up birthday decorations in the kitchen/diner and have a birthday cake and birthday tea for me even now.

Honestly I didn't really notice anything different as I was growing up, only when I was a teenager and friends started to give joint birthday/Christmas presents and cards, all in Christmas paper, but I didn't mind really, it became a bit of a running joke if anything. I do have a bit of a weird complex if someone gives me a present to unwrap outside of Christmas day and I am not expecting it. I figure it's because I've always had people around busy unwrapping their own presents when I do. I hate them watching me be the sole person unwrapping them, I don't know how people who have birthdays on non Christmas days handle it :rotfl:

I'm sure your son will love his parties before Christmas, and as long as he has a cake/balloons etc. I don't know if there is a room in your house that can be dedicated to birthday while the rest of it is decorated for Christmas and make a big deal of it being the 'birthday room'?

System · 17 October 2016 at 4:47PM

fairy_lights wrote: »

MY OH has a Christmas birthday and even now, pushing 30, he's still bitter about the non-birthdays he had as a child. Most people gave him joint Christmas-birthday presents, he could never have a birthday party because all his friends were busy doing Christmas stuff with his families, and he never even got a proper birthday cake - he got the Christmas cake with a 'happy birthday' sticker stuck on it!
So we've decided that if we have a child with a Christmas birthday we will do 'half birthdays' too, and move their birthday party to June or July so they get a day to look forward to.

Oh i so know how he feels ! Im a christmas day baby too , i always had joint gifts as a child and the christmas cake with the token "happy birthday " plastic greeting on it . I don't actually like christmas cake and when i asked one year why i can't have a normal cake i was told theres more that you to cater for and everyone else likes it !.
I used to get christmas cards with "merry christmas and happy birthday " written inside.
My only advice would be use birthday paper and proper birthday cards .

ariba10 · 17 October 2016 at 4:54PM

Our Daughters birthday is 21st Dec (married now)

She used to have a half birthday on 21st June. All her friends came to tea and she had Half Birthday Cake.

She still talks about it now.

clairec79 · 18 October 2016 at 8:17PM

Even if your family use his birthday as the time to hand over presents it doesn't mean they need to be opened then.
They hand over xmas presents, they go under the tree for xmas day as today is DSs birthday

My son's birthday is the 20th - we decorate the evening of his birthday for xmas - it always used to be we'd put up xmas decorations on the 21st to seperate the two, now it's part of his birthday somehow (he's 12 but he says the house is decorated on his birthday) but when he wakes up all there is at that point is the advent calenders

ALIBOBSY · 1 December 2016 at 7:50PM

My birthday is new years eve, as I understand it I was born at 20 to midnight so Dad couldn't ring anyone to tell them as the phones were busy with NY wishes lol.

I only ever had one birthday party which was the week before as my mum always said people are busy, tbh my parents often went out or had friends over so I guess mum was busy with that anyway.

TBF my sister who has a non xmas birthday never got many birthday parties so I guess mum wasn't that keen on the extra hard work anyway lol.

The whole one pressie for both was annoying accept for the fact I sometimes got a bigger pressie but it covered both, one year was a portable tv.

Obviously my birthday was much more fun once I was older, got plenty of drinks bought me on new years eve

I know someone with a xmas birthday girl and they do the summer party thing and then just a family party tea on the actual day (xmas eve) and I think growing up I would have preferred something like that even though 70's BD parties were at your own home and all jelly and icecream.

Ali x

Children with a Birthday around Christmas....

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