Christmas babies and birthdays

Blue_Monkey

I'm due with my first baby on 11 December :j

As it would seem that lots of babies don't turn up on their due date, and that it's not uncommon to go 2 weeks late, it has crossed my mind that my baby might actually turn up on or very close to Christmas Day!

Now, I've always thought that it must be rubbish to have your birthday around Christmas (combined pressies, no one being available, the day isn't just about you, etc etc) so I'm wondering if any of you or people you know have Christmas birthdays and what you do to make it special for the birthday boy/girl?

I've seen that some people do half-birthdays which I quite like the idea of... But what happens when you have another child whose birthday isn't in December (ie do you do half-birthdays for them too??).

Thanks everyone... And if you can send early-but-safe labour vibes my way that would be great

Thanks, BM x

Blue_Monkey

Oh and also - for the record, Christmas usually sucks for us - OH and I tend to do the running around between parents, step families etc, so I guess a Crimbo baby might be the perfect excuse not to do that for a change!

Mummy_Jo

I don't have Christmas babies as such but my daughter was born on the 7th Dec and my son the 27th Jan and I still experience the things you are talking about despite my best efforts. It is worse with my daughter (4yrs old) as people just forget about her birthday. It doesn't make any difference to her now but I worry about it when she gets older. She was due in November and I had the same worries as you but it isn't as bad as I had feared.

For my daughter we try very hard to make her day special but it is Christmas and there are lots of things christmassy at that time. One of the things you could do is have family get togethers - present swap if you live far away - even with a xmas feel to it i.e. serve mulled wine but make it clear that this is a birthday for a special little child etc... You could turn it into a positive event and have something at your place every year so that people almost know it is happening and don't need to book it in. They would be getting together at xmas time to celebrate a birthday!

When they get older and are at school it all takes a new life of its own anyway and I know parents would be glad of a birthday party mid December where they can drop the kids off and then run to do last minute shopping.

Organisation is the key for you to make sure you get the presents right. We buy very little for either of ours for xmas or birthdays (huge family take care of that) but we do buy through the year - especially in the Summer time. Other kids may get things for birthdays that ours get anyway as by the time their birthday comes round the need to have the item isn't so important anyway...

Good Luck with it all and it won't be as bad as you fear!

Jo
xxx

tealady

You could always be like The Queen and have an "Official Birthday". How about July 4th (Independance Day?)

sock-knitter

my birthday is 23rd dec. my mum always made it special for me, seperate presants from xmas ones, had many parties as i was growing up, my mum is and always was well organised tho.

Wonder_Womble

Hi BM :hello:

I too am concerned about this since we have the same due date. My birthday is 26th December and as a kid I hated it. I got joint Christmas and birthday presents as my parents didn't have enough money at that time of year, Christmas cake as my birthday cake, I'd get presents wrapped in Christmas paper with the comment 'sorry I didn't have any other paper'. Also friends who didn't get me a card because they couldn't find one in the shops with all the Christmas cards. It's hurtful and says to me that people couldn't be bothere to make an effort. Also hardly anyone would turn up to my birthday party as they were doing family things

My answer to the above was to declare when I was about 9 that I would have a seperate birthday in September, and I would get some presents then and some on my actual birthday. As I got older if anyone wrapped my presents in Christmas paper i would return the favour and do the same even if there birthday was in June. The same with not getting a birthday card, I'll return the favour and say 'sorry I couldn't find you a card the shops were full of Valentine's/ Mother's Day/Easter/ Father's Day cards etc.

I think the key will be to making that particular day that your baby is born on special and solely about it being their birthday. Birthday presents in birthday paper, birthday balloons, banners and cards, birthday cake. The whle day is about the child's birthday so do what they want to do, don't drag them round Christmas shopping or delivering presents on their day.

Even so, I still hope my baby turns up early December rather than late!

ciderwithrosie_2

My youngest son was due New Year's Eve, so we had all the uncertainty of will he/won't he arrive over Christmas, as it turned out I had to be induced and he was born on 14th Jan! Whilst I was pleased he had a separate birthday to all the festivities and I didn't have to be in the paper for having a New Year baby, his birthday is always a bit of a wash out. There's never anything left to buy in the shops and no one's got any money straight after Christmas and you can't have a party outdoors. What I have tended to do over the years was buy extra presents for him before Christmas and hold some of them back so at least he's got something he wanted, my Mum did the same. Now he's older and generally just wants money to spend on clothes, he often gets some good bargains in the sales!

sneezyboots

I really don't see the problem. My birthday is December 27th and people have always said "oh that must be rubbish being so close to xmas" and I say "why?" My friends all attended my parties (especially as a teen because it was a nice excuse to get away from the family). I have never once been given a present and told "oh this covers xmas and your bday" unless I have asked my mum say for something massive that I know I would not get for xmas alone and others who have bdays different times of the year don't have that luxury. Plus it makes december even more special and feel like a 3 day celebration, and I only have to get nagged to come up with present ideas by my family once a year. My husband has his bday this month and all anyone keeps asking him is what he wants and it gets irritating when you don't really want/need anything.

Just enjoy your pregnancy and your new baby and don't fret about when their bday is

tizerbelle

Another xmas babe here - December was an expensive month in our home growing up - parents wedding anniversary; brothers birthday; my birthday and of course bloomng xmas itself!

I had the joint presents / no presents / no card / xmas wrapping on supposedly birthday presents and the very very worst in my mind - a joint xmas and birthday card - for that read a xmas card with a handwritten scrawl of ....and happy birthday as well. (Obviously not from immediate family - we always had our special day)

To be honest I don't do birthdays now - whether it's a result of being a december babe or something else I'll never know.

onlyroz

My daughter's birthday is Dec 29th. She's still a bit young to understand what birthdays are all about, but we're going to try and make sure that her birthday is her special day, and is completely separate from Christmas. On the plus side, her birthday will always be in the school holidays, so we'll always be able to take her out somewhere fun.

I think we're going to go down the route of giving the non-birthday child a small present on their sibling's birthday, so that they get a bit of fun then as well (my son's birthday is in May).

Becles

My Mam's birthday is the 19th December. She hated getting joint presents as a child as it felt like she didn't get any birthday presents. Children have absolutely no idea of the cost of things and they don't understand that one £20 gift is the same as getting two £10 gifts. She was also told that she couldn't have a party as it was too near Christmas, and as an adult when you go out for a meal or something, it's all Christmas themed.

My eldest was due on the 22nd December, so I'd already decided I would make sure he had separate birthday gifts in birthday wrapping paper and we'd do something non-Christmassy for his birthday.

He was a bit prem though and arrived at the end of November, so he had a lucky escape