Can someone reassure me please that a Christmas birthday is not so bad

[SarahL2]

I'm due on the 27th December (adjusted by the sonographer from my pervious date of the 25th!) and am already sick of people telling me how awful it is to have a christmas birthday.

Even when I straight out asked for reassurance all I got was "sorry, no reassurance here - it's awful"!!

My MIL is similarly unsupportive. In fact, when we told her I was pregnant, she said "congratulations - bad timing though" -But then when we told her we were expecting our first child she said "but I'm not ready for number 6!" (DS was her 6th grandchild) It just sems she can never be happy for us!

My brother, bless him, just keeps quiet. His birthday is the end of November and I know he hates it being so close to christmas.

If I hear much more about how awful it is I will cry. We wanted another baby but were going to wait for another 6 months to have a summer baby - but this one kind of snuck up on us. We're blissfully happy about the prospect of another child but the negativity of people is really spoiling it for us.

So is it really so awful?

Should I elect for another section rather than a VBAC just to ensure it's not Christmas or New Years Day when the little one arrives?

[MamaG]

I'm a November baby and never minded it being so close to Christmas - I know of one mate with a birthday on the 25th and she loves it! Double the fuss, she says

I wouldn't base labour choice on a date TBH, if you really want to go for a VBAC then do - if it comes on Christmas day, then celebrate it a little later that year (or even do the pressies on C. Eve for your DD so you can def be there.

Congratulations

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

My brother is Christmas Eve.
He generally did very well out of it present-wise because nobody ever forgot it and relatives who didn't give presents to my other brother and me got him presents because they felt sorry for him.
It was a bad time to have a party, but when he was little he also had half-birthdays in the middle of summer

I'm sure I heard somewhere that people who have birthdays on 'significant' dates like Christmas and New Year are more likely to be successful in life because subconsciously they feel 'special'.

Not all bad, honestly

[Geocentric]

I think that as long as you merge some special birthday traditions into your Christmas ones, it should be fine... And you can always have parties before the day - say mid-December.

My grandfather's bday was Dec 24th, we always sang Happy Birthday with the Christmas pudding.

[Worzsel]

Not awfull atall.

My DC were so desperate for Christmas birthdays they arrived 2 & 3 months early ! there must be something good about them .

The only bad thing about it, it's bloody expensive !

( we buy DD something in the summer to make up for it, this year she's having a trampoline )

[Geocentric]

Fwiw, my DD is a July birthday - far worse I think as inevitably everyone is away.

[quirkychick]

Congratulations! My family all have Christmassy birthdays. Dd is end of nov, I am beg dec, brother is mid dec and my dad is near Christmas. Dp is early Jan and am pg with due date 21st Jan - I keep being told it is bad timing!!! Just happy to be pg really.

Just make sure no joint Christmas/birthday presents acceptable.

[bloss]

Message withdrawn

[Blondeshavemorefun]

guess it depends on the person

my friend is born on 25/12 and HATES it

she gets either joint pressies (tho NEVER from me) or people forget her bday and get xmas pressie/vice versia

my ex db was 26/12 and never minded

another friend is on 14/2 and hates it

were you early/on time/late with no 1?

to me personally i wouldnt like a 25/12 bday, but wouldnt bother me 1/1

either way many congrats

[Stigaloid]

Oooh i am due 17th December and feel the same way. My friend whose birthday is on 21 Dec suggested throwing a summer party for DC as she always wanted one when younger. My DS1 was born July so i may just end up throwing half year birthday parties with full year ones so we get a summer party for DS1 5years and DC2 2.5 years and another party at Christmas for DC2 3 years and DS1 5.5 years.

My friend also said she loved her birthdate as she always felt the upping of christmas decoratiosn heralded the count down to her birthday.

Congrats and hope you have a happy healthy 9 months.

[SarahL2]

Thanks everyone. I know it's silly but I'd actually started to feel guilty for having a christmas baby - like I was condeming the poor little mite to a lifetime of rubbish birthdays. DS was born on St Patrick's day so He's always going to have a good day!

I keep getting told about birthdays being forgotten or merged into Christmas and feeling like they missed out cause they got one present to cover both occasions or even re-wrapped rubbish that someone else didn't want in the case of the after-christmas birthdays.

Someone I know had suggested the half-birthday parties but I wondered whether that felt like a cheat to the child once they were old enough to know that it wasn't actually thier birthday...

[Theimperialcharliecat]

I know how you feel OP my dd was due on the 26th December but arrived on the 27th and I got all sorts of comments about how terrible it was/is going to be for her. We made a decision to make her birthday a special day and keep xmas day quite low key, ie: just us three on xmas day but family and friends over for dds birthday. I have to say it has taken the pressure off us as we no longer have to fight with parents and inlaws about where we will spend xmas day (hurrah) and dd gets lots of attention on HER day. I don't know how it will pan out as she gets older (she is nearly 18 months) but I will probably give her a 'half birthday' in the summer so that she has something to look forward to, nothing over the top but a day out of her choice or something. Don't let people upset you, a baby is a wonderful thing no matter when it arrives

[seeker]

My dd's birthday is on December 21st. She has it sussed.

Because the 21st is the winter solstice, she has a summer party on 21st June - the summer solstice and her half-birthday.

But because her birthday is the 21st of December, she has always taken a couple of friends to the pantomime on the day.

And once or twice, she has wangled a party to celebrate her birthday in February because "February is a dull month when nothing happens"

She will go far!

[DrEvil]

My birthday is on the 27th Dec and I LOVE it!

I've always felt a bit special being just after Christmas and no one ever forgets it, although I do sometimes get presents in Xmas paper.

It is also fab that when Christmas day is over you don't get that 'flatness' as it will soon be birthday time.

[SarahL2]

Thanks DrEvil - do you not ever get a bit jealous that you have to wait 12 whole months between presents though? My birthday is the end of May and I've always loved that I had a pretty even 6 month-ish gap between it and Christmas...

You daughter sounds like she's got things under control seeker. 2 parties a year! She sounds like a smart girl

Thank you everyone - you're really helping.

[Sassybeast]

Don't be upset. Folk who place more importance on the material aspects of birthdays and presents aren't the sort of people I'd let bother me. I have a Christmas baby but after TTC for 3years+ I wasn't that bothered about her having pressies wrapped in Crimbo paper (and neither is she )

[BakewellTarts]

Congratulations on your pregnancy. Having had issues TTC I can really understand the delight at being pregnant whenever the baby is due.

If it really bothers you then do the half birthday thing. Tis really very trendy round here...

[roulade]

The only bad thing about them is if you get joint xmas/birthday presents, i'm 10 days after christmas and this always happened to me.It's up to you to make sure this doesn't happen.

[Xavielli]

DS is the 29th December.

It really hasn't been an issue for us. Personally I love it because there is always (As DrEvil says) that lull between Christmas and New Year. Because it's Christmas it isn't ideal for inviting friends round for a party (people visiting family etc etc) so we go out for the day. Last time we went to the Sea Life Centre and out for lunch. It was such a nice day.

I remember last time someone started a thread like this another MNer had a son with the same Birthdate and we had the same strategy for dealing with it (I think is was VictorianSqualor!)

Also on the 27th we take out Christmas decorations down, have a day with out, then up go the birthday banners/balloons.

IMO it's what you do to make the birthday special as opposed to what date it falls on really.

I don't think

[Xavielli]

And I don't know where that rogue "I don't think" came from... Ignore! lol

[Stigaloid]

roulade - i always get easter eggs for my birthday as i am end of march so always near easter - i hate it too.

[SarahL2]

That's what I keep trying to remember Sassybeast - there are some people in the world who would love to concieve a baby no matter what time of year it was and I should be very grateful that I'm lucky enough to be getting a DC2...

The negative comments just seem endless some days though.

[mollyroger]

my ds is 23rd and loves it as everyone is up for a party
But as his grand,ma and dad are also both late december no-one DARES try and give one present of even use xmas wrapping paper for his birthday etc.
And giving birth near xmas was rather fab. I was i hospital on xmas day and it was as lovely as it could be . They even made me drink sherry

[SarahL2]

This is a whole separate thread but giving birth on xmas or new years petrifies me. I had an awful time with DS cause they were busy on the ward and I have visions of the same happening again because they're on skeleton staff due to it being a day of celebration.

[Verity79]

Not only is my bday 28th Dec I was born on my mum's bday and my cousin was born 2 hours earlier than me (also on great-uncle's bday but he died donkeys ago).

It really isn't that bad as long as you make an effort. I only had two bday parties growing up as no-one was around between Xmas and NYs but my family always made a fuss (kind of had to as it was mum's too!).

The worst thing ever though was recieving a joint birthday/xmas present between mum and me, why give 4 presents when ONE will do!!!!!!

Buy wrapping paper and cards before the xmas shopping frenzy starts as it's quite difficult to get it sometimes very close to xmas. Also you could re-wrap xmas wrapped presents if people forget when baby gets bigger.

Congrats on your pg and enjoy your xmas baby!

[roulade]

Poor you Stigaloid On the upside, it is chocolate!!!

Verity - Joint presents for you and your mum?