Annoyed at DD's friends birthday party on Christmas Eve

I have a Christmas baby. We would never have held their party this close to Xmas. Ridiculous. It took one attempt, when the only RSVPs were refusals, for us to realise that it just doesn't work. We always celebrated their birthday simply, just family, on the actual day, and threw them a proper party in June.

But if you've committed to going, then, yes, you should go.

I think this is on you for not planning better assuming you haven’t just found out about this.

Many Children who have birthdays around Christmas get shortchanged. Not having it on the day, people being thoughtless. Little things like Christmas wrapping paper can be very hurtful. She is still so young so well done for giving her your time. I think a lot of selfish people are dismissing that she is still such a little girl.

My daughter is a Twelfth Night baby. She has had gifts clearly a Christmas present reject, quite often too old or too young for her. Christmas wrapping, sale stickers a scratched off and one person saying she did not get her a present as she had probably had a lot for Christmas.

I wouldn’t mind DD being invited to a standard 2 hours party at this age but 4 hours is a big commitment and having parents to stay for 4 hours is a big ask even on normal weekend.
I don’t think hosting parents have thought it through carefully enough.

One of my dc just had a bday and we always do the party in January as I cannot fit in another thing over Xmas myself nevermind try and organise other people. I want people to be able to come to the party and enjoy it, not be fitting it in and clockwatching like we do when we’re invited to parties in December. Also a 4 hour party any day of the week is a no - they’ve all had enough after 2 hours anyway. Good luck op.

If you get on with anyone attending, could you slip off for 2 hrs and get your stuff done and other parent there minds your child and then you come back and they slip off to get bits done

I agree even if their birthday is on Christmas Eve most kids don’t celebrate on their actual birthday and wait until a weekend.

Four hours is wild. I would have rsvp'd no just for that.

You couldn't pay me to attend a FOUR HOUR kids party, never mind on Xmas eve. Why is it so ridiculously long.

7 years old? Like fuck would I be hanging around! Does your DD need you to stay? I'd call the mum and say either you leave DD in her care or you can't bring her at all.

Yes, that's a bad time to have a birthday party, and four hours is crazy long, too.

One of my cousins was born on Christmas, and he tended to have half-birthday parties when he was young, so he didn't have to compete with all the December festivities. Maybe that's taking it too far for some, but choosing Saturday or Sunday would've been a perfectly good alternative.

I don't think it's an inconvenient time as long as it is fairly local but I do think it is unreasonable to expect parents to stay.

As the mother of a Christmas Eve baby (now adult) who has never been able to celebrate their own birthday with friends because people always prioritise Christmas, it’s really sad for the kids in this situation.

We always try and make a thing if it with family, but increasingly he doesn’t even get cards because people are just thinking about Christmas.

why is it "ridiculous"? You might have plans for Christmas Eve, many of us are actually all done and are just entertaining the kids.

If it's not convenient, simply decline.

I would just plan nothing else than the friends party, really a non-issue.
It would have been extremely inconvenient at the weekend, when we did family Christmas activities around all the Christmas "parties" from their various sports clubs.

Were you hoping to be able to drop and go and now just found out parents expected to stay? As otherwise you should have just RSVPd no the first place

My kids BFFs birthday is tomorrow too.
Crucially though, she's been invited over for 2hrs for a wee party in the morning and the mum is well aware I have a ton of wrapping to do so said "drop her off early if you need to crack on- don't stay!"
It's the 4hrs not being able to leave at that age that is annoying. By 6 most parties are drop and run.

I absolutely wouldn’t be upset about them having the party on the child’s birthday - Christmas birthdays can be so unfair to the kid. On years we’re home for Christmas we’d attend (child and one parent) and honestly Christmas Eve would be worlds easier to make work than during the day on the last weekend before Christmas when we’re always utterly overloaded. Early afternoon on Christmas Eve tends to be a down-time in comparison.

If the time clashed with family celebrations I would feel comfortable saying so. And if it didn’t work for a parent to stay I would tell the birthday girl’s parents that that’s the obstacle for us and see what they say. Or if there’s a common friend going whose parents DH & I knew I’d consider asking them if they could take ours too (it’s the type of favor we do for others so I’m comfortable asking).

BTW the last time we got a party invitation that included parents staying the wording was ambiguous but the hosts actually just meant to invite parents and siblings to join and weren’t trying to make it a requirement.

I'd go.
Ultimately it's up to you though.

My daughter's birthday is the 28th and we always had a sleepover on new year's eve (she's 23 now!) we were always packed with kids, siblings neighbours etc.

I never asked a parent to stay though, that's a bit weird, but I can see it would be a nice idea for you to do something like that. And it'll most probably be a Christmas themed party to get you in the mood!

4 hours is to long for a child's party irrespective of the date. 2 hours is rule of thumb.
Depending on age and your daughters understanding. Say you can do 2 !

Yeah f—k the birthday girl and her mum.
Joy to the world.

Presumably you had notice. Just plan your time to allow for it

oh OP you're never going to admit that you received the invitation and gave your RSVP a month ago, are you?

And that your lack of preparation is now causing your non-emergency.

@TwinklyNight presumably, upon receipt of the invitation you would have glommed that 24th December is a busy day for you and declined? or if you hadn't already made other arrangements, you would have accounted for this little event in your planning?

Good grief on they're 6&7 the parents do NOT need to stay. Madness.

We would not go, that is already filled with company comimg and family/childrens xmas eve service, though we would have been free after boxing day. Maybe in future the mum needs to rethink this, asking for parents and for 4 hours, xmas week is not reasonable.

I can’t understand why you would be expected to stay given DDs age. Just drop and run.