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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to expect people to buy 2 presents for my daughter who's birthday is 23rd December, and not one joint one for Xmas AND birthday?

157 replies

whatkatiedidnext31 · 02/11/2011 21:13

This is starting to make my blood boil, as a few family members have said about buying a joint present for her, however surely nobody would say this if her birthday was in June? Am I just being super sensitive??? Shock

OP posts:
reelingintheyears · 03/11/2011 11:00

YANBU
My birthday is 22nd December and no one ever did this.

BarbiesBeaver · 03/11/2011 11:05

YANBU. My baby is due on Christmas Day and I've already had so many "hilarious" comments about how they will only need one present each year/good timing/oh dear what a shame etc. I feel I should respond with "Actually after such a long time trying to have a baby I couldn't give a flying fuck when it arrives as long as it is ok".

I know Christmas is an expensive time of year but really that is a massive excuse. I am skint after I have my holidays/pay big bills/go to lots of summer weddings etc. Does that mean I get out of buying birthday presents at that time of year too?

DriverDan · 03/11/2011 11:10

My birthday is 2nd Jan and people did this to me (despite it being a week later and in a different month Hmm)

My DD has an end of August birthday and we had offers of school shoes, school coat and uniform bits for her birthday this year! Very generous gifts which I appreciate but other children get all these things for school and don't have to give up their birthday presents for them! I politely declined the offers and bought the school stuff myself!

DriverDan · 03/11/2011 11:10

Oh, YANBU by the way!

4madboys · 03/11/2011 11:24

driverdan people wanted to buy your dd school stuff for her bday?! i have one son born at the end of aug and one in july, no-one has ever suggested that, i am sure my 9 and 12yr olds would have loved a heres your bday present...new school shoes/bag/coat etc Hmm

Rubyx · 03/11/2011 11:25

YANBU - like everyone says two separate occasions.

my bday is in Jan but before that in January i have my dads, my husbands, two of my sisters and my sons... so by the time mine comes i am fed up of birthdays and skint lol

BlaiddDrwg · 03/11/2011 11:31

Both my children were born on 19th December and they both have seperate presents for their birthday and Christmas.

The only time I have not celebrated my DD's birthday was when I was in hospital having DS.

porcamiseria · 03/11/2011 11:33

tough shit, its an expensive time of year!!!! I know what you mean though

I dont think you can make demands of people however

maybe save pressies and split into 2 piles so she has 3 x b day and 3 x xmas

and think that you will have less plastic CACK than some of us

StaceymAloneForver · 03/11/2011 11:43

i hates having joint presents, my birthday was Jan 1st, amde me resent my birthday as i would be treated twice if I was born in summer, also I hated waiting a whole year for more presents...but thats another issue :)

HecateGoddessOfTheNight · 03/11/2011 11:48

AAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH

The very next person to say that you have to accept it because it is an expensive time of the year will see me leap right through the computer screen and throttle them !!!! Grin

You are, in fact, allowed to buy things before they are needed. There are 365 days in a year. If you can afford to buy a gift for someone who has a birthday in one of the other 11 months of the year - you can afford to buy a gift for someone who has a december birthday. You just buy it IN ONE OF THE OTHER MONTHS!!!!!!

The argument that you can't do it because December is expensive is totally, 100%, utterly, illogical.

Next person. I tell you. The next one. I will. I'll leap through my pc screen and throttle you with a cable.

Catsdontcare · 03/11/2011 11:56

4madboys my mil bought ds1 school uniform for his birthday this year Hmm

Abcinthia · 03/11/2011 12:00

YANBU. My birthday is 23rd December and I really hated joint presents. Especially when my joint birthday and Christmas present was the same present my sister got for Christmas, and she had a seperate present earlier in the year on her birthday!

My birthday is not on Christmas. It's 2 days before. It really made me feel upset as a child because my brother and sister got presents for Christmas AND their birthday, so why couldn't I? Did they prefer my brother and sister to me or were they just lazy, inconsiderate fuckwits?

As for the expensive time of the year argument, buy presents earlier in the year. It's not like I randomly pick a day to celebrate my birthday on!

GreyRosesAreMyFavourite · 03/11/2011 12:01

I'd love my children to get LESS presents and so for me, it would be perfect. Alas, their birthdays are nowhere near Christmas Grin. Children in the UK get way too much and nicer single presents or more useful presents would be so much better imo.

Mine also get school stuff/activity stuff for their birthdays. My SIL bought my daughter waterproof riding trousers in early July and said that was her (October) birthday present but she needed them then so she had them then. The little one gets socks, knickers and vests in her stocking too Grin.

harassedandherbug · 03/11/2011 12:13

My dniece was born on the 22nd Dec last year, and I'm due on the 22nd Dec this year! I wouldn't dream of NOT buying dn seperate presents and hope nobody else in the family does either. At least sil and I will be able to tackle it together! We have quite a large family though as our dh's are brothers and there are four brothers. That's a lot of nieces/nephews!

My friend is 28th Dec birthday and she says she hated it as a child. Her parents made the effort, but otherwise she got lots of joint presents but the same as her two sisters! And in Christmas paper....

WidowWadman · 03/11/2011 12:21

I think until she's old enough to say that she'd like something bigger as a joint present rather than 2 smaller presents, 2 presents are the way to go - my daughter is born just before Christmas, and it is important to us to mark it as her special day and not just lump it in with Christmas

BendyBob · 03/11/2011 12:24

Lol GrinHands Hecate smelling salts and ginGrin I agree 100% btw!

Shock At school uniform for a birthday. Gawd help us that's cruel! Mind you I was given a school satchel on my birthday by my grandma. I was aged 5, starting school (which I hated) and as I explained earlier my birthday was always on the first day back after Christmas. Ah happy days!

Thomcat · 03/11/2011 12:30

I have 3 DDs, 2 of which have birthday's on 17th and 19th of Dec. They get soooooo much that a few people doing joint presents is a FAB idea. That was a) they don;t get as much and b) rather than buy 2 gifty type presents they can get one slightly better present because they can spend a little more money if they only have to buy 1 gift. They still get 2 lots of presents on 2 different days and both birthdays and Christmas are celebrated seperatley. They have no idea that Aunty A only bought them 1 decent present rather than 2 smaller presents.

DuelingFanjo · 03/11/2011 12:34

My friend's birthday is on 26th Dec and I have always given her 2 presents, one in christmas paper and one in Birthday wrapping.

Now I have a son born on 22nd Dec and I hope people recognise his birthday. When he's little it may not matter so much but as he gets older I would expect him to be treated the same as his cousins by family who buy presents.

Not sure what I will do to mark his birthday though - I don't really like the idea of half birthdays.

Pandemoniaa · 03/11/2011 12:36

Dgd was born on the 2nd January. Her father (ds2) was extremely keen that she didn't arrive before Christmas because he (born 13 December) recalls the years of joint presents that his grandparents, aunt and uncle would "save up" for Christmas Day because, in their words "there's no point sending them down since we'll see you on Christmas Day anyway".

He always said he didn't assume people had to give him presents but couldn't help feel a bit disappointed with these arrangements since nobody ever thought to give the June-born ds1 his birthday and Christmas presents on the same day!

The particular irony to their behaviour was that the PIL's own second child (ds2's uncle) was born on Christmas Eve so they really ought to have been a little more sensitive.

There was a more positive side to this later on though because as a teenager, ds2 could reasonably for a joint present of the sort that was more expensive than would be acceptable for a single gift.

It's still an insensitive thing to do though. If children are to celebrate their birthdays and Christmas with presents then both days should be special. Not run together like some sort of BOGOF promotion.

kmdwestyorks · 03/11/2011 12:38

the trick is to set rules about what is when,

I have a friend with DC's very early in the new year. they say christams is a gift/toy type thing. their birthday has always been clothing type thing ( or money/vouchers now they're older) and everyone who needs to know this has always known it. They've had a few joint presents but usually when they've been big

It is important to keep it seperate but possibly you might need explain to people that it's not greed but its about two different celebrations and maybe accept people find it a bit more challenging to be able to afford two presents so close together.

Christmas is a family thing, a birthday is a personal thing etc etc

Gift lists help: this for christmas, this for birthday ( but then my family has these anyway to avoid the long hideous tradition of unwearable socks or 6 copies of the same DVD etc etc)

josephinebonaparte · 03/11/2011 12:39

Yanbu. As a Christmas baby this really pisses me off.

HecateGoddessOfTheNight · 03/11/2011 12:40

Grin Ta, Bendy.

Esta3GG · 03/11/2011 12:43

If the immediate family celebrate the birthday properly I don't see what all the fuss is about. Birthdays aren't all about bleedin' presents. Kids get way too much crap anyway.
To me this really sums up everything that is shite about our mass consumer society.
How about a bit of gratitude that people bothered to buy a present in the first place?

QuickLookBusy · 03/11/2011 12:44

YANBU

My DD's birthday is next to xmas but no one as ever suggested a joint pressie and she is now nearly 18.

Start as you mean to go on and say from the start that DD is going to celebrate her birthday and then xmas as 2 separate occasions, just like everyone else does.

schoolhelp · 03/11/2011 12:47

IMHO very unreasonable to expect anyone to give any presents. I only give presents if and whenever I see something that makes me think of someone, so if I don't think of someone then they get nothing. If their blood boils then they can cook. DCs never get birthday presents unless something presents itself on that particular day, and have never minded. They reckon being DC 365/365 is better than 1/365.