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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To want his birthday not to be connected with Christmas?

171 replies

MrsBonato · 29/11/2017 16:09

My dc is 4 on Monday. The very beginning of December. He was due on Christmas Eve and thankfully came early. I thought we wouldn't have Christmas things around his birthday.
Last year my bil and sil sent his birthday gifts wrapped in Christmas paper. I was ok with it and didn't make any comment until ds went to open them and said 'these are Christmas presents'. DH then had a bit of a moan to mil who I presume said to bil about it as we got a apology via text a little while after.

This year he has received a gift from a friend of the family, I had a sneak look at what it was, she clearly said it was for his birthday. It is a snowman Christmas ornament with chocolate coins and an advent calendar. My ds will again say that these are Christmas things.

I wouldn't be surprised if bil and sil repeat what they did last year either.

Am I being ungrateful? Is my dc being ungrateful in thinking he hasn't actually been given birthday gifts but just Christmas gifts?

And anyone else with a child who has a birthday even closer to Christmas, how do you deal with it?

OP posts:
NC4now · 01/12/2017 08:08

It’s shit. I’m in my 30s and still insist my birthday is separate from Christmas. It’s on 11th so the tree goes up the day after.
My mum used to rewrap any presents that came in Christmas paper.

Bellamuerte · 01/12/2017 09:46

My birthday is late November and I've frequently received combined presents, often wrapped in Christmas paper. Usually the present is the combined value of two presents though. I always quite liked the fact that my birthday marked the start of the Christmas celebration period. My mum would always put the decorations up early so it looked festive for my birthday.

This year I received zero presents and cards from anyone. I'd have been grateful for any gift, whether it was a combined gift or wrapped in Christmas paper or whatever. Some people need to be grateful that anyone has bought them a gift at all, instead of whinging about what paper it's wrapped in.

Sarahjconnor · 01/12/2017 09:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hungryhippo90 · 01/12/2017 11:36

We get this every year, DD is a boxing day baby. It winds me up no end when people say, ah well we put both presents into one, heres her gift.

argh. I wish people thought more.

Were going away for a few days for DDs birthday, my dads chucking her a few Euros in a card for christmas. so it even goes around both ways.

why cant people realise they are separate things?

BackBoiler · 01/12/2017 11:37

My DD's birthday is on 17th. I make a real effort to make sure that it is the traditional birthday with multicoloured balloons etc (she is nearly 4 for context) If someone had handed a gift over in Christmas wrap I would not be very happy although what can you say when someone has bought a gift?

BackBoiler · 01/12/2017 11:38

NC4 I wanted to do this for my DD but 17th is a little too close to wait for the decorations. If it was 11th I would definitely wait until afterwards!

FucksakeCuntingFuckingTwats · 01/12/2017 11:47

My daughters is the second of January and she loves a joint present from people. It's far easier to pick out a good present for a thirteen year old up to the value of say sixty quid for my sister than two separate thirty pound ones. Or my dad will spend 200 on a present rather than 100 and 100 which allows her to get something decent.

bluescreen · 01/12/2017 18:45

Bella Happy belated birthday! Flowers

MrsBonato · 05/12/2017 08:26

Just a little update, it wasn't Christmas wrapping this year, just a mismatch of old birthday paper and brown parcel paper. A few other incidents happened too, I think it's a passive aggressive way of showing exactly what they think of him and a lot less to do with wrapping paper. Was happening before the Christmas paper incident, and looking back at everything over the 4 years it's becoming clear.

DS was grateful for the one Christmas themed gift and the advent calendar, he got chocolate coins in a ornament of a snowman and tbf he absolutely loved it. This was from someone else not the bil and sil.

OP posts:
ittakes2 · 05/12/2017 18:33

My sons friend has a birthday early December and he asks for advent calendars because it’s about the right time to start them. No good getting them on Christmas Day!

KeatingsKids · 05/12/2017 18:46

A few other incidents happened too, I think it's a passive aggressive way of showing exactly what they think of him and a lot less to do with wrapping paper. Was happening before the Christmas paper incident, and looking back at everything over the 4 years it's becoming clear.

Clear as mud here. What do you mean?

marymoosmum · 05/12/2017 18:56

I have to confess that I do tend to use Christmas wrapping paper to wrap birthday presents this time of year, I do try and makes sure it doesn't actually say Merry Christmas on. Just things that suggest winter, rather than Christmas. I don't get presents that are Christmas related though. How is an advent calendar or a Christmas ornament a birthday present?

dray9925 · 05/12/2017 19:37

When I was pregnant with my ds my oh aunt said oh that's nice and easy he can have one gift for both!
I made it clear that my child's birthday will be celebrated separate from Christmas just like everyone else's I don't care about gifts as such just don't treat him like he doesn't have his own day

NamasteNiki · 05/12/2017 19:49

This thread is depressing. Stuff stuff stuff. Me me me.

Christ even among the adults. Even if you get seperate gifts you're pissy about what paper it is in.

I have a May birthday, I got next to nothing and next to nothing last Christmas too. Im a grown up and i dont need presents. Christ the greed.

DeadGood · 05/12/2017 20:01

OP I wuld have his birthday party early every year, like the weekend before his birthday rather than the one after, so it’s at the end of November. Minimise the chances of people conflating the two.
I kind of get the advent calendar thing though, the giver is giving a “seasonal” gift in the way they might give an adult aloe gin in autumn, or a bunch of daffodils in early spring. I can see why you might be touchy about it, but I’m not sure you can seek recompense from the giver!

DeadGood · 05/12/2017 20:04

“I don't get presents that are Christmas related though. How is an advent calendar or a Christmas ornament a birthday present?”

Well, an advent calendar isn’t a Christmas gift either. You can’t give it on Christmas Day, it’s already too late.
So it is an expedient gift to give to someone with an early December birthday. I’m sure the aunt who gave it thought she was doing a very good job with that gift.

MushroomSoup · 05/12/2017 20:05

My DD was born on Christmas Day. We have a decorated birthday room, as we do for sibling birthdays, and all pressies are in birthday wrapping party. She opens her pressies and then we go to the Xmas room to see if Santa’s been!

Christmas dinner and birthday cake !

shhhfastasleep · 05/12/2017 20:06

It's shit. Dh asked if he could combine my birthday and Christmas presents. He only asked once because I told him no. With swearing.

MrsBonato · 05/12/2017 20:18

*Keatingskids

The first incident happened when I had my dc, bil came to visit with the rest of the family, sat very quiet and didn't pay much attention to DC, sil didn't visit but was pregnant herself and due a few months after, I put it down to bil being a bit nervous of the new baby and the sil too tired. She didn't take any interest in any photos of DC either, this was picked up on by others, I wasn't bothered as my own siblings were fab.

Bil and sil DC arrived a few months after, we went to visit, DC has an unusual middle name, I asked what it means, bil replied 'better than your dc'. I was a little taken a back but laughed, an awkward laugh.

We don't have a close relationship, they don't live near to us a good few hours drive.
Over the next few months DC became a big baby, top of the growth charts. Got a call from the fil to say bil had been in touch said he had seen photos of DC and said he was concerned DC is fat. Again I was a bit taken a back that this was discussed in their family and just said whilst he's big and chubby no concerns by HV were raised.
Cut to the Christmas so DC was a year, we went to the family hometown, took gifts for their dc, came to Xmas day exchanged gifts when they said they didn't realise we were giving gifts for the babies and hadn't got out DC anything, they would buy something a few days later and they did. Over that holiday bil commented that DC looks like a family friend, that family friend that they joke looks like Shrek, mil got cross and told bil to stop.
The summer after there was a family party, I was in the garden with DC, bil was with his DC, said to his 'look at R running around with his fat legs, look at those fat legs' I felt embarrassed and upset but didn't comment back.
DC 2nd birthday they send a top sized 6-7 years and a skateboard, odd but sent a thank you and a photo of DC trying to skate. Christmas, me and DS get a card with £10 from bil and sil. DH gets a separate card from them and gifts. Again I didn't make any comment.

All above comments etc seemed to end after that Xmas, I thought I was being silly and just ignored it all even if other people commented.

Last year, my dc turned 3, we invited them to his birthday, understood it was a long way to come etc and weren't really expecting them to come, they didn't even reply to say they weren't and then sent the gifts in Xmas paper.

This year their dc turned 3, we went and visited and went out for the day with them, gave their dc nice gifts, that had been mentioned she wanted.
Over the summer we visited again (we don't stay in their house we have somewhere else to stay) had a nice few weeks where we saw them a lot and the cousins got close finally.
Only comment made was my dc decided to travel in his PJ's, turned up at family house and it was pointed out that DC was in his PJ's and how silly he looked, their dc was encouraged to laugh at him.

Got to DC birthday, because of better things to do in the family hometown area we decided to go there and make a weekend of things to do. Invited bil and sil, told they were too busy and wouldn't be able to come to anything we had planned. Not an issue for us. Saw them for about two hours in total over the 4 days we were there. Didn't visit at all on DC birthday (we were 10 minutes away)
And as I say gifts were odd wrapping again.

They seem to blow hot and cold. I can't work out if I'm being unreasonable, oversensitive or what?
I don't confront any of what is said or done, it's obviously discussed between me and DH. DH says bil is jealous as our DC are opposite sex and he wanted a boy so is bitter towards ours.
I have never had any issues in my own family and have a lot more siblings and nieces and nephews.

This could have been another thread but putting it all together as I say really it's far more than just Xmas wrapping on a birthday gift.

OP posts:
KeatingsKids · 05/12/2017 20:43

Fucking hell.

They aren't blowing hot and cold, they are just cold.

Stop contact, seriously. We did this with SIL (DH's sister),it's been a blissful 5 years.

Our DC were treated very differently by the rest of the family, basically ignored, because, and this is a fact not speculation, SIL was jealous. We cut the lot of them and the charade out. It's great.
We will not put toxic people in our DC's lives, end of.

Imabadmummy · 05/12/2017 20:57

My son is 17th Dec too (He was early - due boxing day!).

I want to leave Xmas decorations until after his birthday but he wants them up as soon as he can convince me....been asking since about 20th Nov this year and I finally agreed 3rd Dec lol.

He's 5 this time and the last few years whilst he's been aware of birthdays, I've tried to ensure he has a birthday that's not Xmas related.
He had a party for his 3rd and we had a day out on his 4th. He's having a party this year.
He saw his brothers birthday in July so he wants birthday cards, presents and cake and party just like he got....as well as Xmas presents etc just like his brother will get.

It's not fair to mix the birthday in to Xmas as then the child is kinda missing out on a special day where as other kids born well outside Xmas would get much more fuss.

I'm not sure I will ever get away with doing joint birthday/Xmas gifts for him unless his brother does it - which will be harder with a July birthday 🤔

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