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Original poster

December baby having fake birthday

174 replies

ratussbaguss · 09/08/2022 12:48

So DS2 was born in December and I just feel like it's so hard for him to wait an entire year between presents, and then of course to get birthday and Christmas so close together, especially because his sibling gets presents conveniently around halfway through the year.

Has anyone done like a fake birthday in June time for December babies? Or is that mad? Or any other solution?

OP posts:
oakleaffy · 09/08/2022 13:16

@ratussbaguss
My brother was born a week before Christmas and never minded.

He got plenty of stuff.
I’ve never heard of “ Non Birthday “ birthdays, unless a child is born on 29th February, when a Birthday on the true day rolls around once every four years.
Cheap for the parents, though!
( Am joking 🙃)

Dilbertian · 09/08/2022 13:17

The trouble with a summer celebration is that you can't recreate what a birthday is actually like. You can only realistically get close family on board so once your child is old enough to go to school, be wished happy birthday by friends etc it quickly becomes redundant. I also just don't think it will feel that special - your birthday is celebrated on, well, your birthday, for a reason!

Disagree. Dc's friends had no difficulty getting on board with having fun at their friend's party. They enjoyed the incongruity of it. Anyway, birthday parties are rarely held on the actual birth date, so what do a few more months matter?

Londongirl78 · 09/08/2022 13:18

Christmas Day baby here, never had a half birthday , always have separate presents though and it still irrationally annoys me when people write " PS have a happy birthday' in Christmas cards haha
Don't think it would feel right for me personally to have a birthday in June but each to their own

Foldinthecheese · 09/08/2022 13:21

My DD’s birthday is Christmas Eve, and I think we’ll probably do her parties on her half birthday. Her twin brothers’ birthday is at the end of November, and we’re in America so with Thanksgiving as well it’s just an awful lot to squeeze in. We’ll always make a fuss of her on the actual day, but I think it will be easier to have a celebration with her friends if we do so in June.

BlackbirdsSinging · 09/08/2022 13:22

Kids don’t mind having presents from Santa the night before Christmas presents - it makes it an extra special time of year. I am sure they wouldn’t mind having birthday presents too. Fantastic time of year to have a birthday - ice skating or panto for parties, all the decorations up, lovely happy atmosphere.
I don’t think kids really spend time waiting for their birthday, they just enjoy it when it arrives along with their masses of presents.
I have 2 children with December birthdays. We always make sure gifts are in birthday not Xmas paper and we put up birthday banners on the windows and walls. We embrace the fact it’s Christmassy and make them feel extra special.

Annaritanna · 09/08/2022 13:23

End of november baby here
Honestly i find a fake birthday ridicolous and confusing.
Only thing i do is to buy her season appropriate toys if needed. E.g. i bought her a small pool and pool toys this late spring.

BiddyPop · 09/08/2022 13:26

DD has a Dec birthday - during Christmas holidays from school. We never did a "fake" birthday, but we have given seasonal items in the correct season and not worried about it being for a birthday. We have also a few times organised an activity for a group of friends in the summer rather than a party in winter (mostly as they are outdoor activities that DD likes and wouldn't be suitable in freezing weather) - no cake and candles.

But she always brought her "birthday treat for the class" in the week before Christmas (it was a thing until Y4 equivalent when some parents made the school change to "Healthy eating always" policies and banned outright any sweet treats or class parties - which impacted on a few very cool teachers hosting occasional celebrations as well!).

Family always celebrate at the time of the birthday.

gegs73 · 09/08/2022 13:27

My birthday is 2 weeks before Christmas and I have always really hated it. Other people have parties/presents etc but by the time mine comes along everyone is busy/has no money/or just puts it all in with the Christmas stuff. This year at the grand age of 49, I have indeed decided I am going to have a fake birthday in October. Can’t wait 😁

Dizzyhedgehog · 09/08/2022 13:28

DS is a Christmas baby and we usually do his birthday party in the summer for his half-birthday. At Christmas, it can be tricky to get his friends to come round. Families will be busy then and often out of the country (we live abroad and most of his friends are expats). He only gets presents from his friends then...and we have a family "birthday" party at Christmas.
Last year, we were stuck here at Christmas because of Covid, same as most other people, so we had a birthday party with his friends then. No half-birthday one this year, although we are doing a garden party because the kids are all starting big school. 😊 No presents, though. 😀

BiddyPop · 09/08/2022 13:29

Oh, and the years when DD had her party for friends around her birthday itself, that was usually the 1st Saturday after they had gone back to school in January, as so many went away over the Christmas holidays - on holidays/skiing, visiting family etc, and we often visited family too. So it was always a couple of weeks after the day itself anyway.

MischiefTheChicken · 09/08/2022 13:31

I’m a December baby and never had a problem with waiting a year for celebrations. The only thing my parents were very careful about was keeping birthday and Christmas presents separate unless it was a specific item I’d asked for, in which case they’d discuss it with me first so I could decide on the bigger thing or two little ones.

LemonSwan · 09/08/2022 13:32

eosmum · 09/08/2022 13:03

Dds pal was a Christmas Eve baby and she always had a party on the day they finished up school for the summer. I thought it was a great idea, generally good weather, kids were excited finishing there was just a great vibe. You could try it once and see. My DD once decided to have a half BD, I needed to make a cake and we all had to sing, no pressies though. She’s 26 now and remembers her 3.5 birthday better than any others. 😀

See I think that’s weird.

I am an Xmas eve baby and there’s literally not a better birthday. It might sound weird from the outside because you would imagine - well I am not sure what your imagining really but it’s a comment I get a lot 🤣

There is no other birthday which is a national holiday - you never have to work the next day (unless you chose a 365 job). Where you have a countdown calendar which ends on your birthday. No one ever forgets your birthday. People decorate things. Where all your family and friends automatically gather to celebrate with no organisation on your part. Where the whole country has gone into joyous mode. Where you don’t have to que to get into a pub on Xmas eve and when you walk into a rammed pub with a birthday hat on the whole pub erupts in happy birthday song and you are bought drinks all night.

It’s by far the best birthday day imaginable! And it’s sad that some people are given a complex about it. Having a birthday on an obscure day is way more boring and no one gives those kids a complex about it.

Hercisback · 09/08/2022 13:33

Never bothered. Have a party at some point in December and spread gifts out a bit. I encouraged a couple of people to buy presents that would be better outdoors so that we would use them in summer. They do get treats though the year at times anyway.

shrodingersvaccine · 09/08/2022 13:34

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ.

Theonlyoneiknow · 09/08/2022 13:34

Sort of - DS is a Christmas day birthday. He is also autistic. If he were to get both birthday and Christmas presents on the same day it would completely overwhelm him. Plus he has asked that he gets his birthday presents on a different date - he asks to get them in the Easter holidays. Works for us. We do sing happy birthday and have cake etc, birthday badges on his actual birthday though.

LiesDoNotBecomeUs · 09/08/2022 13:36

Don't the French celebrate saints days or name days rather than birthdays? (That would give you a second chance at a celebration day each year....unless you chose Stephen as a name - his day is on boxing day.)

Womblesaremyfavouritefood · 09/08/2022 13:36

DC's birthday is in the Christmas holidays. We celebrate then, but have their party in June (no presents given then). But the Easter Bunny ALWAYS brings quite a few gifts so that splits the year up.

LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet · 09/08/2022 13:38

Totally bonkers idea. I would never attend the party of a fake birthday, or get a child a gift because the parent took it upon themselves to bring the birthday forward by half a year.

His birthday is in December. It’s not the ideal life but it’s kinda tough shit.

ClaireEclair · 09/08/2022 13:44

My friend was born on Boxing Day and always has a rubbish birthday. People either don’t remember or he gets unwanted rubbish presents or nothing. And it’s a little thing but his presents are always wrapped in Christmas presents which makes him sad. I wouldn’t like it either. If you want to have another birthday then do it! You could have his birthday for you in December then his party another month .

ClaireEclair · 09/08/2022 13:45

His presents are wrapped in Christmas paper I mean!

Ohtoberoavingagain · 09/08/2022 13:46

IDontDrinkTea · 09/08/2022 12:54

Unless their birthday is literally Christmas Day I think you’re being a little ridiculous, sorry

This.

rightonthyme · 09/08/2022 13:47

I do know someone with a Christmas Day birthday who demands that she have a half-way birthday on 25th June. She makes her husband and kids go along with it too. She's a spoiled brat though so YMMV.

Ilikecake05 · 09/08/2022 13:47

I have Kids with birthdays in December, April & July and I do the same for all 3:

*ask family members to gift Smyths gift vouchers. This means we can take the kids to Smyths to spend their vouchers later in the year. The kids absolutely love this and see it like a day out.

*at Christmas and birthdays, once gifts have been opened, I take some of them and store them in our “bored cupboard”. Sometimes when I hear “I’m bored” from The kids they get a toy from the cupboard. By this time they’ve usually forgotten about the toys in the cupboard so it’s like they’re being gifted them anew. So for Christmas and the December birthday I’ll buy some summer toys too and then put them in the bored cupboard. The kids love it.

sheildmaiden · 09/08/2022 13:47

I have a son born the 17th of December and and another the 22nd. We've never needed to do half or fake birthdays as everyone has to wait a year for their birthday. Yes it's unfortunate that they fall right next to Christmas but with all the activities, holidays etc.. that happen in the summer holiday, they've never needed more. On the other hand my DC who's born the middle of summer struggles to find things to do for his birthday that hasn't already been done as school holiday activities with his mates already.

obsessedwithsleep · 09/08/2022 13:48

I think this is completely mad.