December baby having fake birthday

[ratussbaguss]

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?

I'm a December baby - just a few days from Christmas. I always hated having it so close and talked about trying to do this as a child but it just never happened. If you make it work try it. I've never met anyone who does this. It also might seem strange to contact aunts etc to say their birthday has been changed to another date and expect them to remember it to send presents.

December baby here, we don't do half birthday.

I think this is one of those things that the child won't think twice about unless the parents make a big deal of it. I have a DC with a December birthday and it's never been an issue at all.

I have a December birthday and I love it. All the preparations for Christmas make it so special. Just don't let people say that X present is for birthday and Christmas. Make the two occasions separate. A friend has her birthday on Christmas Eve and her family managed it

DD is a December birthday, she used to have her party with friends in the summer. We just used to call it her unbirthday party.

I believe that Jesus was rather irked that his birthday fell on Christmas day too.

DS birthday is Christmas Eve. It’s rubbish, everyone has their own plans (understandable! Not cross at them) and it feels like it’s not about him really. Lots of people send lovely gifts and I would never expect anything more in the summer.
We just do a small family celebration on his actual birthday then will do his “party” in Juneish. No specific date and no “2nd” birthday just a bigger celebration. I might buy one gift for him and maybe the kids we invite might buy something but deffo not aunts/ uncles/ grandparents etc.

Thanks for all your thoughts. I'm not trying to be mental I promise. I do of course buy them little things through the year but I was brought up not to get much if anything in between Christmas and birthdays and I am trying not to spoil the kids. I find it hard to get a balance with it especially with one of them having a birthday half way through the year they don't really need presents at other times but the other one does iyswim.

I like some of the ideas people have mentioned about half birthdays or just a little acknowledgement or something

A friend of mine used to do this for her son as he was a December baby, so he could have a party in the garden with his friends. I think it’s a nice idea.

I have always liked the idea of a December birthday! I think it's a beautiful month and I like the idea of a birthday right at the end of the year. My birthday is in October, just as things start to feel cold and dark. People are usually keen to embrace autumn and always cancel birthday plans to stay in. At least in December everything has a celebratory atmosphere and in a party mood.

I think it's a bit silly tbh. My DPs birthday is just before Christmas and I get that it's a bit shit but it's just one of those things. No point pretending their birthday is at a totally different time. It's not.

Absolutely not. My daughters bday is the 27th and that is the day it’s celebrated. It would feel ridiculous celebrating it mid summer, particularly when my sons is mid June.

It is just the way the cookie crumbles. Ok the 25th isn’t the best is it? But all other days are perfectly acceptable to celebrate a birthday.

We often do the birthday party a week later as people are busy the day after Boxing Day with their families so she actually dips in a little bit there.

I wouldn't do a half-birthday, especially as there is a sibling to consider too. It wouldn't really be fair for your Dec child to have another birthday celebration and presents in the middle of the year when your other child will presumably just have their original birthday.

That said, you'll likely end up buying things for your children throughout the year anyway? Just because your December baby isn't getting a pile of gifts in July doesn't mean he's missing out.

My SCs both have birthdays around Christmas and they love it because they don't have to wait...as soon as one is over they can look forward to the next load of gifts!

My birthday is two weeks before Christmas and I hated it growing up. It was always over-shadowed by Christmas celebrations, food and gifts and most of my presents ended up as "joint" gifts (from friends, not family).

At home, the rule was no Christmas decorations, music etc. until after my birthday which did help.

I also had a friend whose birthday was December 26th and he always celebrated in June!

Unless the kid's birthday is literally Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, this is not an issue. So hard to wait a whole year for presents? My heart bleeds. If they want to buy a paddling pool in the summer, they can save their birthday money for it.

When I was younger I don’t remember it being an issue. Most people don’t have a birthday party on their actual birthday due to the weekend/weekday issue.

I remember feeling lucky I didn’t ever have to go to school on my birthday. Would have a birthday party for school friends sometime shortly before or after school breakup. Sure it’s a busy time then and not everyone can make it but that’s no different to a summer holiday birthday.

Xmas eve itself was usually a family and family friends day. We would go to the pantomine in the evening and I would always get a birthday shout out.

I have lovely fond memories but I do agree that peak benefits aren’t found until late teens/ adult times.

My girls are early Jan birthdays which always feels quite meh. People are skint and miserable and it's only 2 weeks since Christmas.

We celebrate their actual birthday but in primary we used to have their party at a different point in the year a few times (Easter/Halloween sort of thing). We did specify no presents though and send a strong message through the school gates network that we meant it!

Ps. Above comment wasn't meant to knock your idea as I completely get how hard it is. It's rubbish that my SCs' birthdays are both so close to Christmas and I feel like it makes it harder for them to find things they truly want as well, as they need to provide so much on their 'lists'. SD in particular just loves stuff so will just randomly ask for bits she's seen on TV adverts and then not even open the boxes for months, if ever.

It would be much better all round (especially for us financially!) if their birthdays were more spread out.

We've have two in December and decided after the first double birthday that a July birthday it was!

Our DCs have always been fine with it and would hate their birthday to be so close to Christmas.

How ridiculous!!

For the sake of a few Presents?!

Grabby. You are expecting other people to buy a June birthday for your kid?

I guess you didn’t grow up in a poor family. I was one of four brought up in a poor family and no we only ever got new things on Christmas and birthdays, that includes new clothes other than school uniform.

One of my siblings has a 27 December birthday and to OP’s question, I think a half birthday or fake birthday would have been weird and also I don’t think appreciated, it would be like saying their real birthday was an inconvenience or didn’t matter or something.

One thing our parents never did and we never did, was lump the birthday and Christmas together, never did a combined present, always kept it separate.

Please don’t, everyone has their own birthday and it’s always nice to celebrate it on the day. Feel free to do a half birthday on top though.

Yeah my sister is in early Jan and hates it, although not so much as a child tbf as it didn't really make a difference then, she always managed to have parties and stuff, and family would come round on her birthday after school.

As an adult though she hates it because everyone is skint, on a diet, sick of going out after the excess of Christmas, etc etc.

As a contrast; my youngest's birthday is always at the beginning of the summer holidays. I can't remember exactly but one year he identified possibly his "100 month" birthday or maybe it was "3000 days", and made a small something of that date in class.

Lots of birthday dates have disadvantages (my mother's was always in the midst of school exams for example), but if you identify what those are you can find appropriate work-arounds. An un-birthday party could be an option if it is instead of a party near Christmas, certainly.

I’m 3 days before Christmas and I’ve never had a fake birthday I’m use to having to wait all year for my birthday just like other people who where later in the year you do realise that everyone has to wait all year for their birthday not just people born in December.