To expect parents not to have child’s birthday party on Xmas Eve

[I88l]

One of my daughter’s school friends has a birthday party on Xmas Eve.
i think the idea of inviting school kids to a birthday party on Xmas eve is pretty odd, because Xmas Eve should be spent with family.

Presumably your children will be spending Christ Eve night and Christmas Day with you? The party will be a couple of hours. Great, time to prep for the big day.
my stepdad’s birthday is on Christmas Day and it’s usually overlooked. If my child’s birthday was on Christmas Eve, I’d make a huge fuss about it.
If you’ve the hump, don’t take them. Bet they want to go, though. You sound like a bit of a misery guts, tbh.

In the UK Christmas Eve is just another working day, not a special day.

This exactly! Someone else entertaining your kid/s at a time when you are likely to be very busy is priceless. I think you are being more than a little bit precious, to be honest.

What does your child want to do?

I had a friend whose birthday was Christmas Eve. She said nobody ever remembered. This is a good way of making your child feel special and it’s in the school holidays too. I think a lot of parents would be glad of a break from their kids by then.

I'm surprised by the comments here. My friend has a child born 24th December and she tried twice to throw a party on the day. Both times she ended up cancelling as noone could make it.

I get where you're coming from, but it will probably be a fun thing to do anyway. We spent a few Christmas eve lunchtimes at a 'Christmas eve' party at the local soft play. That cost money was essentially like the birthday parties they'd throw there.
Depends on the time of the party really.

i've never spent Christmas eve with family. it was never considered a family day. My parents always worked it if it fell on a working day!!

I think a birthday party on Christmas eve sounds lovely

I feel sorry for the poor kid who doesn’t get to experience birthdays the way most of their friends do. They’ll no doubt get joint presents, hardly any birthday cards, and generally less effort than if their birthday was in the summer. Lots of their friends may be travelling on Christmas Eve but if you’re not, why wouldn’t you take your child to their party?

You can’t impose your own traditions / beliefs on other people. What an entitled point of view. I grew up with a mother who had a ‘cookie cutter’ view of life; birthdays ‘should be this shape’ and ‘holidays should be this shape’. There was an I spoke. Expectation that everyone would form the shape of her cookie cutter every time. It took me 15 years as an adult away from home and the birth of my own child to realise that is not normal, or my problem.

Let people do life how they want to do it. You worry about yourself.

Birthdays anywhere in December and the New Year are shit cos of xmas crap.

People on this thread are the reason my friends does her child a 'half' birthday on the 26th June so they can enjoy a birthday like her friends.

You don't have to go to any birthday invites, but you can't complain about children having birthday party on their actual birthday even if it Christmas Eve/Day.

But most people have thought a xmas eve birthday is a great idea to get the kids out of the house, tire them out and maybe give the parents a break.

Years ago when my godson was little i started what later became a tradition of a small party xmas eve at my house , early in the day- which over years his siblings were added, other friend kids, and later neighbours, till i ended up with a fair group, the idea was that mum dad and Santa had a couple of hours they could sort out stockings , those that wrapped parcels could, arrange batteries etc all without pring eyes. Some mum and dads just hit the shops without having to have little ones with them. it was only a couple of hours then home. When i first started i had no kids the excitement of the kids was amazing, it was all early selection boxes, hot chocolates and we'd do something fun like prepare a thank you card for santa, or make reindeer cookies, later when i had my first child, a friend came back later in day to return the favour took them out to look at lights for 2 hours giving me the same space, its stopped when they were older.

God forbid someone has a birthday, a party, or even an occasion that clashes with something you think is family time. Do your children not attend party’s on a Sunday? That’s family time?

Can you please tell my work, that I can’t work due to it being family time. I’m working Christmas Eve, Christmas Day. New Year’s Eve and New Years Day.

if it don’t work for you, don’t go. It’s not odd.

If. Someone came on here and said that they weren’t going to ttc in March/april so as to avoid a Christmas baby they’d be called ridiculous.

And yet someone who has a Christmas baby is wrong for wanting to celebrate that baby’s birthday?

If it's the child's actual birthday I'd make the effort to go to be honest, as it's tough having a birthday so close to Christmas.

If it's not, it's up to you whether to go or not, but they're not unreasonable for doing it if it works best for them.

As a Christmas Eve baby I can assure you my birthday parties were incredibly well attended as parents were desperate to have a couple of hours to themselves. We can’t help when we’re born, sorry if that inconveniences you. You have the right to decline and the parents have the right to invite. Have you considered that your child might like to attend?

I would have sent my child to this birthday party. To be honest it would have given me a break at a time when they are way over excited for Christmas day.

YABU
Just because you think Christmas Eve "should" be for families doesn't mean that others think like that.
If you don't want your child to go just decline the invite but you don't get to dictate when another family decides to hold their child's birthday party.
I think a lot of parents might be glad to get their child out of the house for a couple of hours on Christmas Eve so they can get on with last minute preparations. It will also help take some of the "edge" of Christmas excitement and give the children something fun to do while waiting.

To be fair one of my kids is august birthday and I can foresee her having issues of attendance from school friends potentially so we may always just do a day out with family instead (Alton towers last year but it was tres busy!)

If it’s a drop off party then it gives the parents a couple of hours to get things done so actually sounds ideal for people who aren’t away.

Given the Op (if they come back) is talking about this year. Its a Sunday. Children won't be in holiday clubs.

And actually lots of holiday clubs don't run over Christmas holidays as so many parents are off anyway.

I’m a Christmas baby! Was awful to never have a full party as everyone was busy at Christmas. Guess you can’t help when you’re born

My kids would love an xmas eve party, probably be great fun.