Birthday on Christmas Day

[AngelInBlueJeans]

My birthday is on Christmas Day and I’ve always felt like it’s a non event. Part of me thinks that as an adult I’m being childish, but I really do feel like like my birthday means nothing, and I have never had a birthday party, not even as a child. I receive Christmas cards wishing me a Merry Christmas, then written in brackets… (and a happy birthday). It’s just an afterthought isn’t it, and an excuse not to bother sending a birthday card!
I’m lucky that my DH always wraps separate gifts, so do my teenage children, I am grateful for that, but part of me feels sorry for them that they have to try to fit my birthday into Christmas, it feels like it’s an inconvenience.
My best friend always combines my birthday and Christmas present, she writes on the gift tag “Happy birthday and Merry Christmas”, and of course it’s wrapped in Christmas paper, basically she gets away without buying me a birthday gift. On her birthday this year (August) I combined her gift and wrote the same on her tag. I guess some would say that was mean and childish, but I just wanted her to know how it feels. TBH she looked confused… welcome to my world.
We do have a lovely family Christmas, and for that I am genuinely grateful, but it would be nice to have a birthday.

I might add I also have a December birthday which always becomes the friends Christmas night out as well. It doesn't matter to me really as long as I get to see them.

If it were me I’d have a big and main celebration at a ‘half’ so on 25 June.

YANBU and I LOVED the way you made your friend try on your shoes! Honestly, one'd think a best friend could've known better. Good for you, just don't get her another gift, since she already had hers 😂

Another bad day to have birthday is 1st Jan. What my friend’s brother said as his birthday is NYD and the following happened in his early-mid 20s.

As everyone says Happy New Year to each other, go to bed at 3-4am, wake up feeling like crap. Then he gets texts from his mates at 10pm “Happy Birthday”

My birthday is early Jan. My parents gave me presents to enjoy at a later when places are open or more likely to have better weather. Such as theme parks, the tour of Lennon and McCartney’s childhood homes etc.

My late DGM and me had birthdays exactly the same number of days before (DGM) and after (me) Christmas. Guess one got the most moans from family of why is your birthday close to Christmas, flack? Me! Unfair

I think all birthdays in January must be the worst. Hungover in every way nobody wants to do anything until February.

As the mother of a Christmas baby, I love that you gave your friend a combined birthday/Christmas gift 🤣 I would absolutely do the same to anyone who dared give my daughter a combined birthday/Christmas present after we went to the effort twice for them.

Also as a child, having an early Jan birthday was a pain. Birthday parties had at least a quarter of the invites not going as sick. I probably had about 40% of my birthdays full of cold. I usually had the party the 2nd weekend of Jan. This is peak time for colds of all ages as a week after getting back to normal, you pick up colds etc.

Most of my class at primary school had July birthdays (what happened in Oct 1980 to create a spike in births in July 1981) and due to everyone going on holidays then, they usually had a joint birthday party - usually with a friend who has their birthday the next day. In my class the next birthday after mine was around 30th Jan so able to have a party of my own😁though my parents had to pay for everything rather sharing the costs with another set of parents. When you are primary school age, that was not a concern for me at all.

OP, you didn't mention if you have siblings. If they had parties because their birthdays were during other times of the year, I would be pretty miffed.

Get joint birthday/Christmas presents yet friends which I gained at high school got birthdays 7-10 days before Christmas got different gifts. Not fair.

My friend's birthday is Christmas Eve. When she was a child, her parents used to celebrate her half birthday in June, and she continued this into adulthood.

I always get her something small for her calendar birthday, and a proper present on her half birthday

I know someone with a December 25th birthday, they have a half birthday on June 25. They usually throw a garden party/ bbq.

I would suggest a half birthday OP. I am 29 December and my daughter is 24 December. We both have some sort of celebration in late June. When my daughter was younger we had her party with her friends in June then and she got family presents on 24 December. Now she's older it's generally a theme park trip with a couple of friends. I tend to go on holiday with my partner or Mum for my half birthday.

I agree with some other posters that it's a shame your family didn't introduce an alternative date to celebrate your birthday from when you were small, but it's not too late to make a change now!

Organise a pity party at which you tell all your friends and relatives that from this point forth, you would like separate cards and presents
Easy

My son had a classmate 20 plus years ago who had a Christmas day birthday. His parents gave him a birthday party in June every year. Whose not going to turn up to a birthday party without a present! I do still wonder when I read about Christmas birthdays, if he still celebrates in June!

If I were you, I'd use the same tactics. You will have to have some sort of "do" I think if you want cards and presents, you will have to make it clear what youre doing. I personally don't send any adult birthday cards or buy presents anymore but I would if I was going to a party, or invited to their house etc.

As rubbish as it is, I think if it really bothers you that much, only you can change the course of it.

My husbands granddaughter is due 16th Dec, we shall definitely be sending her birthday presents to her for the day itself and separate Christmas presents

Just had another thought.

I had a friend whose brother had a Christmas birthday. So their family would celebrate his birthday on Christmas Day, then do Christmas (with presents etc) for everyone on Boxing day.

Family dynamics meant that my friend's sister thought that was an excellent way to deal with it and my friend thought it merely proved brother was the Golden child who everyone had to dance around.

So the parents were judged/resented either way really!

What a horrible thing to do to your friend

I have a family member with this birthday. We all give them separate birthday gifts, in birthday paper with a birthday card. Always wish them a happy birthday before happy Christmas.

They always celebrate a half birthday, 25th June.