Annoyed at DD's friends birthday party on Christmas Eve

[ShabbaRAnkzz]

DD has been invited to her friends birthday party tomorrow (Christmas Eve). It's from 12-4 and parents have been asked to attend / stay with the children.
This takes out a block of Christmas Eve when I've got so much other stuff I need to do.
Its one of my daughters clotest friends so I will need to attend.
AIBU to this it's a very inconvenient time?

Yes exactly. I think it’s ridiculous to have a birthday party on Christmas Eve when most children have theirs on a weekend. The parents of that child are setting it up to fail - surely most people won’t spend their Christmas Eve at a child’s party??

It’s years ago now but I cluelessly drove a 5 year old to a birthday party in a soft play place attached to a shopping centre on December 23. It was a nightmare, I couldn’t find parking anywhere, we were very late, and what should have been a 20 minute drive home took over 1.5 hours with Christmas traffic with a cranky child.

Just don’t do parties at this time of year.

And I have a sibling who was born on Christmas Day, who agrees! Never bothered them having their birthday that day, they never knew any different and celebrated after the festivities. Having a birthday at Christmas seems to bother those who don’t more than those who do.

It’s an invitation not a summons. Just say no.

Poor kid it’s not their fault their birthday falls on this day having everyone feeling resentful over it!

The unfortunate Birthday girl already has her day competing with Christmas and a lifetime of doubled up presents aheat of her.
I think it's pathetic when there are threads on here with adults whinging that things can't happen on the exact date of their Birthday - but a child with a Christmas Eve birthday - absolutely she needs to have her special day.

Absolutely. Why not? The Queen did it.

We didn't ignore dc's actual birthday. They had cake, candles and presents on their actual birthday, but just from immediate family. Come the summer they had a proper party that all their friends could come to, with presents that weren't stocking fillers wrapped in Christmas paper. Nobody was partied-out or broke. There were plenty of venues available, the party could be outdoors, could be themed.

What's not to like?

I’d be fine with this EXCEPT the parents having to stay part!

I have two kids, one who had her birthday last week, one who has her birthday the 1st week of January. Each have had class parties nowhere near their actual birthday and both times I’ve had 6 or 7 kids in massive venues, a fuck ton of food that’s not been eaten and two devastated kids because hardly anyone has shown up, including the ones who actually bothered to RSVP. December/January birthdays are shit. Suck it up, take your daughter to the party and stay up late tonight to finish what you can and cram the rest in tomorrow.

Never felt more unlike the typical number member than I have in this thread. Everyone referring to birthday parties being ‘drop and go’. I refer to them as dump and run 😆

4 hours for a party is ridiculously long at any time let alone in Christmas eve. I would have declined the invite as there is absolutely no need for a Christmas eve birthday party that basically takes up half the day. I declined a weekend party for DC3 a while back as it 11 am to 2pm and parents were expected to stay. Being hungry, sat bored at a party for 3 hours whilst being stuck in a room full of screaming 5 year olds for 3 hours sounded like hell.

I’m assuming you’ve had plenty of notice to get things done in advance. Can’t her dad take her?

@Aparecium

Your child isnt the queen though. Each to their own. I hope you have your birthday party 6 months after your birthday too.

when my first grandchild was due on 19th December we were so hoping that the birth would be before Christmas. He arrived on 23rd and that was a relief. He can have his own birthday celebrations apart from Christmas because 24th 25th and 26th are really off limits. I agree that unless this was a very small celebration which would have been arranged in collaboration with the parents involved, many families would find themselves tied up with other plans.

if you want a good party you have to consider the date.

Am I the only person who sees irony in this?

The whole Christian community (and millions of non Christians) stop the world to celebrate Christmas day - the birth day of Jesus. WHO SAID " Suffer the little children to come unto me" and you can't be arsed to celebrate a child's birthday on the actual day????

Hypocritical much? 😆😆😆😆

I'd have declined at the time, even for a best friend. Christmas Eve we have family traditions.

One of my DCs friends has a Christmas birthday, their parent messaged the closest friends with a choice of a couple of dates to see which would work best, as they appreciate it's a hectic time of year and wanted their DC's friends to be there. If we got an invite from the blue for tomorrow I'd assume they were expecting not everyone to make it and wouldn't feel bad declining.

I'm way past children's parties now (thank God) but have to say, there is no way in hell I'd have given up four hours of my Christmas Eve to spend at a party. It was the best day of the whole year when DC were little, we loved it and made it really special.

Also, four hours??!! Is that how long parties last now? Jeez 🙄

I did. My birthday also falls during school holidays. My parents would give me the choice of a small family celebration on my birthday, or a party the following term.

I didn't give my dc that choice - I gave them both. And after that first upsetting attempt at a party in Y1, dc was very keen to have a Queen's Birthday.

I agree with pp though, if you've accepted the invite you can't cancel now.

Absolutely ridiculous,I wouldn't go. There is no reason the birthday child can't have her party a few days after her actual birthday as often happens all year especially when a birthday is on a school day.

I wouldn’t mind the party but at age 7 do you have to stay the whole time?

I have skin in this game. DS was born on 25th December. He's 30 this week!

Not on this planet would I have held or expected people to turn up to a birthday party on Christmas Eve. His birthday was celebrated on Christmas Day at home, with family.

He had his party the first Saturday after they went back to school. A lot of his friends were away over Christmas/in the Christmas holidays anyway.

So according to your logic, if the birthday was Christmas day itself they should have the party that day?

Of course you have to factor in the convenience of your potential guests when your child has a birthday close to Christmas amd you want to throw a party. You have to deal with the fact that some guests will be out of town too. Same goes for children with Easter, summer, or midterm birthdays. It sucks but that's life.

A friend with Christmas Day twins had their birthday party on Christmas Eve, usually something like 11 -1.30, it was very popular with parents who got a couple of hours to make final preparations in peace!

All 3 of my children have school holiday birthdays, their friends are never around, I have parties either before they break up or after they go back to school.

We’ve been to 2 December birthdays this year, the birthday parents booked months in advanced because in the past no one has been around to attend.

I don’t think I’d dream of hosting a kids party on Christmas Eve as a lot of people are still running around or getting ready for Christmas Day. We aim to be done before Christmas Eve, it’s a lazy pj day with Christmas movies and Santa tracking for us so I may possibly accept an invite, but 4 hours with parents having to stay I’d not be happy about.

most children don't have their birthday during a school break, which is the main reason why most parties are at the weekend!

What exactly is so important on Christmas Eve that makes it unsuitable? It's not a bank holiday, most people don't tend to have booked the day as a family day?

Weekends are usually more inconvenient because the kids have sports/ clubs and activities and it's difficult to juggle.

If you have special Christmas Eve plans, just decline. Most people I know don't, they book something to entertain the kids. A party would work just as well.

Yawn.

No, just busy with family obligations, including the other children in the family, plus grandparents, etc.

Don't be silly.