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?

Regardless of how good friends your children are, you don't have to go. However as you must have made the decision to go a while ago, why is it negatively affecting you now?

If you've allowed for that time in your Christmas schedule just go an enjoy it. I suspect the parents will make sure those staying will also have a nice time.

But for any date bday if the day hits on a weekday the kids parties are the closest weekend usually - it is universal that you rarely get to have the party on the actual day surely. Weekdays people are working and if not working they are off for a specific reason ime

”so it’s logical to say she could have made it easier on her guests to just have the party a few days early or late.”

Are you SERIOUSLY this selfish??? You wouldn’t do this to your own children. Why are you demanding someone else do it to theirs?

Easier on her guests 😂😂😂

Triggered you, didn’t it.

And blaming a little kid for their parents’ actions?

Lower than a snake’s belly.
The lowest. No-excuse-low.

I had my children's birthday parties after school on the day of their birthday usually, and their friends did the same??!

You're all heart aren't you.

She is literally an "innocent child". Shame on you.

Could a grandparent take her?

I know this is a goady post but I'll bite.

As a December born myself I know it's always our fault for having arrived at such a fucking inconvenient and expensive time for everyone. I'm grateful when people remember to get over their hatred for my birthday long enough to send a text let alone send a card.

We should start a Prophylactic March campaign to stop pesky buggers like this child ruining everyone elses Christmas

Today, just like every other day, nobody is kissing your arse.

If it helps, people are discussing whether Christmas Eve is a good day for a party where parents have to stay, particularly for four hours. It’s just a parenting discussion, no arses involved.

Oh, that’s weird, I just thought it was about whether a four hour party on Christmas Eve, when parents have to stay, was a bit of a high expectation.

I didn’t get the whole goady bit questioning the worthwhileness of people’s existence. Must have missed that, was it deleted?

I’m not religious, but I had a feeling it wasn’t actually Jesus’ birthday on the 25th? Maybe the barn was booked on his actual birthday 😊

Exactly. Christmas Eve is a working day, to have a party on that day and also expect parents to stay for a four hour party is pretty unusual.

OP is going because it’s her daughter’s close friend but there will be other parents who would have declined this party and you can’t really blame them.

You can’t force people to attend a party, so yes, most people schedule their child’s party on a day that they think people can make.

Christmas Eve is still a working day, scheduling a party between 12-4pm on such a day is pretty short sighted as many will decline.

If you don't want to go, don't go.

You r allowed to decline invitations.

If you want to go, go.

Such a weird thing to get worked up about.

You’ve agreed to go - so whatever you think about the timing of the party now - you need to suck it up and not let the birthday girl down.

if my DD had received this invitation and it didn’t work for me time wise - but she really liked the little girl who’s party it is - I’d reply ‘thanks for invitation. So sorry we can’t make it - would love to meet up in the new year to celebrate Harriet’s birthday - I’d love to take the girls to the cinema / make cup cakes with them / go to soft play / go swimming (insert fun activity of your choosing ) to have a belated birthday celebration . Let me know some dates you are free and we’ll get it in the diary . Have a super party’

An invitation is exactly that - an invite to attend. It is not compulsory if it doesn’t work with your plans!

A 4 hour party on Christmas Eve asking parents to stay is pretty inconsiderate. I’d be annoyed at the self-absorbed parents.

Who thought that would be a good idea? Most people invited won't turn up, I'm guessing. They should have held it at the weekend or next week.

Scrooge has entered the thread! No one 'training' children to be that way😂 Majority of children adore their birthday and look forward to the celebration. You don't need to have a party every year as you've assumed, so cake with mum, dad and siblings is often fine. But you're telling me a child doesn't deserve a birthday party same as their friends some years? I assume they wouldn't be going ahead with it if it didn't mean the world to the child and not what she really wanted? No one trained her to be that way, that's how kids are!!!! Some people are so bloody miserable, it's a child's party for heavens sake. I hope you don't have children for whom you call it an 'ordinary milestone' and don't make a fuss about them. If we can't celebrate and create a bit of excitement for children then I've lost faith in humanity I'm afraid.

My good friend's DD has her birthday on Christmas Eve. She always had a party then and we all loved it. We just made sure everything was sorted for Christmas and then really got into the festivities. Fun for the kids and adults alike. Party food and wine (juice for the kids obvs) on Christmas eve. Her DD is 34 now and we still talk about those days fondly. Just lean into it.

Christmas Eve is still a working day, scheduling a party between 12-4pm on such a day is pretty short sighted as many will decline.

It’s a work day for a portion of people, but schools are out so someone is already watching the invited kids.

There isn’t a great option time around Dec 24th birthday that won’t conflict for many people (I’m actually baffled people are suggesting the weekend before Christmas would work better, that’s the worst possible choice in our family other than the 25th) and I’m sure the parents expected plenty of declines. Hopefully for the birthday girl’s sake a few said yes and won’t flake.

That's a completely different scenario.
You're talking about a tradition established by a close friend of yours.
OP is talking about an invitation from her dd's school friend.

@OnlyWhenILaugh But we only made it a tradition as I got to know her when her DD was small. OP has plenty opportunity for this friendship of her DD to become a nice Christmas Eve tradition for them too. I think that's what I was trying to say. Rather than see it as a hindrance, see it is something that might happen each year and become a nice thing to do on Christmas Eve.

I have a friend who was born on Boxing Day who decided to "move" her birthday when she was a teenager. Anyone she met from that point on thought her birthday was in June. Only family and childhood friends knew when it actually was. Genius!

Who has a four hour birthday party for a 6 year old though? What would you do with a heap of 6 yr old for 4 hours?

That's what made me wonder if op was genuine - overegging the problem a bit.

Dc was perfectly happy about it. They had the same fuss made about them on their actual birthday as their siblings did. After all, their siblings and their friends rarely had their party on the actual day of their birthday, so it wasn’t really any different - just a larger gap between birthday date and party.

After Christmas-born dc had a party camping in the garden overnight, their autumn-born sibling asked if they could have a summer party as they also wanted an overnight camping party. When they were old enough they had their party a month early so that the weather would be warm enough for kids to camp overnight.

Children want a party that their friends can come to. That’s what matters.