To worry about my child being born around Xmas

[hnbnb]

I am pregnant and due right in between Xmas and NYE, so a baby born between let’s say 23 Dec and 2 Jan is looking like a very real possibility. I know how due dates work, I know baby might come November or might stay in till later in Jan but… likely scenario is those dates.

for those born on Xmas Eve / Day or Boxing Day or NYE / NY Day, or perhaps if you know people well born on those dates, how bad is it? Is it an issue at all? What did you like or dislike about it as a child? Adult?

I just worry that the baby (once they’re no longer a baby, obviously) will dislike that their bday party will always be far from actual birthday, that it’ll inevitably mean less presents as people will clump bday and Xmas gifts as one, or that people are never really celebrating their birthday, more celebrating Xmas or NYE if they’re born on 25 or 31st.

Growing up I had a friend born on 25/12 & later on another on 26/12.

25/12 young woman celebrated right at the end of the December school year. She did tell me less children attended her birthday party growing up as friends had family Christmas things on.

The 26/12 lady had a summer birthday party & just had a cake & a few gifts on the actual day

Like most adults, they can see positive & negatives.

Children with birthdays term time want theirs in the holidays & vs versa. People are never happy. As long as your child gets lots of attention on their day, they will be happy.

My mother felt that my brother & I should have been born on each others birthday month. I am January, him, June. My birthday was grey, but not that cold, we could have played outside, but behaved inside.

My brother & his little friends spent his summer birthday inside, in the rain, driving my mother to despair.

Congratulations on your baby.

This is either too much dabbling with AI or too much dabbing with 🍷.
As PP has already said, totally bizarre.

My son was born on Boxing Day, we have some little traditions on the day like having a cooked breakfast with pigs in blankets and he picks his dinner. But we do the proper birthday celebration in June, he has a party and presents then. All friends and relatives have got the hang of the half birthday celebrations and a June party gives us more options e.g. outside activities.

I know someone born on Christmas Day. When he was young, we celebrated his half-birthday in the summer, so he wouldn't miss out on having a day just about him. I think he liked doing it that way. As an adult, he has gifts and a birthday cake on the actual day, along with all the usual Christmas celebrations. He seems fine with it.

My DC’s birthday is in that period as are the DC of my NCT group. It’s fine as children - they’re just as excited as it’s their birthday so they have cake and presents etc and so they don’t really notice when small. It’s also been fine having their party earlier in the month when people are still around as it extends the birthday feeling. I’d also reframe it that as older kids / adults, you will likely get it off school / work and if on NYE etc will always have people wanting to party with you!

My birthday is end of January and tbh with dry January and people having no money / feeling depressed in January, everyone is feeling much more celebratory around Xmas than they are a month later!

Mines 1st January and I love it - always have the day off work/school and I tie it in with a new years party! Best way to start the new year is with a birthday. It also gives me something to look forward to once Xmas is over. It makes the whole Xmas period feel much longer rather just being one day.

What can you do about it OP? Just chill, it's fine.

My DD has a just before Christmas birthday, she’s 19 now, she absolutely loves it and always has. My biggest complaint is that she was due in early feb and I planned to buy her clothes in the January sales…. She just couldn’t wait.

We always make sure she gets separate presents etc and a party when she was younger. We often did it the week before but that’s not unusual at primary as birthdays fall midweek so are celebrated early or late etc and/or people can’t get bookings on the ‘right’ weekend.

We have also done half and ‘un’ birthdays. Great fun!

Yeah, it can be a real problem. I know someone whose mum's birthday is on Christmas Day. Unfortunately, mum is a selfish cow and every single year made their Christmases a bit shit by refusing to celebrate her birthday on a different day - even the day before or the day after. Nope, totally refused. Her birthday had to come first over Christmas Day, one year she refused to even have Christmas lunch at home but insisted they went out to a restaurant instead, so the little girls didn't get to open their presents or have any Christmas fun until the afternoon. This shit is still going on and they are in their 40s now.

Anyway, have a plan in action. If it's too close to Christmas make sure you celebrate it a couple of weeks before Christmas each year, or a couple of weeks after once people have had a chance to recover from Christmas or New Years - or another appropriate time that won't mean it's lost in the Christmas season.

And do make sure the child gets the right amount of money and appropriate fuss made of them, people tend to skimp on Christmas birthdays because everything else is already so overwhelming and expensive.

And a top tip, another woman I knew had a birthday near Christmas and it really really really bothered her that people always wrapped her birthday presents in Christmas paper. She was so touched if someone remembered to use non Christmas wrapping paper.

It can be fine IF you plan ahead. It will be a problem if you don't.

My daughter's birthday is between Xmas and NYE. It's absolutely fine - we generally have a party with her friends mid-early December and then an extended family based celebration on her actual birthday. Two cakes - she loves it! Helps that all the extended family are fine about not combining presents / using Xmas wrap on the birthday presents.

This, a million times over.

I was born just after Christmas and I love it. It’s an excuse to continue the celebrations once the ‘big day’ is over and I’ve never resented it. My only pet peeve is that people have been known to send me a Christmas card with a ‘p.s happy birthday’ written in, instead of an actual birthday card!

There are a few in my family. Half birthdays are a good idea for all winter born children. My brother and I have winter birthdays but the year we got bikes they were bought at the start of the summer holidays and just a token present on the day.

Keep Xmas and birthday separate in some way. I like the idea of Xmas in the morning and Bday in the afternoon.

One of my relatives as a child they had a sort of cardboard tree to display Xmas cards and birthday cards were displayed.

One problem is other people giving one present for both Xmas and Bday, the half birthday sorts that.

I am a Christmas eve baby and It's a bit rubbish tbh. As a young kid I didn't mind too much as my mum made a real effort and hosted parties at our house mid December. It must have been a pain, cos it's extra life stress at a really busy time of year. I did have a party in an old tin mine, when I was 10, that really stands out as the best party ever. It's apparently drier and more accessible for in the winter.

As a teenager it was crap. My friends couldn't really celebrate with me on the day, as they were with their family and most clubs are closed on X mas eve.

As an adult its much improved, my birthday lunch is the official start of Christmas proper. All Christmas prep has to be done before then so my whole family is relaxed. Hubby takes on more of the patenting for the day, not an easy task with two over excited kids.

My bday is 30th Dec and i’ve always hated it!

The biggest challenge is birthday parties, as a child no one is available in the run up to Christmas so we always end up booking things very early December. In terms of presents, we’ve found people actually make more of an effort to make sure my son has separate birthday and Christmas presents, so that’s never been an issue. We also make sure to have a family day out that doesn’t have a Christmas theme, so we’ve done things like the zoo, or a football match. The hard bit is trying to think of different presents to buy at the same time of year, but we’ve always managed. My daughter’s birthday is mid January too, that’s easier as we get Christmas out of the way then see what she got for Christmas and buy her anything she didn’t get. As a pre-teen we haven’t struggled with children been available for a party late January, it’s actually nice to have something to look forward to post Christmas. The other challenge we’ve had with both children is that it’s the time of year for seasonal germs. We once had to rearrange a party as we all had covid, and another where half the children couldn’t come as there was an outbreak of norovirus at school (we made the best of it and opened up the invite to siblings of those who were unaffected, so it was still a good party), but that’s just another joy of the time of year!

My birthday is v close to Christmas. It is what it is. You can’t control it or change it so why would you worry about it?

The degree to which its an issue depends on how you as a family manage it.

Its at worst an inconvenience not a disaster though. You are overthinking something which you have no control over. Its not worth the grief.

I’m on the 28th of December and I LOVE IT! Almost everyone of family/friends is off during that period, I get Christmas gifts and then soon after, birthday gifts.

No point worrying. Make a big fuss of their birthday each year, hold a party a week or two before or after and ensure they have a family tea party or similar as well on their actual birthday with a fuss, cake, presents - all the works.

Or do as PP suggests and do a half birthday party in the summer, but provided you adequately recognise it and it’s not overshadowed by Christmas on the day, your child will be fine.

DH (who is a twin) has a birthday near Christmas. He and his twin said it got a bit tedious when they were kids and people would say, 'heres's a gift, it's a combined gift for you both...and it covers both birthday and Christmas " - and they'd assume it would be something substantial, but if fact it was just people being really tight.

My brother has a birthday on Christmas day, was never an issue though, and my mother also gave him gifts on 25th June to make up for it.

It's a bit of a daft thing to worry about really. There are downsides to lots of birthday times - mine seemed a great time of year when I was little but I hated it as a teen because it was in exam season.
I actually sat two A level papers on my 18th birthday.

My nephew was born on Xmas Eve and it always meant a lovely family party when everyone was around & off work. He had a sort of half birthday thing when he was little but has been fine with when his birthday is as he has got older.

My son is born very close to xmas and it's fine! he loves it! i used to take the tree down for his birthday so it was all about his birthday but he asked me to leave it up a few years ago so we do! he loves always being off school for his bday and we have his party in early Jan. He has one friend sleep over on his actual birthday and we go the cinema or bowling etc on that day. The only negative is the house gets overwhelmed with presents - although less as he's got older

My DD’s birthday is the 21st. It can be a bit of a pain in the neck sometimes- but when she was little she always had her party on midsummer day (her birthday being midwinter) and a family treat on her actual birthday. I do remember her very first Christmas- we brought her home on Christmas Eve and she and I set up camp on the sofa and DP and my mum brought presents and delicious food all day. It was lovely. Apart from my first post birth poo-which happened during the Queen’s Speech. I could just hear it from the downstairs loo. I don’t think I ever felt the same about the Queen again!

So don’t worry, honestly. It’s not a big deal-even if it feels like one now.