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.

MIL was born on Xmas Eve. She doesn't love it to be honest. Her birthday gets swamped by Xmas.

Recently (in her eighties) she's started having a birthday celebration in June.

As others have said there's nothing you can do it about it.

We are a December birthday house.
DD was born on NYE and she absolutely loves it. She loves that every one is celebrating and there's fireworks etc. We have a tradition of all going to a panto on her birthday.
DS and I both have a birthday during the week before Christmas. We basically have two weeks of presents and cake and celebration. It's a really special time of year for our household and I wouldn't change it. You'll always find ways of making it special whenever it falls.

Just focus on having a healthy, well cared for baby.

My birthday is Christmas Day.
parents never threw a party because they didn’t have the money, but I did get double the amount of presents.

We opened our Christmas presents in the morning altogether and then my birthday presents in the afternoon. I loved and love being a Christmas Day baby. It feels so special & exciting. Christmas was always a big thing in our household.

Not having a party didn’t bother me, but not having a cake did! My DH makes up for that now and even as an adult I still get double the presents from everyone. The difference I would say is now I’m an adult, it’s a quick ‘Happy Birthday’ in the morning and then it’s like it was never my birthday. 🤣 doesn’t bother me
though as I have children to share my birthday/Christmas with.
One of Whom was born on NYD. So also has a special birthday. They get a party every year. Obviously not on the day, but imagine when they’re of age to go out partying NYE into their birthday. The excitement will be through the roof 😄

My daughters birthday is the 30th of December......she's always been given the option of having smaller presents of her actual birthday and big gifts / a party half way through the year. She always opted for all her gifts on her actual birthday so we just have a meal out or takeaway. She's never had a party because of the risk of people not turning up at that time of year. 😬 But would have friends and all of our family out for a meal instead.

Not much you can do about it now OP.

In my experience (having a Christmas day baby) the ward was very quiet because no elective c-sections were scheduled, which was a bonus. Also they were having a Christmas pizza party for the midwives so we had any amazing number of staff when there was a bit of an emergency! Baby was delivered by Bob who still had his Santa hat on, at which point I briefly let go of my grip on reality 😁

It’s a bit late to be worrying about it now!

I think it’s fine, the family just has to start flexing their traditions so that any child born at that time does feel special for their day.

The party far from the birthday could happen to an August born too.

My brother is 2nd Jan which isn’t a great day, as people are really done with celebrating. An actual festive day would be preferable I think!

Mines the first few days of January. As a kid never had parties as such but it always felt so close to Christmas. As I became a teenager I always asked if the Christmas stuff could be taken down beforehand. That way it felt a separation. To be fair it's more a PITA as an adult.

I have two friends with this. One of them has had summer parties ever year since she was a kid and her birthday is close family. The other didnt do that but says she loves it because it’s a magical event in the “in between” days and always felt magical and special in the twinkly lights.
I know people with summer Birthdays who hate them.
You make it special for them and make the traditions work.

Sibling's birthday is Christmas Day. It was always more fun if anything when growing up

You’re asking how bad it is, what about how good it is? Why home in on all the negatives about this? You have to embrace it from day one! It’s so exciting!
There is nothing to be gained from worrying about this when you know that you can’t control it!

I have a NYD baby and a Boxing day baby.

Its only an issue for other people!

Kids are not bothered, dont feel hard done by, it is what it is.

Only a big deal if you make it one.

I have a Christmas Eve DC.
It’s fine, we make it special.
DC is a teen, and usually goes out with friends to celebrate on the last day of term, instead of actual birthday. But most people would celebrate the nearest weekend rather than their actual birthday, whenever in the year it was.

And their actual birthday is always celebratory - we are very often with family, which is lovely. There’s always a birthday cake and a family meal out - we can take advantage of festive party menus.

We have never had any joint Christmas and birthday presents - everyone always makes sure they are separate and wrapped in different paper.
We started a tradition of a brightly wrapped extra birthday present and card beside their stocking from Father Christmas, and that is now one of the most cherished birthday traditions, and has meant all the other children in the extended family have grown up to consider a Christmas birthday the height of good fortune!

One very slight issue is that where I work, Christmas Eve is a popular annual leave request, so I sometimes have to work until mid afternoon, though DH’s workplace is closed on Christmas Eve, so he is always around. But then, I’m often at work on other DC’s birthday, and they are usually at school, so it’s not much different.

It sounds like all you lovely mums have it happily sorted out. Having a summer birthday sounds a lovely idea.
And in reality OP....what are you going to do about you baby arriving around Christmas ?

My DM was born on Xmas Day and I was born on New Year's Day.

Worst part is the cheapskates who give "combined" Xmas and birthday presents and not having a celebration on your actual b'day 'cos everybody's doing other things.

Consequently, neither of us ever had a "birthday party" as such.

My niece's birthday is 2 days after Christmas and she never gets many birthday presents, I always make sure to get her one but many family members don't, or they get her a more expensive Xmas present and say it's a combined birthday present.

My DD was due on Christmas Day and wasn’t born till 11h Jan!

My DD has a Christmas birthday but she loves it. We just have different traditions on her birthday. Try not to overthink it, there can be birthday pitfalls at most times of the year. You can make up your own traditions to make it special over time. Being one of the oldest in the class is a good thing I think, mine was really ready for school. Also a Christmas and Jan/Feb post partum period was really nice and cosy. It felt like the perfect time of year to hibernate indoors with boxsets just breastfeeding and sleeping and not feeling I should be out and about with her or was missing anything. Then as my DD grew more aware and mobile we moved into spring and summer so she seemed to grow with the seasons.

I have a 1st Jan born secondary school kid. Due 24th Dec. I was more worried he'd be born 25th or I'd be in hospital for Xmas as he is my second so I had a 4yr old at home.

We did mid January school friends birthday parties basically once the kids were back at school so birthday things drag through to then. Sometimes difficult to get a family get together as noone wants to drive on the 1st and often back at work on the 2nd. But tbh its probably no more difficult than my August born who's birthday often falls on/close to August bank holiday.

My son's BD is between Xmas and NY and honestly it is a bit shit, mostly when he was younger. Hard to plan parties with bad weather and yes he sometimes got the shit presents people had got for xmas (once got a stencil book with one oage colored in!). No one wants to go out between xmas and NY etc. Now as an older teen I dont think it bothers him at all and he likes the extra presents he gets, I always get him a football shirt and some more aftershave for his birthday. When younger hed get a second lego set etc. Id put it in the mildly irritating category rather than something to be really upset about though, and even if hes born on Xmas Day you'll make your own traditions.

I know a couple of parents with kids born Boxing Day and they love it because they will always be off work on their child’s birthday to celebrate

my little girl was due on the 1st of January but came on the 12th December. I wouldn’t worry about it until you’ve gave birth on one of those days x

My youngest son and my niece were both NYE babies (my son was due 23rd Dec, my niece was due 6th Jan). Since he was around 5 we have held a big house party each year where our friends and their children (who are friends with our kids) come round and we stay up til whenever the last person leaves (usually by 3am). I’ve always bigged up how it’s a GREAT day for a birthday as everyone will always be up for a party/night out when he gets older! We’ve never had issues with people doing combined Xmas/birthday gifts. We did do birthday parties when he was little, normally about a week late so the kids were back at school. One year we waited til the summer as he wanted a “Fortnite in real life” party and we needed time to get everything we needed, plus hoped for weather that would allow them to do it outside. But I must admit, we didn’t do as many parties as we perhaps should have done, but he never seemed fussed about it.

It will be what it will be. I was very stressed about it and the only thing I hoped was it wouldn’t be a Xmas day birthday! Try not to worry, it won’t change anything anyway.