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Original poster

Those december birthdays are upon us!

62 replies

Flibbertyjibbet · 15/12/2008 12:27

(for xmas please read Christmas for any pedants out there!)

DS1's 4th birthday party yesterday. Actual birthday on 18th.
Last year only the ils gave him birthday pressies wrapped in xmas paper. He was a nightmare on xmas day because he had thought all the tree pressies were for him, and I wondered if having birthday pressies wrapped in xmas paper had contributed to that. So I hinted that could they please not do it again.

Yesterday mil brought birthday pressie wrapped in inside out xmas paper with a 'merry xmas' gift tag.
SIl gave him a birthday pressie in full on xmas paper with father xmas gift tag.

I gritted my teeth and thanked them graciously cos I am a good compromising kinda dil.

TOday I took the xmas pressies they had also brought with them, and went to put them away till we put the tree up after the birthday.

SIL has wrapped ds1's xmas pressie in plain brown paper and written on it in felt tip
'sorry ran out of xmas wrapping paper'.

!!!

THATS BECAUSE YOU USED IT ON HIS BIRTHDAY PRESENT YOU MUPPET!!!!

(last year I just had to grin and bear it. This year she has a baby's 1st birthday on 6th Jan. xmas wrapping paper is waiting....)

OP posts:
NotDoingTheHousework · 15/12/2008 12:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

AndATigerschickInAPearTree · 15/12/2008 12:30

That is awful!
Your poor DS. He probably doesn't care now but will they still be doing it when he's older?
A good friend's birthday is on the 17th. She used to get really upset if Christmas things happened on her birthday (Carol concerts etc) and even more so when relatives gave her 'joint' presents. But at least they had the grace to give her birthday things in birthday paper!!

cory · 15/12/2008 12:31

I also have a December birthday, but I honestly cannot bring myself to care about this one. Presents are nice. Who cares about how they're wrapped?

AndATigerschickInAPearTree · 15/12/2008 12:32

I have a friend whose DS2's birthday is 20th December and DS1's is 30th.
She is very strict about keeping presents separate, and rightly so. Her DS3's birthday is in June so she uses him as an example (you wouldn't do it to him so why the other 2?) when people argue with her about it.

CarminaBanana · 15/12/2008 12:33

Young children don't really care how their presents are wrapped.
This time of year is stressful enough.
Let it go.

geordieminxpie · 15/12/2008 12:37

tight bastards

dec 29th here

Original poster
Flibbertyjibbet · 15/12/2008 12:37

!!!

It was meant to be a lighthearted op! don't have a go at me!!

This time of year is also stressful for mums who have birthdays to organise just before xmas, so we need to let off steam my moaning about wrapping paper

OP posts:
Claireykitten · 15/12/2008 12:41

My birthday is 23rd and I completely agree Xmas paper is for Xmas presents noses would be turned up if I presented them with birthday presents in xmas paper in March April August etc etc so why should I be any different why should I have to feel any less special?

FIMBOingaroundtheChristmasTree · 15/12/2008 12:44

My ds is the 9th and had his party on the 6th and yip we got presents wrapped in Christmas paper.

Dannat · 15/12/2008 12:51

I'm on the 6th and my mum is the one for doing this. I used the line about doing the same to my brother for his August birthday and was met with a pissed off look.

This year, my brother didn't even bother with a card for my birthday so shall not be receiving one damn thing, including card from me next year. Let's see how much mum likes that.

This year though, she did 'wrap' my presents in a truly awful gift bag. Presents, which I hasten to add, I chose myself

KateF · 15/12/2008 12:53

Yep, I agree with you (mine is tomorrow!). It's nice in some ways,utterly crap in others

mindalina · 15/12/2008 12:56

Well I'm biased anyway (Another Dec birthday here - Weds in fact!) but I do think it's a bit lazy and thoughtless tbh. You wouldn't do it any other time of year or for say, someone's wedding or christening - birthdays are birthdays and Christmas is Christmas - seperate occasions call for separate stuff (wrapping paper, cards, tags, gifts)

Well, that's my humble opinion, anyway

geordieminxpie · 15/12/2008 13:02

I meant it in a light-hearted way - honest!

Although I do think they are tight - I mean how much is a sheet of wrapping paper ???

mawbroon · 15/12/2008 13:07

We have loads of December birthdays in the family (including mine) and I take extra special care to make sure that they are not blurred in any way.

Christmas is christmas, and birthdays are birthdays.

Even if it was somebody's birthday on 25th, I would still make the distinction.

Ineedmorechocolatenow · 15/12/2008 13:11

I'm with you on this one. DS's is on the 8th and I absolutely INSIST on any of this 'joint presents' bullshit.

I would also be pissed off at the wrapping paper thing. The only person who did it this year, my SIL who's lovely, had bought DS a present in a huge box (his favourite present by a mile) and she'd only given birth to her DS the week before and really hadn't been able to go out and buy anything else. Of course I couldn't care less about it, but she was so apologetic... bless her.

Boco · 15/12/2008 13:11

Dds fourth birthday on 23rd - I don't think I've noticed what paper she had her presents wrapped in on previous birthdays, but yesterday dh instructed to buy xmas paper and he bought birthday paper because it was cheaper - and that made me fume! You can't wrap christmas presents in birthday paper it's silly.

Ineedmorechocolatenow · 15/12/2008 13:12

Sorry, that should read 'absolutely INSIST on none of this 'joint presents' bullshit.

Wallace · 15/12/2008 13:14

Ooops

I have been known to wrap birthday presents in christmas paper. Usually in March though

IllegallyBrunette · 15/12/2008 13:17

I have ds's birthday on the 6th and Dd2's on the 12th and as far as I can remember, neither of them have ever recieved a present wrapped in xmas paper.

They do tend to get late presents though because people tend to be so busy they totally forget about their birthdays.

Noone has ever given them a joint b'day/xmas pressie either, unless specifically requested.

harleyd · 15/12/2008 13:18

ds1 will be 10 on 24th and sofar every year people have made a big fuss of keeping birthday and xmas pressies separate
tho he's getting a wii from his granny this year as a joint birthday and xmas pressie, and it will be wrapped in half-birthday half-xmas wrapping paper

claraquistmas · 15/12/2008 13:22

My dd2 just had her first birthday and I am pleased to report no presents wrapped in Christmas paper (although I did buy some deliberately non-Christmas wrapping that I could use for both...). I am quite happy about her birthday being on the 11th as it is exactly two weeks before Christmas and will always give us a point from which we can begin to think about Christmas, decorate the house etc.

MsSparkle · 15/12/2008 13:37

My birthday is the 14th December and i can't say i ever remember getting my birthday presents wrapped in Chrsitmas paper, nor has my birthday been forgotten about being the run up to Christmas. I have never recieved a joint birthday/Christmas present either!

I realise i may be unique with this though

CarminaBanana · 15/12/2008 14:10

"This time of year is also stressful for mums who have birthdays to organise just before xmas, so we need to let off steam my moaning about wrapping paper."

Yes I know, I have two of them!
I wasn't having a go at you - just pointing out that your DC won't mind, so don't wind yourself up by worrying about it.

misshardbroom · 15/12/2008 14:15

DS1's birthday is the beginning of January and it's a rubbish time for a birthday. Especially when loads of people over the years have bought him some really crap thing that it's very obvious they have just bought in the sale because it's cheap.

And I know that makes me sound grasping and ungracious and I should be delighted that anyone would spend money on my child.... but the point is that they wouldn't do that for dd in September or ds2 in June.

Original poster
Flibbertyjibbet · 15/12/2008 14:19

Carmina- you should have been at ours last xmas when what we thought would be a lovely magical christmas with boys then ages just 3 and 1.8yo...

Whenever ANYONE else opened a present ds1 went into meltdown thinking they were opening HIS presents.

It was h-o-r-r-e-n-d-o-u-s and went on into Boxing day.

We realised later that with his party on the 16th, birthday on the 18th, nursery xmas dinner and party on the 19th, playgroup party on the 20th...

He thought the whole week of fesitivities and ALL the pressies, was just for his benefit.

We didn't put the tree up till after his birthday but still he got all confused. So this year we asked everyone to be careful to help him to see birthday and xmas as two different events. WHen he's older he will get it, but just now he needs a bit of 'help'. Hence I asked the ils to not use xmas wrapping paper, and hence my bursting out laughing at sil wrapping the xmas pres in brown paper cos she'd run out of xmas paper. When she could have wrapped his birthday pres in the brown paper!

I can't wait till 6th Jan I know she will be REALLY pissed off at me giving her dd2 a birthday gift wrapped in xmas paper [evil emoticon!]

OP posts: