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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
woollyjo · 15/12/2008 14:22

Dh on the 17th, sis on the 21st, dd on the 22nd phew! separate cakes, separate cards, separate gifts. It wouldn't be fair to do it any other way AND I think I have to take some responsibility for dd being born so close to xmas (fgrin)

DandyLioness · 15/12/2008 14:29

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Notintheknow · 15/12/2008 14:35

Thanks for this thread. My DD will be one on Christmas Day. This has given me a bit of an insight into the shape of things to come...

Original poster
Flibbertyjibbet · 15/12/2008 14:43

See you on the aibu next year then Notintheknow

OP posts:
squeaver · 15/12/2008 14:48

I can't get over people wrapping birthday presents in Christmas paper. It's not like the shops stop stocking birthday paper in December is it?

My dd's birthday is 7th Dec and my dh is 2nd Jan so I know what it's like trying to cope with all the presents but I would NEVER do joint presents or wrap in Christmas paper!

DesperateHousewifeToo · 15/12/2008 15:00

I have made a concerted effort to buy wrapping paper that is not obviously christmassy. That way I can wrap birthday and xmas presents without worrying too much about upsetting all the people we know with birthdays near xmas.

I know quite a few people with birthdays on xmas day. That must be a very difficult day to have as your birthday. (It was also my grandparents wedding anniversary on xmas day!)

purlease · 15/12/2008 15:04

Also choices are massively restricted on birthday cards in December.

Mine is Wednesday - when I was young I looked forward to my friends going home from my party because that was when we put up our christmas tree.

At university I used to use the Christmas Ball at the students union as my personal party where I would run around telling all the gorgeous blokes that it was my birthday and get birthday kisses.

I did get a bit of the Happy birthday and happy christmas thing when I was given presents although sometimes that meant I got a bigger combined present.

It has its ups and its downs. I imagine January is worse or just after Christmas when everyone is broke.

Clayhead · 15/12/2008 15:07

DHT, my grandparents had their wedding anniversary on Christmas Day too! They were married in 1941.

dd's birthday is this week, she is very excited.

herbietea · 15/12/2008 15:09

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navyeyelasH · 15/12/2008 15:10

Mines the 23rd, do you think I can ever go out for a nice meal with my DP?

Or for a drink with friends without every bar being rammed

[sigh]

MotherChristmas2OliverJames · 15/12/2008 15:13

Ds's birthday is the 28th, i hope that people dont do that (it his his first birthday so havent yet found out)

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

For those missing my point:

SIL wrapped ds1's birthday pressie in xmas paper.
She wrapped his xmas pressie in nice plain brown paper and wrote across it 'sorry run out of xmas paper'.

I was commenting on what a twerp my sil is!

OP posts:
herbietea · 15/12/2008 15:24

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Original poster
Flibbertyjibbet · 15/12/2008 15:42

No, sorry, she is not getting off that lightly!

My detective skills tell me She bought his xmas present intending to give it him for xmas and I know that cos as ds2's is exactly the same shape and size I would say she has got them the same thing.

How long ago would she have to buy his birthday present to only have xmas paper available...... last boxing day ?

OP posts:
abraid · 15/12/2008 15:45

I am a late Dec. birthday and couldn't care less what paper is used. Nor did I as a child--I was more interested in what was inside.

herbietea · 15/12/2008 15:50

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Original poster
Flibbertyjibbet · 15/12/2008 16:00

I think I notice what paper has been used, because if the birthday was at any other time of year, and you just used whatever was to hand at the time (ie xmas paper at xmas time) then there would be a lot of mums moaning that relatives give their child a pressie wrapped in last nights fish and chip paper

I Can't wait to give her dd the xmassy wrapped birthday present on 6th Jan. I just KNOW that sil will pull a face about it....

OP posts:
DandyLioness · 15/12/2008 16:01

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Original poster
Flibbertyjibbet · 15/12/2008 16:16

I have to knock all this 'she went to effort to choose a gift' stuff on the head!!

The present in question was a pair of size 6 spiderman slippers. ds1 takes size 11. Her 4 yo dd is smaller than ds1 and in a size 7. So its the usual thing of just grabbing something, shouting 'this'll do' and wrapping it in last nights fish and chip paper xmas paper.

He may not have noticed the paper, but he really did notice that the slippers hurt his feet when he tried to wear them

OP posts:
bramblebooks · 15/12/2008 16:23

My ds1's birthday is on the 23rd. We try so hard to make it a special day amidst all the hecticness of the season. I get annoyed at the excuses for crap/absent presents due to time of year .

herbietea · 15/12/2008 16:41

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smurfgirl · 15/12/2008 16:46

My DH's birthday is the 28th and I bought birthday paper yesterday, there was loads in W H Smiths and Tescos and Morrisons...I don't really understand why you wouldn't use birthday paper really.

DH doesn't really care about his birthday though, he says its lost in Christmas anyway so why bother. Mind you, he is also determined that when we have a baby it won't be born in December or January so make of that what you will...

auntyspan · 15/12/2008 17:04

My birthday is on the 28th and I always get joint presents, always have done, always will do I suspect.

When I was a kid my friends always forgot about my party, so my mum always organised it when term started in January.

It skips by now I'm an adult as a) there's usually no-one around and b) people are too skint / hungover.

But you know what? I don't care! I'm v used to it now, and there are bigger things to get worked up about. As long as Dh doesn't forget! On the upside, I'm NEVER in work

DandyLioness · 15/12/2008 17:05

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Heifer · 15/12/2008 17:18

My DDs birthday is 20th December and I have to admit that I usually wrap her presents in Christmas paper!...

I always insisted on NO joint present with family members but now we have moved away and won't be seeing many of them before Christmas it will be interesting to see what they get for her.

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