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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

How do you deal with birthdays close to christmas?

75 replies

tinytotmummy · 12/11/2006 20:33

My dd will be 2 on New Years Day, and although this year I know she won't completely understand, I just wondered how to manage the whole present thing with so much in one week? Is there anyone with any good tips as to what I could do in the future, and also is it a terrible thing to buy a joint birthday and xmas present? What happens with parties when they get older? Any tips/advice would be great

OP posts:

Ruth2808 · 14/11/2006 09:43

My DS turns 3 on 3rd Jan. I have always made sure that it is a seperate thing. We make sure we take down the Christmas decorations on New Years Day just so he knows it's something different. We're planning to have a party aswell not sure which day to pick though. He has an older brother who is a Feb birthday so I'd feel awful if he started comparing his birthday with his brothers and found it treated any differently.

fortyplus · 14/11/2006 10:05

Funny thing about the decs - ds1 LOVES having the Christmas decs up for his birthday - we put up a Happy Birthday banner and some balloons as well but he thinks it's really special to have the house looking so pretty on his birthday. We do have a separate playroom where we never put any Christmas cards - just the b-d cards. We do this with ds2 as well - his b-d is 7/7 and dh is 22/7 so ds2's cards can be left up for about a month in the playroom while dh's are in the other room just for a week or so.

Enid · 14/11/2006 10:08

dd1 is dec 20th

we put most of the decs up that night so when she comes down on the morning after her birthday ta da! it is christmas.

no xmas wrapping.

trip to the panto with her mates makes a very lovely birthday treat - her friends and her friends parents also look forward to this (means THEY don't have to take them )

3xamum · 14/11/2006 10:45

Oh how I hated having a January birthday when I was a kid! Mum & Dad were always skint after xmas. So i would like it to be a bit different for my DS2 who will be 1 on Jan 1st. I'm determined that it will be seperate pressies for xmas & birthday & party when the new term starts (when he is school age). At least he will have cracking new years eves when he is older!! My partner on the other hand who is also Jan birthday, well us two will be moaning that we can't afford to buy for each other - ah the joys of parenthood!

Everhopeful · 14/11/2006 11:32

Bro had both his ds within a week of Xmas, which I thought pretty careless the 2nd time! Felt sorry for them tho, always gave sep pressies, tho they didn't seem to remember that, only those who didn't. Friend of mine does her kid (bday Boxing Day) an Official Birthday in June, so they can play outside - I think that's got something going for it, being a Feb baby myself !

sophy · 14/11/2006 11:46

Haven't read the whole thread but ... my birthday is Dec 22nd, and I love it! people always remember it in terms of buying me 2 presents, and was also quite good when younger as could get big joint pressie e.g. one year got a moped. Now we regard my birthday as start of festive season and usually celebrate with lunch at a really nice restaurant with friends while someone else has the kids. DS's bday is a week earlier, usually just at start of holidays, and it is nice having his party here while the house is looking festive and I give the Mums who stay champagne and mince pies while the little ones tuck into the usual party fodder. Only prob is you have to book the entertainer about a year in advnace for December, but have got the hang of that now. Agree about keeping bday and xmas cards separate.

kando · 14/11/2006 12:18

DD1's birthday is 8 December, DD2 is 31 December. I always ask people to make "more" of their birthday than Christmas, as they always get loads and loads of stuff for Xmas anyway. This year they are having a joint birthday party. Thank goodness dd3 was born in February!

fullmoonfiend · 14/11/2006 12:27

My mum's birthday is dec 7 and my hub's is Dec 10. Ds2 is Dec 23rd. My only problem is cash flow at that time of the year, especially when it is a milestone birthday (like dh's 4oth, followed by my mum's 60th!)

All the above w/r paper, separate pressies etc. We have always managed a bloody good party for ds (most people are very grateful for something for their kids to do on 23rd of december ime so we've always had full turn out.
DS love the decs but I make sure xmas cards are on the wall and birthday cards are on the mantlepiece. Our front room DOES look very cluttered by this stage LOL.

And Sagiatrians and Capricorns are very nice people So have fun!

PomsMum · 14/11/2006 12:37

DD1's b/day is Boxing Day - she'll be 2, since she was born we've adopted an alternative b/day in June (exactly 6 months later) - much nicer spread of presents through the year, much nicer for parties in the summer....When she gets bigger we'll explain and hope that she approves of our choice.

Pumpkin20 · 14/11/2006 16:42

My birthday is the 20th. My parents always insisted that joint presents were not allowed. Also, they didn't put up the decorations until after my birthday to keep the two events separate. When I was older I asked that we put up the tree on my birthday as a birthday treat. it's a tradition that I still continue - the decs don't go up until after the 20th.

DH's b'day is on the 19th. He quite often got joint presents and always felt let down.

joelallie · 14/11/2006 16:52

DS#1 was born on 4th January which is horrible as it's the day the christmas decs come down and is usually the day they go back to school . I want to take the decs down the day before for it to be a new start but DS likes them to stay up. Not joint pressies ever. I always arrange the party for the following weekend so that he has something to look forward to during the first week back at school.

Alibaldi · 14/11/2006 16:52

Ds1's birthday is Dec 22 but no joint presents here either just a whole week of fun . He also had a huge party last year as all his little friends came round amazingly enough. So guess we'll try and do the same again this year as many here don't go away for Christmas as Thanksgiving is the big family event. Ds1 also celebrates again with another half birthday with his baby brother on July 2 and again more than one day of celebration as July 4 is when we get the fireworks. I stick to one big Xmas present, one birthday present from mum and dad and this year have asked for books from everyone else

loopybear · 14/11/2006 19:24

My birthday is 3rd January my Mum used to ask family and close friends to buy me a present for one and give me money for the other. She then used to divide the presents in half (we lived away from the rest of the family so always got given the presents in one go). I used to have a birthday tea with a few friends on my birthday, then I'd have a party in the summer.

VoluptuaGoodshag · 14/11/2006 19:27

Not read the whole thread but buy a huge pressie and make a big fuss. Take it from me, whose birthday is 4 January, that your DD will feel like keck if nothing is made of her big day, no matter when it is. I still bear the scars and I'm 37. It's worse when you're in your teens/older because very few of my pals ever bothered, even when it was a biggie

Socci · 14/11/2006 19:31

Message withdrawn

mrspf · 15/11/2006 05:44

My DD will be 2 on 27 Dec and we'll be having a party and making a big fuss again, even though it means some people have to travel twice in 3 days. I think you should treat them as you would if their birthday was any other time of year.

I always hated my birthday (10 Jan) as was pretty much forgotten. Brother's is 31 Dec, sister's is 2 Jan, so parents always arranged party on 1 Jan- as people often bought the same for me and sis, i knew what was coming, and generally not much as people had spent up at Christmas.

sockmonkey · 15/11/2006 09:26

fortyplus, we have same situation as you Dad's Bday 1 week before christmas, 6 family birthdays in january, plus 2 close friends.

Is it father's day 9 months before christmas or something?

TwoIfBySea · 15/11/2006 19:11

Dts will be 5 on the 29th December, we were thinking maybe next year to have a party in the middle of December so they don't feel they miss out completely. But what we usually do is to take them out somewhere special for the day, the past couple of years it has been Dynamic Earth and they want to go again this year!

My birthday is 18th December so I was used to the whole birthday/xmas cheap gift thing. They would never spend double either, it was like the birthday didn't exist. I didn't want that for dts (who were early by 1 month so timing was not my fault!)

tiredandgrumpy · 16/11/2006 09:07

My birthday is Christmas Eve. From before I can remember, my family introduced a 'half birthday' on June 24th, which is when I'd get family presents. It completely avoided any idea of joint presents, which I still maintain are a no-no unless there's something (expensive ) that I've asked for. It worked quite well - well if 2 birthdays are good enough for the Queen! I don't remember whether it was confusing when I was little, but was never an issue as I grew up. I think birthday parties were usually done in the winter - I do remember a few trips with friends to pantomimes.

My real birthday was rather nice as, being sooo close to Christmas, it ensured family were around so it was a lovely day anyway.

Now I've a son whose b-day is November 29th, I dread the double onslaught of presents at this time of year and do wish they could have been spread out a little more.

Blackduck · 16/11/2006 09:11

Joint present NO! My dps is on the 3rd of Jan and it frequently gets forgotten in the whole Xmas thing (everyone things 'oh its next year' and then forgets...) My mum buys his birthday and Xmas present at the same time and puts it away ....(I did used to get the Xmas cake re-iced for my birthday!)

kama · 16/11/2006 09:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

bijou · 16/11/2006 13:48

My DS's B'day is on the 18th of Dec. This year we had a small party with school friends on his saint's day (we're in Spain) on the 29th Sept and will have a small family thing with pressies/balloons/cake on his actual b'day.
I'm expecting DS2 in 5 weeks plus moving house at the same time so think it's the only way to stay sane! ...but may continue in years to come with the 2 DSs as it seems like a good idea.

auntymandy · 16/11/2006 13:52

my ds is 4 on christmas eve!! I am !! on new years day and my eldest ds is is 16 on 6th January.
I never buy joint presents. they have Christmas and birthdays like everyone else. Little ds got garden toys last year and will probably this year as he doesnt get anything in summer.
I got joint presants when I was older and asked for them.
Ds had his party on 18th last year as it was the nearest date ddaddy was off work. It will probably be Christmas eve this time!

titchy · 16/11/2006 15:00

Ds had it sussed from before he was born - he was due Christmas eve but decided to be 5 weeks early sensible boy!

Dh's b'day is mid December though and he HATES it. Mind you now he's over 40 he hates birthdays full stop Chsitmas cards and decorations never go up till a few days after his birthday though.

typhoonsmum · 16/11/2006 18:02

DD b'day is on 20 december. I originally thought i'd try to keep them as separate as possible. Not put deccies up till after her birthday and REFUSE joint birthday and xmas presents. (She should have two just like everyone else) As she got older I thought she is going to miss out on a lot of christmas doing things that way. I can't halt xmas outside the house so why should i inside. I still make sure she has presents wrapped in bithday paper not xmas paper and have a BIRTHDAY card not a XMAS BIRTHDAY card.

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