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Christmas

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Christmas Eve birthday / Christmas birthdays

25 replies

WaitingForSunday17 · 08/09/2018 22:43

Dd has a birthday on Christmas Eve. She will be 3 this year.
It’s a lot having a birthday so close to Christmas and it kinds of takes the shine off Christmas I think. Like - here’s some stuff, oh you haven’t really had chance to look at it but here’s some more stuff the day after.
Feels a bit overload? Plus the excitement all seems a bit much too and everyone is busy Christmas Eve so I was thinking of doing her birthday a full week beforehand - I mean she won’t know will she? However MiL is insisting on celebrating her birthday on the proper day and I guess I do feel a little weird about ignoring the actual day itself even though dd won’t know or care. I feel weird about the day anyway because dd was 7 weeks prem and she was actually really ill the day she was born. It was not a good Christmas.
What do others with Christmas birthdays or children with Christmas birthdays do?

OP posts:
speedymum1968 · 09/09/2018 06:47

My dd birthday is Christmas Eve we have always held a family party on the day great way for everyone to see each other over Christmas. No one mentions Christmas until the evening it's her birthday. We told her when she was young how lucky she was to have presents that day when everyone else has to wait a day.
We also held her parties about a week before for friends parenhtsloved to leave their children for a couple of hours to do their shopping when the children where old enough to be left just send invites early enough
I wouldn't worry as long as you make the day about her birthday and forget Christmas for a few hours she will have a great day.

stoneriverpuddle · 09/09/2018 06:52

Another here whose daughter will be 3 on Christmas Eve. I make her day all about her birthday, birthday banners everywhere, a small family tea party normally but we are going out for lunch this year with a soft play and then cake back at mine. I hope as she gets older she won't hate having a Christmas birthday.

blackteaplease · 09/09/2018 06:53

Dd is Christmas day, we do the whole shebang a full week before for the same reasons, cake, party, presents etc. Its easier as they get older as lots of her friends are away over christmas and wouldn't be able to come to her party.
Then we have a smaller family do with extended family in the 27th which is her cousins birthday also. The second do is for grandma's benefit and I would quit happily skip it.

stellabird · 09/09/2018 06:56

My son was born on the 19th - close enough to Christmas. I always felt that he should have a "special" day, not one which was crammed in next to Christmas. He is an adult now, but all through his childhood we celebrated his birthday a month early, on 19th November.

When he was little he didn't know the difference, and once he was at school this meant that he was actually AT school, and not on holidays when we had his birthday, so he could have a party and know that his friends could come .

I'd certainly make a habit of celebrating earlier - maybe not a month like I did , but at least a week earlier. And don't put up the Christmas decorations until after the celebration - it sort of spoils the effect if you are having a birthday party and there is a tree and a pile of Christmas presents on the floor, lol.

TwoBlueShoes · 09/09/2018 06:56

My daughter is 5. She loves having a Christmas Eve birthday and thinks she's super special because of it.

We've never really done parties because DS's birthday is also a holiday time and our extended family lives far away.

I just ask the kids what they want to do. Last year, we went to a theme park for the day and had cake at home.

We don't go overboard with presents in general, so it's not overwhelming.

I wouldn't change her birthday, as it's a part of who she is.

AJPTaylor · 09/09/2018 07:01

My best friend is a xmas baby.
At 18 she moved her bday to 25th June and celebrates then.
Not much help with a 3 year old i know!

blackteaplease · 09/09/2018 07:01

I meant to say we tried splitting Christmas day and it didn't work at all.
Christmas eve isn't as bad as Christmas day. We always do an outing on Christmas eve then party food for tea and a film before bed. That could easily be shared with family at this age. You will need to consider party timings when you hit school age and firm friendships.

DeanImpala67 · 09/09/2018 07:04

My DD has a Christmas day birthday - she celebrates her birthday about a week before, usually the day when she has her party with school friends, and we call it her birthday celebration day. We also have a birthday cake on Christmas day for her though. It's a tricky one but once they're old enough they can guide you in how they want to celebrate.

mrsnec · 09/09/2018 07:10

My birthday is on the 20th. When I was growing up I remember doing as has been suggested, small gathering with family a few days before. As I got older my mum always asked me what I wanted to do eg party in the summer or at Halloween instead. I did all of these things but now just prefer celebrating on the actual day.

In our house we didn't put the decorations up until after my birthday but Xmas eve is a bit close for that!

I have a db with a July birthday and a small age gap. I used to get small gifts on his birthday too so I didn't feel left out. This was usually books and clothes.

I still get joint birthday and Xmas gifts and birthday gifts in Xmas paper and even happy birthday at Xmas cards!

I was actually due on boxing day which I always think would have been worse.

neffall · 09/09/2018 07:28

My neice was born at 23.59 on New Year's Eve. I've always suspected that they asked the midwives to fiddle the date and time of birth by a couple of minutes Grin

Sunflower40 · 09/09/2018 07:30

My DD has Christmas Eve birthday. She loves it (she's 6!) as it makes that time of year even more exciting.
We have her party the week before & family round in the day.
Our house always looks like an explosion in a toy shop, but that's half the fun of it! I tend to let her open all her presents, then on Boxing Day I put some away & gradually bring them out throughout the year. She doesn't notice & it means she gets a nice surprise later Wink I have also started asking close family for vouchers if possible & then DD can go shopping later in yr when she's wanting something.

Sevenmonkeys · 09/09/2018 08:01

My ds is a christmas day baby and we celebrate it 10 days before and call it his "fake birthday"
That way he gets the whole day about him. I know of friends that celebrate one half of the day as christmas then birthday.
It is personal preference. When ds is older he will probably want to change it and thats his choice.Smile

maggycool · 09/09/2018 08:13

@neffall, My little boy was born on New Years Day and I remember thinking on NYE 'come on, we could be the first born in 2017!' Alas, he wasn't born until late evening... 🙄😂

With regard to celebrating, we're having a party the weekend before Xmas as so he gets an actual celebration of his own.

OhTheRoses · 09/09/2018 08:19

DS was born on Christmas Day. He wil be 24 this year. His birthday is 25th December, it happened and it cannot be changed. We have always thought it rather special and have always celebrated his birthday on Christmas day. The only one he didn't get presents was the day he was born almost a month early.

Christmas day was always church (our vicar always said a few words when he was little and sang happy birthday until he was about 10, fizz and nibbles, Christmas presents, late lunch, walk or park with DH and his parents, while cleared up, 6pm birthday cake, cards and presents. It may have helped that we don't do mountains of presents at Christmas.

New Year with my parents where we did it all again. First day back at school, class sweets, first weekend his party.

When the DC were 21 and 18 they had a joint summer party.

We made his birthday special, it was special, it was the day he was born.

WaitingForSunday17 · 09/09/2018 08:39

We also have ds (9) and before dd was born Christmas Eve was the ONE day we had to ourselves over the entire Christmas and new year period. I used to cook Christmas dinner for lunch as we are never home Christmas Day and then we’d go for a walk and when we got back there’d be a box for Christmas Eve. We’d watch a festive film and then put stuff out for Santa and it was lovely. So I still want to do some of that...but then I feel that detracts from dd’s birthday if we celebrate on Christmas Eve which makes me think we should celebrate her birthday a few days earlier. Then the other part of me can’t imagine not celebrating her birthday ON her birthday.

I don’t know! I’m really torn even though at 3 it probably doesn’t even matter!

OP posts:
cbristmasisruined · 09/09/2018 08:44

My friends with a NYE baby celebrate earlier. Their son helps pick when he'd like his party etc. One year it was a month before (24 Nov), one year he decided to have a big summer birthday party before school broke up!

Bumbumtaloo · 09/09/2018 13:33

My dd’s is the 28th, she loves having a Christmas birthday.

We have always celebrated her birthday on her birthday from her 1st birthday. She has had parties on the actual day too lots of her school friends came, guess their parents have been glad of a couple of hours peace Grin dd2 birthday is later in the year and on the years she’s had a party that dd1 hasn’t dd1 has invited some of her friends to the party - it’s quite lovely actually dd1’s friends buy her presents and give her un-birthday cards.

Last year we didn’t have any parties or huge celebrations on their actual birthdays they chose a joint day out and so we waited for the summer to do that. They have both asked for the same this year.

AnyFarrahFowler · 09/09/2018 14:02

Christmas birthday are special but they can be tricky. My Grandad always used to say how, when he was little, people gave him a birthday gift on Dec 21st and said “and that’s your Christmas present too” - so mean!
My DD is November and my DS is January so it does feel like present-overload for 3 months and then nothing for the rest of the year. We’ve started buying outdoor toys for the garden in June/July and saying they are half-birthday presents. Particularly as, developmentally, they are ready for new, more stimulating toys before their birthday.

Alanamackree · 10/09/2018 07:00

My friend at school was a Christmas Day baby and always celebrated her “half birthday” on June 25th instead. I remember pestering my mum for a half birthday too and making cards for myself when she resolutely ignored my half and quarter birthdays Grin

egdehsdrawkcab · 10/09/2018 07:07

Another one with DD turning 3 on Christmas Eve. I think we'll do her party (first one this year) the weekend before for nursery friends, plus a family get together on Christmas Eve. It's a busy time of year anyway but I'll at least get the cake etc done for the party the week before.

Aprilshowersnowastorm · 10/09/2018 07:08

Dd's is NYE, whole family go to the local Chinese buffet!!
She loves it tbh.
And when she gets to 18 and can go out and celebrate she def will!!

BiddyPop · 10/09/2018 11:11

DD was born on 26th December. We always have her birthday on 26th, with cake (and usually candles - it's a sensory thing that some years she's already on overload so candles can cause a meltdown if done wrong, so we may not).

DD gets to choose her cake in M&S on Christmas Eve most years, although a couple of years I have actually baked it at home (while I do bake, Christmas is normally chaotic enough to have me wanting to not "have to" bake on Boxing Day). We usually have some sort of gathering, either at home or in the house we have rented (if we travel to our DPs and DPILs at Christmas, we rent a cottage normally) - or in on of our DPs/DPILs houses if necessary (we try to avoid that one though, as there are already 2 matriarchs there and neither wants to accept the other's hospitality....).

If we are "down home" (i.e. visiting extended family), then it is a slightly more formal party time - specific start time although can be very staggered departures between DGPs staying a couple of hours and DAunts/DUncles settling in for the evening.

If we are in our own house, we have an "open house" afternoon for neighbours and any family who will travel. Mulled wine and nibbles, and DD gets cake at a suitable point. Some neighbours tend to come early afternoon and stay for an hour/2, while others have family commitments and come in later (time varies depending on how their extended family meal goes) but can stay very late (very relaxed!). DD gets her presents from us in the morning then, and cake some time in late afternoon/early evening.

And we always give a birthday present separate to Christmas presents, and a card. It can vary with others - some joint, some separate, some only 1 (for 1 or other), and some do different things different years.

BiddyPop · 10/09/2018 11:13

Oh, and her party for friends is always after they go back to school in January, or later.

So the weekend after they went back worked well a good few times.

In later years, she has wanted specific outdoor activities, so that has meant early summer events. And we've not called it a birthday party, just a party.

And a couple of years, while she wanted outdoor events, life was absolutely way too hectic and time slipped away so there was no friends party (but she hadn't pushed terribly hard those years as there were problems with friends at school).

Lindy2 · 10/09/2018 11:22

My birthday is Christmas Eve. I always had my party a week early. I quite liked it as it was a nice build up to the actual day and before Christmas stuff started to take over.
We always had a special birthday tea on Christmas eve though.
I actually quite liked my Christmas eve birthday. I was always on school holidays and 2 days of presents is fab.
As an adult it's not so great as we have family stay for Christmas so I seem to spend a lot of my birthday making sure other people are ok and have meals etc. We still do a special restaurant birthday meal for me a week before Christmas though to make sure there is a non Christmassy day where we celebrate.

EmilyRosiEl · 12/09/2018 13:12

Could you celebrate on her due date or on the date that she came home from the hospital? Maybe in addition to one/two presents on 24th Dec?

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