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Christmas

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Original poster

Does your DC have a birthday within 2 weeks of christmas?

74 replies

MrsJamin · 12/10/2008 09:48

DS was born just after New Year this year, so his birthday is just after Christmas. I can imagine this might be an issue for years to come (know a few people as adults who still have issues with it!) so would like to gather tips on how to handle it! So:

  • do you get or encourage others to get just one present between birthday and christmas?
  • do you wait until the sales to get DC's birthday present if after christmas?
  • do you do another celebration at another time in the year as it's just too close to christmas?

Any tips from mums already been-there-done-that, please!

OP posts:
JackieNoHeadJustABloodyStump · 12/10/2008 09:51

DS is 3 days before Christmas, DD is early Jan, so we have this. Definitely NO joint Christmas/birthday presents - not until they're old enough to understand it, and if they want something bigger (prob teenage years, but we're a long way off that yet). I don't wait till the sales. Buy when I see what they want. And I tend to leave DS's party till after New Year, as I figure it'll be difficult to book anywhere that close to Christmas, and people might be away/busy etc.

Feenie · 12/10/2008 09:58

Ds is 4 days before Christmas, mine is 4 days after! I do the same as my Mum:

-separate birthday presents
-party
-summer present, cos it's a bloody long time between birthdays and Christmas for a child!

I can honestly say that I was never bothered about having a birthday on 29th, and never felt I missed out. Doesn't stop me feeling guilty for inflicting the same fate on my ds though!
My mum reports an occasion when I was very young, and came home from someone's July birthday party crying, because they didn't have a Christmas tree and I always had one at my party!

SqueakyPop · 12/10/2008 10:01

We have one three weeks after Christmas and another three weeks before.

We have always done separate presents - now something fairly boring like clothing (or cash). Our other kids are treated similarly.

Buy the present after Christmas for the new year child.

Nemoandthefishes · 12/10/2008 10:01

DD1s birthday is 16th dec and dd2 is 5th jan. They will be 3 and 2 this year and we have seperate birthday presents although we do tend to wait for the sales to buy dd2s present as no point in paying more.
We dont do anything through the year for them as thats not when their birthday is.

Clayhead · 12/10/2008 10:02

dd's birthday just before Christmas.

Never done joint presents.

We never actually bought her anything other than a token until this year (she'll be 7) as she had so much stuff within one week. We tended to get her something in the summer instead. She didn't seem to notice this!

She loves her birthday at Christmas; we always get Christmas plates, tablecovers etc. and she really enjoys that.

Nemoandthefishes · 12/10/2008 10:02

oh and we spend more on a birthday present than we do on christmas as there is so much stuff around on chrismtas day.

geordieminx · 12/10/2008 10:04

My b'day is 4 days after xmas.

Never had any joint presents, not that I can remember anyways. Mum didnt have much money when I was a kid but I always had a proper "birthday" - completely seperate from xmas.

Not sure about getting presents in the sales. If it was me, and I could afford it I would buy the stuff as and when I see it. It depends how far after xmas though and whether you are going to be shopping/stand a chance of getting anything decent in the sales.

Even though mines was so close to xmas I always had a party - think it was always on my birthday too... I think most other parents were glad to get rid of their kids for an hour or 2 . Once I got a bit older.. 7/8 mum used to take me and a couple of friends to the pantomime which was always good.

Only thing I didnt like about my birthday was never being able to have a party in the garden/outside type things.

Best bit was once I got to 16 18, I used to finish work a few days before xmas, and spend xmas, my birthday and new year in one drunken stupore.

shootfromthehip · 12/10/2008 10:06

My brother was 16th Dec and always had party and expected seperate X-mas/ b-day presents. DS is beginning of Jan too and we keep it low-key and buy in the sales. That said he is little and we will have to make it a bigger deal when he is older. We do expect two presents .

glasgowgal · 12/10/2008 10:10

Ds just into New Year. I alwyas buy his birthday present before Christmas. Sometimes I don't decide until last minute what to give for birthday or Christmas. I would never dream of celebrating his birthday midway through the year. This is his time, his special day. It was frosty and dark when he was born. It would be wierd to remember that on a roasting day in July. In saying that, last year he got a bike for his birthday that was a litlle big as I knew by the summer he would need it.

Original poster
MrsJamin · 12/10/2008 10:13

So has anyone ever bought a combined present for your DC and you felt a bit embarrassed by it? Just wondering what I would do!
I'm thinking of keeping christmas as a stocking and practical-present time (e.g. clothes) whereas you get something really good for your birthday - otherwise surely they just get lots of toys all at once and a few months down the line they are bored of them all and have to wait months and months until suddenly they have lots of toys again? If DS gets quite a bit I was thinking of hiding some bits and then giving them to him again in the summer!

OP posts:
DumbledoresGirl · 12/10/2008 10:15

My birthday is New Years Eve and my second son's birthday is the 21st December. On answer to your questions:
yes I and my son have always had separate presents (though there is the potential for linking them eg a games console and games)

yes, I think my family do often buy me things after Christmas in the sales, although there is something to be said for getting all the presents in one go before the events

no, we have never celebrated my birthday or ds2's at any other time of the year.

seeker · 12/10/2008 10:15

My dd's birthday is December 21st. We do a family celebration on the day - usually lunch out and the cinema just her, ds, dp and me. Then she has her party in late January/early Febuary - her friends always look forward to this as it's nice to have something nice in a pretty dull part of the year. THEN (!) she has her two best friends from playgroup (she's 12 now and she's known them all her life) for tea on June 21st - her half birthday and midsummer day. She gets 1 present then - always something that she needs - she got her micro scooter one year because it was more useful then than in the winter, a paddling pool ditto - she got her phone for staring secondary school that sort of thing. Sounds complicated, but it works!

bogie · 12/10/2008 10:21

My birthday is the 18th of dec and ds' is new years day so both 1 week away from christmas.
When I was growing up it used to really piss me off when my family would ask what I wanted for christmas and if it was somthing that was farly expensive they would say oh well thats for you christmas and birthday presant where as my brother would get somthing that was the same price as my presant and get a birthday presant aswell.
I never made a big fuss but it was really unfair, We won't be doing the same with ds treat it as two compleatly seprate days.
Oh and people were always busy on my birthday shoppig and rushing around so whenever I had a party loads of people said they couldn't make it as they were busy that used to make me mad.

herbietea · 12/10/2008 10:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

glasgowgal · 12/10/2008 10:24

No one has ever given ds a joint present. he might want that when he is older but not now. When ds was small, I used to put some of the things away and pull them out randomly through the year ( not on another special day). Now he is older, he almost does by himself. I never get him clothes for either. Other people do, as they do for my othre children but if you wnat his birthday to be the same as his friends' at other times of the year, I think ( as he gets older) he should get a toy.

DumbledoresGirl · 12/10/2008 10:24

Seeker, I couldn't do that with my 21st December boy because his older brother has his birthday on 21st June!

Heifer · 12/10/2008 10:25

DD birthday is 20th Dec, and I have to admit that I asked family NOT to buy joint presents from the start.

We don't put up any Christmas decorations until 21st (after her birthday) to keep her day special.

I did think about doing the 2nd birthday thing in the summer, but tbh don't feel the need, it just takes a little more planning to sort it out at the right time.

There may be a time when we buy the major present during the summer but haven't so far.

seeker · 12/10/2008 10:38

Wow, Dumbledoresgirl, two Solstice babies! You must be very special!

seeker · 12/10/2008 10:38

Wow, Dumbledoresgirl, two Solstice babies! You must be very special!

DumbledoresGirl · 12/10/2008 10:54

Twice over!

The only thing I find with having a child with a Christmas birthday is that it can be difficult to buy them summery, outdoorsy type presents. EG ds1 with his summer birthday has received far more cricket sets, bicycle accessories, kites, water pistols etc than ds2 with his Christmas birthday.

fullmoonfiend · 12/10/2008 10:55

yup, 23rd. really expensive! And DH is 10th and my mother is 8th...
Ds used to think all the lights and decorations were specially for him because it was his birthday

seeker · 12/10/2008 11:39

I found the concept to exciting my finger twitched!

That's why we started the "half-birthday" idea - who needs a paddling pool in December? But I can see this is difficult for you - I suppose if you gave your summer born a half birthday in December it would sort of defeatt he object!

Mind you it means that ds has to have a half birthday too - and he was born in February!

BeauticianNotMagician · 12/10/2008 12:20

My ds1 birthday is on Christmas Eve.I have made sure from the start that he doesnt get any joint presents.So far he has had a family tea at home on his birthday.

This year im taking him to a theme park with my ex a week before his birthday and then we will have the usual tea on his actual birthday.

In the future i think i will hold any birthday parties a week before his birthday and just continue having a tea on his actual birthday.

expatinscotland · 12/10/2008 12:24

Dd2 is 10 December.

No, no one present between bday and xmas. That's shitty when you're a little kid.

She gets a full on celebration even if it's close to Xmas.

lilymolly · 12/10/2008 12:28

dd early jan
def NO joint presents
we have a party for her also a tea party for family and this year for the first time (3rd birthday) we will have a childrens party too.