Holiday Babies, combo gift or separate?

[MrsDuck]

We have a few Christmas birthdays-- MIL, my mom, and, DCousin's baby is due this Friday, the 23rd!

We always give separate gifts. For DCousin's baby, they plan to have his party on his birthday or the week before, depending on the year.

DFi and I are getting married on the 22nd but it's never been an issue with the holidays!

 

[HelenePA]

Also a December baby. I used to get a lot of combo gifts, and really hated it. Everyone said, "Oh, it's a really big gift, so it's for both." But it never was. Kids know when you're cheaping out! And of course my brother had a July birthday, so by the time he was bored with his Chanukah gifts, he got new ones! Boy, did he lord that over me!

For those of us with these birthdays, this may be of interest:
http://www.thefrisky.com/2011-12-05/31-reasons-why-december-birthdays-suck/

that website described my birthdays to a tee!!

#30 People everywhere are toasting, drinking champagne, partying — only it has nothing to do with you.

 

[NHdisneylover]

My birthday is in December and both of my kids are Christmas week (the 22nd and 26th). They will be 13 and 15 this year.

I can't imagine not having birthday parties for them. OP, I am sorry to say this, and maybe your child is rather young, but I think it is really mean to not have a party just because of when they were born.

Usually we have DS's party in mid December and DD's on the first weekend after New Years. This year both will be in January. One on the weekend of the 7th and oen the following weekend (on year we had DD's on a Friday with an overnight to Saturday and DS's that same Saturday evening with an overnight to the Sunday ). We actually usually get very good attendance at parties. December parties are well attended because parents love he chance to drop off kids and shop or wrap for a few hours. January tends to be a bit of a let down after the holidays also people are happy to have something fun to do (like a party).

We always do one Christmas gift from us, one from "santa" (even now that they know better) and one birthday gift from us (in birthday wrap).

On the kids actual birthdays we do something fun as family and they get to pick where to go out for dinner and open family gifts there.

One aunt sends half birthday gifts in summer. I think that is nice from one person, but I think it would be sad if everyone did that.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

Dd's bff's birthday is between Christmas and New Years. She will get a birthday gift and from her mom actually on her birthday.

But, what I think is a great idea, is that her mom will let her pick a date either right before or right after school is out for summer and they will plan a big birthday party for her. She has had a big Hawaiian Luau, skating parties or dances. And her other relatives and the rest of her friends will bring gifts then. That way she really does get a separate birthday instead of it all being in the same month.

My dd has a friend born 12/25 and they do something similar. They celebrate her half-birthday and she has her party with friends around June 25. Her parents still give her separate birthday gifts and a birthday cake on her birthday but the big party is the half birthday. Works well for them.

 

[RadioFanatic]

My cousin was born on christmas. At exactly noon, christmas stops and the birthday party begins. Thankfully, although it's obviously not a friends' party, she has a HUGE family with tons of cousins in similar age (she's about 15 years younger than I), that she still has fun.

 

[HannaBelle]

My DD14 was born on Dec. 17th. I love birthdays and we definitely celebrate it separately from Christmas!!!​

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She has a party with friends every year, a party with my extended family and a combo party with my MIL who has a Christmas Day birthday. We also do a something special as a family on her birthday. She never gets combo gifts and they are not wrapped in Christmas paper!​

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Last Sat was her b-day, we took her for breakfast/brunch at her favorite local bakery, home to open presents, went to the mall for a bit and bought her & DS18 some new jeans, went home to relax a bit before her party with friends at a local skating rink that night. Spent Sunday morning grocery shopping and preparing stuff for "brunch" for dinner on Sunday to celebrate her birthday with my family. She had a great weekend and knows she is loved. All of her friends coordinated and got her crazy socks, they are hysterical...​

 

[over the hill]

This a rather sore spot with me even tho as my name suggests I am "over the hill".
My birthday is December 23, and people are so busy that they always forget it!! When I was a child I would always get one gift from my cousins for both birthday and Christmas, while the others always got two--I am sure that the theory was--a more expensive gift!! but 2 would have been nice.
I never had a birthday party, and most years didn't get to bring a treat to school as school was already on holiday.
So if a child has a close to Christmas birthday, please don't wrap gifts in Christmas paper, have a birthday cake decorated with red and green, and treat the day as special. We will see what happens this year!! at least I always get to go out for dinner.

 

[cassiez76]

my son just had a birthday on 12/15. i make sure everybody knows no christmas paper. they bring him a BD present wrapped in BD paper.

but i do have the tree up. with all the chairs in our living room, you could hardly see it

we also hold his parties the sunday after his birthday...mainly cause he's little, not many friends have kids and the adults get to enjoy food and the saints game.

i like our little arrangement now, but he's still little to not care.

oh and i'm a pretty close to the holiday baby too...jan 10. i did get a few combo gifts and hated it. so i'm watchful of it now.

 

[eliza61]

This a rather sore spot with me even tho as my name suggests I am "over the hill".
My birthday is December 23, and people are so busy that they always forget it!! When I was a child I would always get one gift from my cousins for both birthday and Christmas, while the others always got two--I am sure that the theory was--a more expensive gift!! but 2 would have been nice.
I never had a birthday party, and most years didn't get to bring a treat to school as school was already on holiday.
So if a child has a close to Christmas birthday, please don't wrap gifts in Christmas paper, have a birthday cake decorated with red and green, and treat the day as special. We will see what happens this year!! at least I always get to go out for dinner.

I lucked out in that my best friends always tell me that my birthday is the only one they remember simply because its a holiday.

13. You can’t take the day off on your birthday because you already have the day off.

I actually like that one, This year since 1/1 falls on a Sunday, my company gave us the Monday and the Friday before off as company holidays.

 

[elainesj]

My son is Dec 5th. Far enough away from christmas to be doable...but honestly it got a bit much...for him and for me. I'm not a big present person so by the time Christmas was done. I'd be totally overwhelmed with all his presents between him and his sister. Keep in mind, I do ALL the present shopping from both sets of grandparents for ALL occassions. He has everything he could possibly want by the time Christmas is over.

Some years back when he started school, he wanted the same big backyard parties I was throwing for his sister (July baby). So I combined both their parties together, did it at the end of June (end of school bash) and it worked like a charm. To this day, we still do that.

On their birthdays itself, its a family day and they get to choose whatever it is we do. We'll go to chuck e cheese, go karting, bowling...whatever the birthday child wants. In the last couple of years, we usually fit a family dinner in there as well since I no longer include the family in their "friends" party (way too boring for the grownups). So lots of presents at various times of the year.

My friend's DD was born Christmas eve. They sometimes hold a bday party on Christmas Eve, sometimes on an alternate date. I'm careful - I always get her separate gifts. And her bday is her bday....it doesn't count as Christmas.

 

[YodaGirl]

DD's birthday is January 2nd.

We don't really do parties (family goes out to dinner at the restaurant of her choosing). She's fine with it. Honestly, I never did parties growing up, and neither did DH. DS is an August birthday, and we'll be doing the same with him.

Presents are NOT combined. It might be a bit harder on the wallet, but she doesn't get cheaper presents just because it's around Christmas. After all, we know all year when her birthday is. It's not that hard to save a bit over the year to ensure that she doesn't feel robbed.

Presents are in birthday paper or birthday gift bags.

 

[HelenePA]

11. Winter break means no birthday cupcakes in class.

also this one... I always wanted to do this! But we are never in school on my birthday My 2 kids have summer birthdays so they aren't in school for their birthdays either, so on the last day of school I send in birthday cupcakes for them just because I never got them! lol

 

[puffkin]

My inlaws both have birthdays that bookend Christmas and yes, we are definitely guilty of buying them combo gifts. And you know what, I don't care

I would rather spend my hard earned money on a combo gift that is more expensive and definitely something they want/need than to spend two smaller amounts on junk. WE have even "gasp" combined both their birthdays AND both their Christmas gifts AND went in with my SIL who did the same and got them a nice LED big screen TV the one year. I would much rather spend money on that then another St Louis rams knick knack for Father in law and sweater set for mother in law.

But, they are also adults and I know even though it does irritate them, they understand (and sure don't complain about watching that flat screen!). I would never do it for a young child but by teenage years I think they can certainly understand a combo gift if the giver truely is doing a combo and not cheaping out. AT least in our case it is nothing about being lazy but rather making sure that the recipient gets an AWESOME gift.

AND, although my opinion isn't popular, I do want to say that I have my own birthday issues being a Twin and sharing my birthday as well as my dad having one 3 days after ours but we all survive

 

[YodaGirl]

11. Winter break means no birthday cupcakes in class.

also this one... I always wanted to do this! But we are never in school on my birthday My 2 kids have summer birthdays so they aren't in school for their birthdays either, so on the last day of school I send in birthday cupcakes for them just because I never got them! lol

I always arrange with DD's preschool teacher to bring in something after winter break.

One of the teachers I teach with (her first year last year), did an end of the year birthday party (much larger than regular birthday parties) for all of her summer birthdays. I thought that was a pretty good idea!

 

[HelenePA]

I always arrange with DD's preschool teacher to bring in something after winter break.

One of the teachers I teach with (her first year last year), did an end of the year birthday party (much larger than regular birthday parties) for all of her summer birthdays. I thought that was a pretty good idea!

My ds6's Kinder teacher said on the last day they always sing happy birthday to all the kids with summer birthdays that made me smile... she was glad I was sending in cupcakes and I will continue to do so until the kids or teachers tell me to stop

 

[st4rrab0vemybed]

My B-Day is 12/8, and I usually get separate presents since it's still early in the month. However, I have been given combo. gifts in the past. One year, I received a digital camera for X-Mas from a friend, which was part of my B-Day present.

 

[vettechick99]

I tell my DH that he's known all year that my bday is near Christmas so there are no excuses! And he always does really well in celebrating it separately from Christmas.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

My birthday is 12/30, I always felt like it was squished between Christmas and New Year's. My mom has always been good about giving me separate presents, even though I fondly refer to it as "Christmas-slash-birthday." It took DH a few years, but he always gives separate presents too. I do enjoy getting one nice combined gift, but I feel like I have to have something separate, even if it's as tiny as a bottle of nail polish. When I turned 25 DH got me a pair of diamond earrings for my birthday and a scarf for Christmas. This year I'm getting a cruise from him, and a steam mop! The steam mop is under the tree wrapped in Christmas paper, so the cruise must be for my birthday! My rule is that birthday presents cannot be wrapped in Christmas paper - winter-themed is ok, red and/or green is not!

My best friend's birthday is at the end of January, so sometime around the middle of January we go out to dinner for our birthdays.

 

[pyrxtc]

always a separate gift. I have a DD who will be 15 tomorrow. I always made sure there were separate gifts.

parties we've had a few in the winter but more on her half birthday when it's nice outside. Next year we'll have it in December for her Sweet Sixteen.

 

[FigmentFinder]

My daughter's birthday is 12/30. I am buying her separate presents for Christmas and her b-day. It's not too bad as all her birthday presents were at great prices.

I won't worry about birthday cupcakes in class as there are no birthday cupcakes in class in New Jersey. Her party will be indoors when she's older, just like my son's whose birthday is in late October.