5 Things You Should NEVER Do To a December Baby (or Birthday!)
I have embraced my December baby status for a long while now. (Seriously, what else can you do when your name is Holly?) Along the way there have been a few rough awkward moments though. Having a birthday in December can be a little bit different than any other time of year. When we were planning on when to have our babies – we both agreed NOT December! Not only would it make it potentially crazy with our birthdays 2 days in a row, we didn’t want our kids to have the “December baby experience”. We are expecting a new niece or nephew who is also going to be a December baby, so I had to lay out the ground rules, so to speak. For the rest of you, here’s what you need to know.
Don’t Wrap The Present in Christmas Paper, or use a Christmas Card
It’s still a birthday present, so have a little consideration and wrap it in birthday paper. If you don’t have any birthday paper, wrap it in newspaper. Don’t wrap it in Christmas paper. Don’t use a Christmas Card as a birthday card. We’ll put it under the tree and not realize it’s our birthday present.
Don’t Do the Whole Birthday slash Christmas present
Do I have the option of giving you a birthday SLASH Christmas present if your birthday is not in December? No, I don’t. So, don’t go there. If you don’t want to give a birthday present, a card is fine.
Don’t make us compete with a stress-filled national holiday
There’s no competition. The holiday will win. Make a big deal about your December birthday person in whatever way you can. We know you’re already loaded down with gift shopping, treat making and figuring out how to get that turkey in the oven, but we’d be grateful for a little recognition.
Force Snow and Winter Themed Parties
Although I love snow, and embraced skating parties and sledding parties, ask your birthday guy or gal if they wouldn’t prefer mini-golf or a pool party. They will love you. (I would have killed for a indoor-mini-putt party as a kid).
Decorate with giant classic Christmas Decor
Leave the reindeer and jolly old Saint Nick until after the holidays. The hard and fast rule at my house was no traces of Christmas were allowed until after December 9. We still won’t put up any decorations until after that!
Are you a December baby too or have one in your family? What guidelines do you follow?
a passionate recreation coordinator by day, crazy farm mama of two by night. i live outdoors: growing my own food, camping and hiking with my border collie with two active kids in tow. when I’m not writing, I’m experimenting with recipes, and crafts – or anything else that might keep the monkeys entertained.
duly noted 🙂
Kris is a December bday and so is my mom, on the same day of course… I agree with everything you have said and try to follow the rules BUT I am so happy they don’t care if the tree goes up ahead of their bday. I would be sooo sad to have to wait its such a short time of a year.
I always worried that other people would “confuse” my kids December 11 birthday for Christmas but they don’t. At all. Not once.
While presents might be wrapped in Christmas paper (because that’s what people had on hand), they’re given on their birthday and mention nothing about Christmas. We give toys away at Christmas rather then receive them (although the Grandparents do sneak them in) so that’s also aided in the lack of confusion.
Sorry if you’ve been on the receiving hand of something different. P.S. Happy Almost Birthday!
Besos, Sarah
Blogger at Journeys of The Zoo
I’m so glad that your family don’t confuse it! It’s been an educating journey in my world 🙂
looking for a little help here I’m expecting my third and final baby this coming December the 21st to be exact I have scoured the internet for hints on what not to do and what to embrace and what December kids love and have found diddley.
I’m easily classified as an over-the-top mom so wanting to make their day special is not the problem however running into the cliche is, I put my Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving deck the halls and play music. since we live in a fairly small town entertainment options are not huge and my little child’s birthday is in June so that kind of exnaes the half birthday….
Please suggest anything I’m all ears, I don’t know what to do for a baby shower I don’t know what to do for a theme for the nursery I don’t know what kind of color schemes to choose or stay away from I’m not even overwhelmed by the surprise pregnancy I’m overwhelmed by the due date.
As a mom of 2 boys I have my fingers crossed for a healthy baby maybe even a girl and have always dreamed of doing a Antique Rose Garden tea party theme but can i still pull this off for a December baby?
I love this, Holly. Love your style of writing. My kids are Oct and Nov babies so between Diwali and Christmas I am so done with celebrating by the time NYE rolls around. I feel for you though. I’m curious though do you get presents for bday and Christmas 🙂
Typically get presents for both, but not always.