How We Celebrate a Christmas Eve Birthday

My oldest baby’s birthday is Christmas eve. He will be 5 this year. I know I could have planned it better, but let’s face it we don’t really have much say in the matter do we? I developed pre-eclampsia so had to give birth a little early and because they don’t do inductions on Christmas day there was a big queue of pregnant woman.

A few people have said why don’t you have his birthday in the middle of the year, but then what do I do on his actual birthday? I feel it would just get way to confusing. Would I make him a year older in the middle of the year or tell him it’s his birthday but he’s not older until Christmas. It would just give me a headache.

I try to make Christmas eve, his day. We have the presents all out in the morning with banners and balloons. Then we will do something fun including lunch, last year he went to Build a Bear and this year we are going to go to the cinema. The the family comes over with more presents and we have a special dinner with birthday cake of course. He gets to play with his cousins and his new toys. Then at 7pm it stops being his birthday and it’s Christmas eve preparations.

Christmas eve is all about him, but then I feel he doesn’t quite get the build-up to Christmas eve that I’d like. Once the family has left, we are then on Christmas eve mode. The reindeer food is put out, the stockings hung, Santa is left his glass of milk and a cookie and not forgetting Rudolph’s carrot. Then its bed time for the boys and straight to sleep or Santa doesn’t come.

This year I will be having a party for him; it will be in January as no one is going to turn up Christmas eve. I want him to have a special day like everyone else gets. The shine is taken off his birthday with the excitement and anticipation of Christmas eve. But I try my best to make sure it’s special.

What would you do if your child’s birthday was Christmas eve, would you give them two birthdays like the queen? Or try to make their day as much about them as you can?

Elaine
Hello. I am a Christmas Eve baby too. I find it really hard now I am an adult (43). It was very reassuring reading these posts as I always thought it was just me who had no-one come to their birthday! I am now a professional children’s entertainer so I make sure other people really get attention on their day! (Co-indidence? Probably, but it does make sense) When I was smaller people made more of an effort, but now even my mum will sometimes wrap my present in xmas paper and I often get a xmas card with happy birthday written in it too. I live 200 miles from where I grew up and I used to like the fact that I would go there for Chirstmas and there may be a couple of people around from school who would be able to go out for a drink on Xmas eve. That has fizzled out now. One of the main reasons it is difficult is that the run up to xmas is so busy I never have time to even arrange anything until a couple of days before, and then, inevitably, everyone is booked up. But also, it is daunting arranging a party because what if everyone chooses their work events over you?? Seriously depressing and makes you have to evaluate yourself and your friendships, yuk! These posts were really useful. I often think about having it one month before or one month after but never quite have the gall! I know I wd feel wierd saying, well, my bday is on xmas eve blah blah blah. I think it is great that you mums are starting this now as it will become normal for your children. However, I do so love the idea of a 1/2 year bday, which also means it is summer so it’s so much easier to celebrate cheaply in a park. It’s never the same as having it on yr bday. That is a very magical thing, but, I suppose, unless we live in small communities where everyone lives close-by that can’t happen. Good luck and thanks for this help!
- Susan Mann
  Hope you have a wonderful birthday tomorrow lovely xx