Happy Holi-birthday-day

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Happy Holi-birthday-dayHaving a mid-January birthday, I know all too well the joys of having a winter birthday. And while it didn’t fall in December, it was still close enough to Christmas to make things interesting.

Growing up with my birthday so close to the holidays and my older brother’s birthday just two days after Christmas, I saw how hard it was for my parents to coordinate. Parties were nearly impossible to plan around everyone’s holiday family celebrations, and determining what gifts to purchase was stressful (indoor vs. outdoor, winter clothes vs. spring clothes, etc). In fact, just the idea of keeping birthdays separate from Christmas celebrations was an ordeal. For my brother’s first birthday, my mom made sure all holiday decorations were put away to ensure that the events were two separate celebrations.

Happy Holi-birthday-dayWhen we found out we were due with our second just a few days before Christmas, I was disappointed about when her birthday would be. I ended up with a scheduled C-section about a week before Christmas.

I have learned over the last few years from experience and from the advice of friends with December birthdays how to make sure to keep her birthday and Christmas separate.

1. No combined birthday/Christmas presents.

Just because the celebrations are close together doesn’t mean we should combine gifts. We wouldn’t combine gifts for our oldest daughter’s birthday in the spring, so it seems fair that we wouldn’t combine our youngest daughter’s gifts.

2. Don’t use Christmas or holiday paper to wrap birthday presents.

Make the distinction between the holiday gifts and birthday gifts.

3. Don’t use holiday get-togethers to celebrate a birthday if you don’t have to.

This year we happen to be having a family Christmas celebration the same weekend as her birthday party, but on two different days. It will be a packed weekend, but will be two separate events.

4. Celebrate a holiday birthday just as you would a birthday any other time of the year.

Plan a party, go out to dinner. Keep your birthday traditions the same no matter what time of year they take place.

5. If you do birthday ornaments for the Christmas tree, do it for all birthdays and not just those around the holiday.

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Happy Holi-birthday-dayObviously, AJ is too young to understand the difference between Christmas and her birthday, but as she gets older she will see the benefits and the drawbacks to when her birthday is. I hope that by starting now with keeping the celebrations separate it will be easier when she gets older.

What are other ways to keep winter birthdays separate from the holidays?

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