plain jane Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 How do you divvy up the presents between the two occasions? What months do you consider "close to Christmas" that it affects gift giving? Do you give the bigger present on the birthday or at Christmas? Does it depend which comes first? - Meaning a big gift would go to the fall birthday, and small gift for Christmas vs. big gift for Christmas and small gift for late winter birthday? Do your kids get about equal amounts between the two dates? If it's something your child really wants, does that affect when you give it to them? I have a $150 item (one each) that I would like to give to a couple of my kids but with birthdays so close to Christmas, I can't decide when to give it to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmgirl70 Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Do you have other kids? Would they be getting a gift that large at Christmas? If not, I'd give them at birthdays. We give about the same amount for each occasion, so it wouldn't really matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 As he's gotten older, we've tried various ways of celebrating his birthday. In the end, he decided most recently that he wants to have it on the real birthday, with gifts and cake. So we just keep that for the later part of the day, and I try to make sure his gifts are similar to what his brothers might get. Works for us. It just felt sad to us NOT to acknowledge his birthday on its real day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormy weather Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soonermomma Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 My twins were born on Dec 19th. The year they turned one we did their party on their actual birthday and they got birthday gifts. Last year we did their party on Dec 11th (because my oldest had surgery on Dec 17th) and then on their actual birthday we did pizza and cupcakes with just us and the grandparents. I plan to keep the two separate and I make the gifts even with what I do for my older two. That way Christmas is even when they go to open gifts. I will say I have a hard time shopping for their birthday/Christmas because I have to come up with so much at one time, so last year they got tricycles for their birthdays that we put up until it was warm enough to use them in the spring. I have no idea what I will do this year. I think they are at a hard age to buy for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 My daughter was born a week before Christmas, but we have always celebrated her birthday the same as we would have celebrated it had it been in June. If she had a "friends" party, we would sometimes have it a little earlier (by a week or so), rather than closer to Christmas. We have always given a smaller "main" gift on birthdays, and a bigger one on Christmas. Her birthday presents are usually wrapped in Christmas paper. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 I don't have kids with birthday near Christmas (the one I'm pregnant with now will be our closest....end of October), but we give larger gifts at Christmas than at birthdays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 My dd's birthday is in early November. I generally shop for everything at once and divy it up when wrapping. This is the first year she is getting a fairly large gift(digital piano) for one or the other and she will receive that one for her birthday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.MacGyver Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Since we have 2 and soon 3 fairly close to Christmas, we just have a big summer party every year where we will save up and buy something big for the family (like a go-carts, motorcycles, a dog, a fun trip somewhere - like Cedar Point or Six Flags, etc). We invite our friends, neighbors, and the kids invite their friends, and it is just a laid back summer cookout kind of thing. The kids all look forward to it, and sometimes family and friends from far away are even able to come into town for the week. On their actual birthdays, they get to choose their favorite dinner and we will make a small cake, plus they get to open presents from the grandparents and things like that - but no party, no friends, no huge deal. Usually we might get them a little something that they have been wanting but don't expect to get. Dh and I just can't stand the typical b-day party thing anyway, plus we are so often in a new place and far away from family, it is too hard to have 4 or 5 days a years equally fun for the kids - that is why we just do the one big one every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 My daughter's birthday is in mid-December. When she was little, we realized that no item we could give her for her birthday would be different or significant or interesting enough to be remembered as separate from the Christmas deluge. (Yes, I've tried to tone down Christmas. I don't get any cooperation.) So, we opted to begin a tradition of giving her an experience for her birthday, rather than a thing. Over the years, she received things like: - tickets to plays. - an excursion scuba diving at Disney World. - a behind-the-scenes tour at a theme park. - a trip to NYC with tickets to a couple of shows (for a "big" birthday). Mostly, because she's a theatre nerd, we give her tickets to things. My husband and I take turns deciding on and accompanying her to the event. In order to keep things "even," we do the same thing with our son, even though his birthday isn't close to any major holidays. The tradition works for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Splinter Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 I have two with birthdays close to Christmas (December 15th and January 2nd) and I've always treated them as completely separate events. But, that's mainly to be fair, because my two with summer birthdays would get more otherwise. In your case, if I had big gifts for all the children, I'd give them for Christmas. If I only had them for the children with birthdays near Christmas, I'd give them as birthday gifts to avoid any jealous kids on Christmas morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Ds's bday is late November. We try to give about the same for both bday and xmas. Also, we are trying to be less materially oriented, so we aren't giving a lot for either. We are doing more special activities as gifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 (edited) ;) Same as I do for the summer children That is, we do not give our children b'day presents. lol It's awful, yes? We always celebrate, just not with gifts from us. Thank goodness for aunts and grandparents. Edited September 25, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 we only have 1 ds--and his birthday is DEC 12---right in the middle LOL.....we try to keep the celebrations separate.....I try to make both holidays special in their own way...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 I have two with birthdays the week before Christmas, and 4 with birthdays in January. We have a budget. Birthday budget is birthday budget, Christmas is Christmas. So, there's no splitting up Christmas presents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 We have 5 birthdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We do bigger gifts for birthdays because that is the day God chose for their births. Christmas is about celebrating Jesus' birthday, so we do smaller but meaningful things as gifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheApprentice Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 One of my ds's birthday is a week before Christmas. I usually budget the same amount for each child for birthday's and Christmas, and Christmas has the bigger ticket items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 My birthday is almost 2 weeks before Christmas. My family always celebrated my birthday on the day of or at least the weekend before my birthday. I don't know how they decided when to give which gifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 We celebrate Hanukkah which is in December, too. My kid's birthdays are Oct 1, Nov 7, Hanukkah in December, and a Jan 4 birthday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spock Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 How do you divvy up the presents between the two occasions? What months do you consider "close to Christmas" that it affects gift giving? Do you give the bigger present on the birthday or at Christmas? Does it depend which comes first? - Meaning a big gift would go to the fall birthday, and small gift for Christmas vs. big gift for Christmas and small gift for late winter birthday? Do your kids get about equal amounts between the two dates? If it's something your child really wants, does that affect when you give it to them? I have a $150 item (one each) that I would like to give to a couple of my kids but with birthdays so close to Christmas, I can't decide when to give it to them. Typically we give $15-20 for birthdays, and $20-45 for Christmas (more when we had more money/fewer kids, and for special birthdays like 15 and 18). My youngest has a December birthday (Dec 5), and often decides to save his birthday money (from us, his grandparents, and his great-grandmother) to combine it with Christmas money and get a bigger present. I also have one with a November birthday (Nov 17), plus my husband and father with January birthdays and another son with a February birthday. The November/January/February people don't really have a problem with interference from Christmas. My December son complains that he gets all his gifts right together, and then nothing else all year, while everyone else--meaning mostly his sister with an August birthday, since his brothers are much older--gets to spread out the gifts a little and get gifts on two occasions rather than just a few weeks apart. He keeps seeing things he would like to have and being told to ask for it for Christmas or birthday. For a 9.5yo, waiting from May until December can feel like a very long time. At the moment he owes one brother $40 for a Pokemon game that he borrowed money for last spring and will be paying back with birthday/Christmas money combined from various people. If he has leftover money, I'm sure he has an idea what he wants to get with it, though he has mentioned possibly saving it for later in the year. In the case of yours, does your family usually give larger gifts for Christmas or birthdays? That could be a deciding factor. However, if you are giving the same thing (or similar items) to each, it might be better to give it at Christmas so they get it at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 We have a December 19th child, our 8 year old. We don't give huge bday presents typically. Christmas seems to be a bigger gift giving occasion here. Like many others, we don't do a party near his bday. We usually do it later, but we have combined a party with his brother and done it earlier, as well. We don't seem to have one set way of doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kertie Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 I have a child with a birthday on 12/23. I keep Christmas presents fairly even--i.e., I wouldn't give one child a huge item and not the others. I tend to do the bigger gifts for everyone on Christmas. The 12/23 birthday is treated just as the March and June ones are:). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 I have two with birthdays the week before Christmas, and 4 with birthdays in January. I can't decide whether I pity you, or I am jealous. There are 4 of us with birthday within 3 weeks of the first day of Spring. Then there are 2 in the same week in June right at the start of Summer. Lastly, 3 of them are within a week of each other starting with the first of Fall. We have no birthdays after the first week of October or before the last week in March. I think I'd lose my mind having six right at Christmas. Then again, there's something to be said for ripping the bandaid off all at once :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 My dd is Dec 26. One ds is in Feb. Another is in May. In terms of presents, we do the exact same thing for my dd as we do for my ds. The closeness of the date to Christmas has no relevance for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainbowSprinkles Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 I have one January birthday, one February birthday and will have an October birthday. I only have one in the summer. We usually do cake and a couple of small presents at home. And then we go do something together as a family. We do this with all kids' birthdays, it doesn't matter if they are close to Christmas or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 We do things as fairly as possible. I try to spend the same on the kids or give them the same number of things, depending on their age/stage. My 4th child has a bday on Christmas eve, so I just spend the same as I would for her birthday if it were any other time of the year and have a real birthday for her on her birthday, and then she gets the same as the other kids on Christmas. :) I have another dd whose bday is 12 days after Christmas, and we do the same thing for her. It doesn't matter to me when the bday is, it's kept normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustybug Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 My DS's birthday is Dec. 29th. We separate it from Christmas as much as possible. We try our hardest to make sure that the two days are very distinct (no, "this is a present for BOTH"). We have a celebration for him on his day just like we do with our other children, whether it be a party of a family outing of the child's choosing. As far as money goes, we dont' set spending amounts that are the same for each birthday. It totally depends on what they want and with the age differences, the prices will vary. We DO really only get them 1-2 things on their birthdays anyway. Our parties or outings is where we really sink the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 My birthday is Dec 30th. Here's how to handle it: Pretend your children's birthdays are in June. How would you celebrate a June birthday? What sort of party would you have? What budget would you set? Then, DO THAT on their birthday. Easy. The only issue is that you'll have to set your money aside throughout the year so you have enough for both events at the same time. Jan - June, set money aside for birthday. July-Dec, set money aside for Christmas. December: spend all the money on both events. The only other option is to celebrate a half birthday in June. You would still need to acknowledge the actual birthday (like have a cake with family and maybe a teeny-tiny token gift.) I'm not sure whether I'd have liked that as a kid or not. (But I did get some pretty sad little excuses for Birthdays some years and it hurt my feelings when I was a kid.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 We do "big" gifts for birthdays, though for us a big gift is something over $20-30 per gift, and smaller gifts for Christmas, including our Christmas boy's. For his birthday, we do a birthday dessert and celebration after Christmas dinner. We don't go out of our way to "make up" for his birthday falling on Christmas Day. We just treat it like any other birthday. How close a birthday falls to Christmas has never really been a factor in how we gift or celebrate, by conscious choice. We budget for birthdays and Christmas, so we've got the same amount to spend on the boy with the Christmas bday as we do on his brothers' (who have Nov. and Jan. bdays. Ack.) and sisters'. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate CA Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 I would do what I would do at any other birthday at any other time of the year. If you would give that gift to child A, born in June, then give it to child B, born in December. Christmas would be separate entirely and I would give children A and B whatever I would have given them no matter what the cost. We are not a family that feels every child should have the exact same amount spent on them, but I do give equal worth to all. (What is "equal worth" to an 8yo is going to be different than a 17yo.) HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 I can't decide whether I pity you, or I am jealous. There are 4 of us with birthday within 3 weeks of the first day of Spring. Then there are 2 in the same week in June right at the start of Summer. Lastly, 3 of them are within a week of each other starting with the first of Fall. We have no birthdays after the first week of October or before the last week in March. I think I'd lose my mind having six right at Christmas. Then again, there's something to be said for ripping the bandaid off all at once :tongue_smilie: The holidays at my house are insane. :) On their birthday they get dinner, and cake, of choice, and that's as far as we go. It's why we normally take a six week break, which, is perfect at that time of year, honestly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 My birthday is Dec 30th. Here's how to handle it: Pretend your children's birthdays are in June. How would you celebrate a June birthday? What sort of party would you have? What budget would you set? Then, DO THAT on their birthday. Easy. The only issue is that you'll have to set your money aside throughout the year so you have enough for both events at the same time. Jan - June, set money aside for birthday. July-Dec, set money aside for Christmas. December: spend all the money on both events. The only other option is to celebrate a half birthday in June. You would still need to acknowledge the actual birthday (like have a cake with family and maybe a teeny-tiny token gift.) I'm not sure whether I'd have liked that as a kid or not. (But I did get some pretty sad little excuses for Birthdays some years and it hurt my feelings when I was a kid.) This is me, except my birthday is a few days later. I struggled for years with my b-day. It always seemed everyone was worn out after the holidays and really wasn't into celebrating. Finally, last year, with the help of the Hive.... I celebrated for myself. I feel like a turned a corner and am actually looking forward to it this year. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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