The holiday season is here, and you’ve probably started preparing for the Christmas Day celebrations. For kids, Christmas gifts are one of the best things about the holidays. But what about family members who have December birthdays? We have a brother-in-law with a birthday on December 26th—so what do you do to make sure Christmas doesn’t overshadow a near-Christmas birthday? Here are some Christmas birthday ideas to make sure they are celebrated with pizazz.
Christmas Birthday Ideas
If you were born around Christmas time, you know that your birthday can often get lost in the shuffle of holiday celebrations. Birthday presents get mixed up with Christmas presents, and instead of party decor your house is full of Christmas decorations. It can be difficult when a child’s birthday is during the Christmas season. Older kids might understand a little bit better, but for little kids it can be difficult to separate, and you still want them to feel as special as their friends and siblings on their birthday.
But just because your birthday falls during one of the busiest times of the year doesn’t mean you can’t have a special day too! Here are some unique ways to celebrate your Christmas birthday and make sure that you still get a proper birthday celebration.
Birthday Ideas with a Christmas Overlay
- Have a picnic lunch in front of the Christmas tree. Even though it’s your birthday, you can still embrace the Christmas theme! Ditch the house rules about only eating in the kitchen or dining room, and set up a blanket on the floor in the living room with all of your immediate family and all of your favorite foods. You will feel special because you are the only one who gets to break that rule for their birthday! You can even start calling the tree the Birthday Tree just for the day.
- Make gingerbread houses with only your favorite candy: Gingerbread houses are a popular activity for a Christmas party, but to keep this your special day, only use your favorite candy pieces. This will provide a fun game for your birthday party, but still be a way for your friends to learn more about what you like and keep the focus of the celebration on you!
Christmas Birthday Activities
- Go caroling with your friends and family: If you are someone who likes to do nice things for other people on their big day, gather your friends and family to spread some Christmas cheer by caroling. Pick all of your favorite Christmas songs to rotate through.
- Spend the day at an amusement park or go ice skating: Who says you have to stay in on your birthday? Birthday parties centered around big activities or experiences are some of the most fun. Take your best friend and your siblings to your favorite amusement park for the day. Or if there isn’t an amusement park near you, go to your local skating rink to learn how to ice skate.
Christmas Birthday Themes
- Winter wonderland party: If you don’t want to throw a Christmas themed birthday party, you can still take advantage of the cold weather that comes around this time of year. Take your friends to do some outdoor winter activities, like going sledding, building snowmen, having a snowball fight, or going ice skating. At home you can put up a hot chocolate bar to warm up, with all of your favorite winter time sweets such as candy canes, marshmallows. Once you are inside, have a sugar cookie or gingerbread house decorating contest.
- Have a movie marathon of all your favorite movies: Staying inside during the cold months is a great way to celebrate your birthday, and a movie night is a good idea for staying warm. Bundle up under some blankets in front of the TV, make some hot cocoa and popcorn, and turn on all of your favorite movies. They can be Christmas themed if you want, or just all of the shows you enjoy watching throughout the whole year.
Shifting Focus…
The hardest part about Christmas babies is making their birthday special every year. The holidays are such a busy time that remembering to put the focus on your child for their birthday can be hard. Here are some ways you can make their December birthday the most wonderful time of the year for them every year:
- Put up birthday decorations on the actual birthday: One thing that is really helpful is to make a point of distinguishing the birthday from the rest of the holiday season, and you can do that with birthday party decorations, like a happy birthday banner or balloons. If the birthday is early enough in the month of December, you can wait to put up your holiday decorations until after the birthday party. Otherwise, you can still put them up but take some down to make room for the birthday decor. The goal is to make the birthday decorations the easiest to see so it’s clear that day is what you are celebrating.
- Keep all the regular birthday traditions: If you celebrate certain birthday traditions for other family members during the rest of the year, make sure you still observe those traditions for the Christmas baby. Just because their birthday is during the holidays does not mean they should not get the same special attention!
Keep Gifts Separate
- Keep the birthday gifts separate from Christmas presents: It is important to show your child that they get the same birthday treatment as everyone else, so if you give birthday gifts to the other birthdays, differentiate between the birthday and Christmas gifts that your December birthday child is receiving. Wrap the birthday presents in birthday paper instead of Christmas wrapping paper, and if you can designate a spot away from the Christmas tree for them to open the presents.
- Celebrate the half birthday: If you absolutely do not have time to celebrate your child’s birthday (maybe it’s on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day), then maybe you could celebrate their half birthday in June. This would give you more time in your schedule to plan a party, more options for activities since the weather is warmer, and would give you a chance to spread out your present buying budget a little more!
If you’re looking for something different to do for a Christmas birthday, try one of these festive ideas! And don’t forget, no matter how you choose to celebrate, it’s always the thought that counts. Merry Christmas and happy birthday!
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