Heather C Heather C is a married, mom of three: big sis Lily and identical twins Natalie and Sophia. She has been guest blogging for Mumbling Mommy since February of 2012 and began working as a Social Media Editor in 2014. After nearly a decade in banking, she now works part time at a doctor's office specializing in breastfeeding medicine and spends the rest of her days in her Midwest home as zookeeper/stay-at-home-mom. Heather C is also a runner, hiker, yogi, bike rider and more. She reads when she finds more than a few minutes to herself and she hosts a lot of pajama dance parties in her kitchen. In her spare time, she's the co-leader for her daughter's Girl Scout troop and an active member of the school's Parent-Teacher Committee as well as a certified postpartum doula.

My first pregnancy wasn’t planned. I was due in July. Everyone wanted me to have a July 4th baby. I didn’t. Not even a little bit. She was born in June. Phew. When we started trying for baby #2, I wanted a winter baby but I absolutely, positively did not want a December birthday baby. We calculated and planned and when that test turned positive, I was delighted to have a due date of Jan 28th.

Then baby #2 turned into a baby #3 as well. They were born  over 8 weeks early and lo and behold, here I am with not one but two December babies, as if being twins didn’t make their birthdays complicated as it already was. Over the past three years, I’ve made sure to distinguish between their birthday and Christmas. Here are five important things to keep in mind or try when you have a December birthday:

December Birthday Practices

  1. Celebrate your child’s half birthday instead. Half birthdays have a bit of a bad reputation due to overuse. I am not saying to throw a big party and celebrate your child’s birthday twice. I am saying to acknowledge their real birthday on the real day in a small, very simple way and then host their birthday party at a time when things are much slower. (We do not do this personally, but I know plenty of families who make it work.)
  2. Embrace it. If you love Christmas and your children love Christmas and you want to just mix it all together, go for it. Not every person with a December birthday hates it. My oldest, whose birthday is in June, actually got jealous this year because her birthday party won’t have a Christmas tree in it. All about perspective, right?
  3. Delay decorations. With early December birthdays in our house, we’ve been able to delay decorating until after birthday celebrations to keep things as two separate events. My husband’s birthday is the 8th. He can’t remember a single birthday party from his childhood that didn’t include a Christmas tree in the background.
  4. Use birthday wrapping paper. The easiest way to confuse a kid about whether a gift is for Christmas or birthday is presentation. Just because it is Christmas time and just because all the red, green and sparkling wrapping paper is on sale, seek out the Minnie Mouse or Monsters Inc. paper or gift bags. This small gesture will help each child know her birthday wasn’t just an afterthought during a busy season.
  5. Realize that this is just life. My birthday is in October. To celebrate, every single year, we went to the pumpkin patch. Summer birthdays may seem awesome, but my daughter has never had friends over for her birthday because school is out and it’s harder to do. My niece has shared her birthday party with Superbowl Sunday at least half of her 9 years. This is just life, guys. Holidays do not ruin birthdays.

Are you “plagued” with a holiday-themed birthday each year? How do you manage?What tips would you add?

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Category: Family Free Time

Tags: birthday